We’re trying something a little different this year. As we get new product in the shop and begin experimenting with different techniques in various bass fishing situations, we figured we should let everyone know what baits we’re throwing and why we’re throwing them. Our hope is to help folks get some extra bites who may be struggling otherwise. While geographic regions are certainly different, we think you’ll be able to pull some very helpful nuggets from this series.
So here are the main August bass fishing baits we’ll be using for the rest of this month.
Berkley Money Badger
No matter where you’re located, a lot of summer bass tend to position on grass lines with hard bottom composition and also riprap and isolated rock. They’re worn out from the spawn and these types of areas give them a great place to attack prey with a minimal amount of effort.
The Berkley Money Badger has been really great so far for fishing rocks. You can fish it slow without it blowing out on the retrieve and although it’s not made of balsa, you wouldn’t be able to tell throughout the retrieve. You can cast it a country mile, it has a unique “clicking” sound and it flat out catches bass. In this tough time of year, we’ll have one rigged and ready to go.
Strike King Sexy Spoon
This certainly isn’t a new lure but it’s a certified fish catcher for anglers of all skill levels. As the bass hang out on river ledges, offshore humps and in deep timber in this hot weather, it can be pretty tough to beat a big spoon. Of course, that’s where the Strike King Sexy Spoon comes into play.
A lot of folks think spoons have to be jigged vertically but that’s not the case with spoons of this style. Make a long cast to some deep structure or cover, lift your rod tip a few feet and pay close attention to your slack line as the spoon falls to the bottom. You’re not always going to feel the bite, so again, it’s imperative that you keep a close eye on your line. When it jumps or moves to the side, it’s time to set the hook.
This particular spoon casts well and features really good components. That’s a big reason it’ll be rigged and ready for us this month.
Yamamoto Cowboy
We’ve really taken a liking to this bait over the past year. Whether we’re using it on the back of a flipping jig in shallow, dirty water or threading it on the back of a football jig targeting offshore structure, it’s pretty tough to beat. While it maintains the bouyancy for which Yamamoto baits are known, it’s also bulky enough to handle itself as a bulky trailer option without tearing apart.
As we target the aforementioned rocks, vegetation lines and river ledges, this is going to be a major player for us this month. It has a great kicking action but at the same time, it’s not so aggressive that it spooks fish. Yamamoto did a great job striking a happy medium with this particular bait.
Nomad Design D-Trak Crankbait
You might not have heard of this company before but it’s not going to take long for folks to take notice. Nomad Design has been doing a stellar job of designing unique bass fishing baits that don’t look like everything else on the market.
This particular lure does not need tuning as it runs straight right out of the box. You can slow-roll the crankbait on tough days and you can also burn it as fast as you can without it blowing out and losing its course. That’s why it has become such a great option for us this time of year as we target offshore bass. It’s tough as nails, it comes with super-sharp trebles and reaches 18 feet without a problem. Do not sleep on this bait.
Lunkerhunt Bento Minnow
There’s not a whole lot to say about this particular bait once you look at the photo. This is one of our favorite baitfish-imitating baits on the market right now and it can be rigged a myriad of different ways. We really like its holographic core and durable body composition because we can catch a bunch of bass on a single bait. Although it’s tough, it’s also quite soft which helps it come to life with the slightest movement of your rod tip.
Culprit Fast Vibe Worm
Not everyone likes to fish deep water in the summer. Throughout most of the country, in fact, there always seems to be an impressive population of shallow, resident bass in even the hottest weather. While you can certainly catch quantity offshore, it’s not at all uncommon to find your biggest bites in knee-deep water even when the temperatures are boiling hot.
This worm is a real catcher because you can toss it around shoreline vegetation and even pitch it on a lightweight shaky head. That might sound crazy to some but these swimming worms can be absolutely deadly on a lightweight shaky head targeting mid-depth brush. So whether you want to fish this worm weightless along the surface and get some big early morning bites or rig it on a flipping rig or shaky head, it’s one of those baits we keep nearby this time of year.
Jewel Baits J Lock Flip’n Jig
We’ve become a quick fan of this particular jig because of its hookup ratio and trailer-keeper system that keeps all soft plastics in place. You can skip docks to your heart’s content and will rarely have to fiddle around with repositioning your plastic, which is a big deal when it comes to efficiency.
After some heavy August rains you can run up a creek or river and flip this jig and count on getting bites thanks to its loud rattle. If you’re a power fisherman and the bite starts to become a grind, grab one of these 3/8-ounce jigs and go to work. You’ll get bites.
Bill Lewis Echo 1.75 Squarebill Crankbait
It might be a little different looking when compared to many of the other squarebills on the market but heck, that might be a really good thing. You always hear about 1.5- and 2.0-sized squarebills out there but this particular plug seems to hit the middle mark really well. It’s not too big and it’s not too small.
When these big ol’ summer thunderstorms pop up this August, we’re half inclined to ride up a river or creek and go toss this dude around fresh runoff areas. Anywhere we see water rolling into the lake off of the banks, we’ll have this rigged and ready. It’s loud, which is a really good thing in these situations. The water will likely be muddy, so it’s crucial to appeal to the other senses of a bass.
