(Editor's note: "Catching Bass with Dustin Wilks" airs five times per week on the Sportsman Channel – 2 p.m. ET Sunday, 4:30 a.m. Monday, 6 a.m. Tuesday, 11 a.m. Wednesday and 5:30 a.m. Saturday. The six-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier provides BassFans with additional insight about each episode in these submissions.)
This week’s show was awesome despite being centered on the toughest time of year for many – late summer.
I managed to break the “Dirty 30” level and hit 31 pounds with my five biggest.
The day was hot, the water was low with a temperature in the mid 80s and the clarity ranged between slight stain with about 2 1/2 feet of visibility to a moderate stain of 1-foot visibility.
I knew my all my focus needed to be shallow based on the conditions. Reservoirs, with low water and not much flow, typically develop a heavy thermocline. The thermocline becomes shallower with murky conditions and the fish will be shallow.
I started in the clearest water first thing in the morning with a Yo-Zuri Pencil 125 topwater in all black. I caught multiple fish but only three show-worthy ones that made it to the tube. One was a hefty 6.75-pounder! I like a big, dark topwater early in the morning with low light.
After that action died, I ran way up a creek and kicked up some mud, following a ditch lined with stumps. In the summer a shallow square-bill is often the answer and the Yo-Zuri 3DB 1.5 didn’t disappoint. I caught a lot of nice fish mid-day when the fishing can be brutal this time of year. The thing I love about the Yo-Zuri 1.5 is its flat sides, which are fantastic for giving off a flash in stained water so the bass can react and eat it. It's one of the top producing baits in my boat.
Another tip is to use a rod with enough power to get the fish out of heavy cover. I like the Falcon Cara Deep Runner, which is medium-heavy. You can handle anything with that rod, yet there's still enough forgiveness to land the majority of fish.
As the day went on, I switched to a bladed jig in some slightly clear water. I noticed some shad and white perch on flats. That got me excited, since that combination attracts big bass to feed. I used the bladed jig with my favorite Culprit Incredi-Slim in sexy shad color. The combo was good for an 8.25 and a 7.
Along with a couple more solid fish I hit the 31-pound mark in the typically tough late summer. I would have been very happy with 15.
Next time you are facing tough late summer fishing, get in the dirt and keep winding – and that will keep you “Catching Bass."
