AZ Summer Bass

dandavand82 - senior

I'm new to fishing off a bass boat and I'm having trouble finding bass. I've been throwing everything I can at them and have had some bites and a few fish on creature baits close to the banks and drop shots in 15-20' of water. Its really hot down here in AZ and I'm not sure how to find a pattern. I've been starting pretty early fishing at 5am to around 11am.

June 17, 2019 11:40:59 AM
Bob C - graduate

In low light hours try a buzzbait. In clear water, make the longest cast possible.

June 27, 2019 11:50:33 PM
Jondoe67 - graduate

Alot of variables you leave out.
However John Murray once said it best (paraphrase) a lot of Arizona lakes the Bass never read the book on how they should behave.
Never the less... Some points of consideration... Arizona early light
Top water can be the deal. Arizona
Has lots of sunshine and Bass have no eyelids... Often is the case the water is clear so this compounds the issue.
Say you smash em on topwater then bite slows... Now move deeper or find shadey spots.... If have too setup a milk run based on light conditions... Then when 11am or high noon so to speak seek out your deep structure spots and shakey head or dropshot

February 18, 2020 01:27:29 PM
Jondoe67 - graduate

Arizona... Chop on water is your friend blocks some light, this helps keep shallow bite on... .. Very few natives here... All moved here grew up bank fishing.... Learn to locate deep spots that should hold fish. One if my favorite lines is telling folks there is always the exception... Meaning truley patterning is repeating what you found. The exception is say bite is slow and you only caught few shallow and dinks... Some will fall for this and think to continue on... The exception is there is bass in all 4 corners of lake... This fools many... But the bulk are where? Thats your job. Exception is... Some fish live shallow some live deep...
Often is the case in arizona the deeper fish move shallow to feed and duck back out.... Again more too this but you left out variables... Such as what stage are the fish in you speak of.. What seasonal pattern... What was weather pattern prior too your day on water and what is it on the day.... Blah blah blah.
In Arizona its hard to believe we have 4 seasons... Rest of country has winter spring summer and fall. So do we.
Fish has many seasons.
Winter.. Pre spawn... Spawn... Post Spawn... Summer... Fall (feeding frenzy)... Fall Transistion... And back to winter.....
Sometimes it might be better to study up on these fish seasons or movements... Example my findings is in Arizona 53 degrees and lower its mostly a winter pattern.
Hope this helped some.

February 18, 2020 01:46:31 PM
Jondoe67 - graduate

My Bad your Title was Summer Az Bass... My apologies on drilling you on the variables.

February 18, 2020 01:50:02 PM

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