Post by briancarper on May 28, 2010 9:48:33 GMT -5
Time to start Summer fishing!
June is here and as I look back over the last four weeks, the only word that comes to mind is “wow”! I thought last year when Percy Priest Lake flooded 9 feet, I was witnessing something unique, but May’s flood blew that out of the water. I had to take two weeks off from all trips and wait until the water lowered to a safe level to fish. It wasn’t until May 13th before I got back out on the water in search for bass. Now we are into June, the water is at a lower level and we can start getting back to normal summer fishing. This is the month when the bass and crappie are found deep, in their summer patterns and you will need to make a few adjustments to continue catching fish.
If bass is what you are after, then this is the month that you need to start moving off the bank. Most of the larger fish will be out from shallow water and located on deeper points, ledges, and humps. Even though you can continue to catch some fish in shallow water near the bank, most of these fish will be smaller. Two of my favorite techniques for catching bass in June are deep diving crankbaits and a Carolina rig with a French fry. During June bass will pull out of shallow water where they recently spawned and locate themselves on structures such and main lake points, ledges and drop offs and humps. Using you electronics and researching your map is mandatory to help you find these structures. Once you have located some areas, your next step is to get out on the water and see if your structure is holding any fish. Weather it is a hump, ledge or point; you want to position yourself well off the structure and make long cast to it. I like to use a strike king series 5 crankbait in sexy shad color. This bait has brought me more success than any other in the past two years. I also like a C-rig, with a 1/2oz. egg weight, 24” leader and a 4-inch French fry. The French fry seems to entice bigger post spawn females because it is a small, simply bait that offers little movement and less effort for them to eat. If you fish an area for over 30 minutes and receive no bites, then try another area.
When it comes to crappie fishing, June is one of the months that I look forward to every year. All of the crappie are done spawning and most of the females have finished recovering. It is at this time that I pull out my map and gps waypoints and start finding brushpiles is depths of 12ft – 20ft. The best technique that I have found is to take an area I had success in the spring, back out into 12ft-20ft of water and fish any brushpiles I can find. Most of the crappie will be concentrating in these trees in large number and are very active. Whether you have been fishing for 1 year or 50 years, it is hard to find any bait that works better than a live minnow when fishing for crappie. Live bait is my “go to” bait the majority of the time. One productive way to fish live bait is to tie a hook on the end of your line and then add a split shot 8”- 12” above the hook. There are many ways to attach you minnow to your hook; I like to hook them through the eyes. Then, send your weight, hook and minnow to the bottom around your brush pile and reel in up 2-3 reels. If there is any crappie in that brushpile, you will know within a minute or two. Most people hang up their crappie rods in the summer, but if you spend a little time searching for brushpiles and trying this technique, you will not be disappointed.
If you are like me you have a lot of fishing to make up after May’s flood. Now that fishing is back on track and the fish are into their normal summer patterns, it is time to get back out there are start catching fish. If your try these few techniques for bass or crappie, I am confident that you will find success on the water. Remember the most important element to off shore fishing is doing your homework and finding humps, points, and ledges, on your map and then targeting the cover on that structure. I wish you the best of luck! If you have any questions or would like to book a trip with me, you can contact me at www.briancarper.com or call me a 615-278-6311.
June is here and as I look back over the last four weeks, the only word that comes to mind is “wow”! I thought last year when Percy Priest Lake flooded 9 feet, I was witnessing something unique, but May’s flood blew that out of the water. I had to take two weeks off from all trips and wait until the water lowered to a safe level to fish. It wasn’t until May 13th before I got back out on the water in search for bass. Now we are into June, the water is at a lower level and we can start getting back to normal summer fishing. This is the month when the bass and crappie are found deep, in their summer patterns and you will need to make a few adjustments to continue catching fish.
If bass is what you are after, then this is the month that you need to start moving off the bank. Most of the larger fish will be out from shallow water and located on deeper points, ledges, and humps. Even though you can continue to catch some fish in shallow water near the bank, most of these fish will be smaller. Two of my favorite techniques for catching bass in June are deep diving crankbaits and a Carolina rig with a French fry. During June bass will pull out of shallow water where they recently spawned and locate themselves on structures such and main lake points, ledges and drop offs and humps. Using you electronics and researching your map is mandatory to help you find these structures. Once you have located some areas, your next step is to get out on the water and see if your structure is holding any fish. Weather it is a hump, ledge or point; you want to position yourself well off the structure and make long cast to it. I like to use a strike king series 5 crankbait in sexy shad color. This bait has brought me more success than any other in the past two years. I also like a C-rig, with a 1/2oz. egg weight, 24” leader and a 4-inch French fry. The French fry seems to entice bigger post spawn females because it is a small, simply bait that offers little movement and less effort for them to eat. If you fish an area for over 30 minutes and receive no bites, then try another area.
When it comes to crappie fishing, June is one of the months that I look forward to every year. All of the crappie are done spawning and most of the females have finished recovering. It is at this time that I pull out my map and gps waypoints and start finding brushpiles is depths of 12ft – 20ft. The best technique that I have found is to take an area I had success in the spring, back out into 12ft-20ft of water and fish any brushpiles I can find. Most of the crappie will be concentrating in these trees in large number and are very active. Whether you have been fishing for 1 year or 50 years, it is hard to find any bait that works better than a live minnow when fishing for crappie. Live bait is my “go to” bait the majority of the time. One productive way to fish live bait is to tie a hook on the end of your line and then add a split shot 8”- 12” above the hook. There are many ways to attach you minnow to your hook; I like to hook them through the eyes. Then, send your weight, hook and minnow to the bottom around your brush pile and reel in up 2-3 reels. If there is any crappie in that brushpile, you will know within a minute or two. Most people hang up their crappie rods in the summer, but if you spend a little time searching for brushpiles and trying this technique, you will not be disappointed.
If you are like me you have a lot of fishing to make up after May’s flood. Now that fishing is back on track and the fish are into their normal summer patterns, it is time to get back out there are start catching fish. If your try these few techniques for bass or crappie, I am confident that you will find success on the water. Remember the most important element to off shore fishing is doing your homework and finding humps, points, and ledges, on your map and then targeting the cover on that structure. I wish you the best of luck! If you have any questions or would like to book a trip with me, you can contact me at www.briancarper.com or call me a 615-278-6311.