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Trolling for Fishing Success
Summer Bass Fishing Tips
Take Yourself a Fishing Trip Down the Mighty Mississip’
Littlest Person, Biggest Catch

Tips and Tidbits

Trolling for Fishing Success

Two of the most important ingredients in fishing success are A) the ability to cover a lot of water and B) the ability to cover that water as quietly as possible. The more water you cover, the more you explore and learn, and stealth is always critical. A boat is, naturally, the key to covering water. An electric trolling motor is a great way to get a stealthy fishing performance from your boat.

There are hundreds of trolling motor options available today—from smaller, relatively inexpensive models you can clamp on a rowboat to super-deluxe, sonar models for bass boats.

The trick is finding the motor that perfectly matches your boat in terms of thrust. A small jon boat can get around just fine with a motor rated at 30 pounds of thrust or less. A 20-foot fishing boat needs 50 pounds of thrust or more.

You also need the right shaft length for your motor. Check to see how high your boat’s bow sits above the waterline. You want to be sure that the propeller blade reaches well below the surface, but not so far that it will drag along the bottom in shallow areas.

Last, you should think about the battery for your trolling motor. Remember, the more power and energy reserve the battery has, the more weight you can carry. Smaller boats work well with 12-volt models; larger boats work best with 24- or 36- volt models.

Once you have the motor that matches your boat—in thrust, power, and shaft measurement—then you can get all the bells and whistles. No matter what you choose, a trolling motor will undoubtedly make your fishing experience productive and enjoyable.

Summer Bass Fishing Tips

Largemouth bass are often considered “America’s fish” because they’re abundant in lakes and rivers throughout the country—from California to New England. They’re also fun to catch, whether you’re a beginner or a pro. But those warm summer months can be tricky when it comes to finding and hooking ‘ol bucketmouth. As lake waters warm, you’ll notice bass moving out of the spring shallows where they spawn into deeper water. But it’s wrong to think big bass don’t eat during the dog days of summer. In fact, if you time it right and know where to look, you can catch the big ones in numbers. The trick is keying on the food forage that bass prefer, as well as structure (like submerged rocks and stumps), and cover (like grasses and weed mats). Pinpoint these factors at different times of day, and you’ll find the action. Here’s a month-by-month primer:

June
In June, before water temperatures approach their peak (especially in northern states) you’ll still find good numbers of bass cruising in water less than 10 feet deep. This is a great time of year to try different baits and lures. Among the favorites are spinnerbaits, especially in the mornings. If you get an early start, try fishing buzzbaits, or even a surface-riding swimbait. In the warmest hours, you might try throwing jigs and soft plastics. With these options, concentrate your casts around points and drop-offs, and try flipping into weed mats with a weighted “green pumpkin” colored jig.

July
It’s best to concentrate your bass fishing in July to early in the mornings and late in the afternoons/evenings. In the early mornings, you can fish topwater baits, especially above submerged weeds and around stumps. Later, consider fishing with some deep-diving crankbaits, especially if you’ve found good submerged structure. If the crankbaits aren’t producing reaction strikes, revert to a weighted soft plastic, like a jig meant to imitate a crawfish. Twitching a crawfish along a rock structure in 15-20 feet of water is often an offer even the most finicky largemouth cannot refuse.

August
Early August is when most lake water temperatures peak, so you want to be mindful of creeks and inlets that are pouring cooler, more oxygenated currents into the lake, especially if the bottom drops at that spot. Also understand that in most lakes, baitfish (and the bass that follow them) like to school on structures below the thermocline (where water temperatures transition from warm to cool). For water 15 feet deep or more, try a drop-shot rig, where you have a heavy weight at the end of your line, and suspend a smaller-sized soft plastic worm on a hook above that. You want to use eight-pound to 12-pound test line and a medium- or light-action spinning rod in this situation, because finesse and feel are important.

Follow these monthly tips and you might just have your best bass fishing summer of all time. For more techniques visit TakeMeFishing.org.

Hot Spots

Take Yourself a Fishing Trip Down the Mighty Mississip’

The Mississippi River has been described many ways. Majestic. Romantic. Mighty. Moody. Brutal. Beautiful.

For those who love fishing, however, one word describes the Mississippi better than all others; Paradise. The “Father of Waters” traverses 10 states on its 2,350-mile journey from Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to the Gulf of Mexico. Millions of Americans fish it. No matter what you like catching, you’ll probably find it here, from perch to bass to pole-bending redfish.

The Mississippi River satisfies many tastes. It flows through wilderness, cities, farmland and forests. It’s clear, muddy, narrow, fast, wide and slow. Like a scoop of Neapolitan ice cream, the flavor you savor depends on where you dip in.

Headwaters
Before the Mississippi becomes “mighty,” it trickles cool and clear through northwest Minnesota wilderness, gradually widening as it approaches Minneapolis, 493 miles downstream. A canoe float on the 420-mile-long Mississippi Headwaters River Trail, as the upper river is called, lets you fish for popular sportfish that include tackle-busting muskies, walleyes and saugers, and toothy pike. One charming stretch is the 53 miles of “Wild and Scenic River” between St. Cloud and Anoka, a hotspot for whopping smallmouth bass.

Minneapolis to St. Louis
St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis marks the Mississippi’s transformation from a free-flowing stream to a series of man-made lakes. Twenty-nine dams create a stairway of water extending 664 miles to St. Louis. Quiet bays, rushing tailwaters and broad impoundments combine to create fabulous angling opportunities. Cast for walleyes or bass. Dip a worm for catfish or bluegills. Try jigging for crappie or perch. Fishing’s good any way you do it.

St. Louis to New Orleans
Downstream from the last dam near St. Louis, the Mississippi becomes a vast, muddy, swirling giant that can intimidate even experienced anglers. Fishing is safest from shore or large boats, but rewards can be huge. The 124-pound, world-record blue catfish surfaced in Alton, Illinois. And in the 1,000 miles flowing past Memphis, Natchez and New Orleans, a single trip could produce hundreds of stripers, white bass, saugers and channel cats.

Where River Meets Gulf
Saltwater fish in the Mississippi? Indeed. The area where the nutrient-rich river melds with the Gulf near Venice, Louisiana, is among the world’s richest fisheries. Inshore anglers cast for huge redfish, schooling sea trout and flounders. Offshore, you can test your mettle against drag-burning tuna, dolphins, wahoo and marlins. Some say, on a trip down the Mississip’, the best is saved for last.

To find boating and fishing hotspots in your state, visit TakeMeFishing.org.

Ambassador Spotlight

Littlest Person, Biggest Catch

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