Shallow Water Finesse Fishing For Summer Bass

The bass are in less than 2 feet of water! How would you catch them? We turned to "junk fishing" to get the bites. A mix of swim jigs, weightless senkos, and a shaky head did the trick. Come along and watch how we break down a new section of Lake Chickamauga, build a pattern, and locate quality fish despite difficult conditions. 

Summer bass fishing overwhelms a lot of anglers. Knowing how and when to adapt is difficult until you understand fish movements. Once you understand that half the fish go to offshore structure while the other half focus on shallow cover you will find their behavior more predictable. When the water gets really hot the fish will focus on shade for relief, even when that shade is ultra shallow. 

Today we intended to fish offshore structure but the wind had other plans. As the waves we picked up we knew the only option was to focus on the ultra shallow bite. Don't let Summer heat or changing conditions keep you off the water. Focus on the basics and you'll find consistent fish in the heat. Below you'll find a breakdown of the exact baits we threw to target these shallow water fish. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 


Senko... 

Worm- Yamamoto 5" Senko (Watermelon Red Flake): http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Hook- Owner Jungle Wide Gap 3/0: http://bit.ly/2sBsR1Z


Shaky Head...

Worm- Netbait T-Mac 6.5" (Bama Bug): http://bit.ly/2jndwj9

Hook- Dirty Jigs 3/16 Canterbury Shaky: http://bit.ly/2aFOs0V


Swim Jig... 

Jig- Dirty Jigs Swim Jig 3/8 oz (Crappie): http://bit.ly/2dIVUMd

Trailer- Keitech 4.3" Fat Swing Impact (Pro Blue Red Pearl): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v


Topwater... 

Frog- River2Sea Bully Wa 2 (Ghost): http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

Matt's Senko Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7'2" MH: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Shimano Curado DC 150 HG: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

Line- Maxima Ultragreen 15 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Tim's Shaky Head Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis NRX 854C JWR: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq

Reel- Shimano Metanium DC HG: http://bit.ly/2qrSZvs

Line- Sunline Flippin FC 18 lb Fluorocarbon: https://bit.ly/3clXxt2

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

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Summer Worm Fishing Tricks for Shallow and Deep Water Bass

Are you missing it? There are so many great ways to fish a plastic worm! Come along with Tim as he demonstrates a 2-bait method to maximize your time on the water when finesse fishing for Summer bass. You can fish from 40+ feet all the way up to the water's edge with these 2 baits rigged a few different ways. You don't need an entire box of baits to catch Summer bass!

Tim's 2 favorite baits for this technique are a senko and a Trick Worm (Netbait T-Mac). By adapting the rigging he can fish both of these baits at a variety of depths. When you think senko your mind immediately goes to fishing it weightless around shallow cover but with a little weight (Neko rig) that bait is suddenly effective in 20, 30, even 50 feet of water! The same goes for the Trick Worm. Most guys see a trick worm and think of the floating worm technique but this bait is incredibly effective on a shaky head, Neko, and exposed jighead as well. 

Summer worm fishing can be overwhelming. There are so many great baits that will consistently catch fish (and you know we'll jump down that rabbit whole soon) but it can also be as simple as a couple baits and a couple rigs, to consistently catch fish. Don't let bass fishing overwhelm you. You can catch these fish and you can do it on a budget. Below are links to the exact baits and rigging methods that Tim was implementing in today's video. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

The baits... 

Senko- Yamamoto 5" Senko: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Favorite Colors- Green Pumpkin, Green Pump/Wtrmln Lam, Green Pump Blue

Trick Worm- Netbait T-Mac 6.5": http://bit.ly/2jndwj9

Favorite Colors- Bama Bug, Texas Craw, Green Pump

Budget Worm Alternatives... 

-Yum Dinger 5": http://bit.ly/2J8nMrF

-Zoom Trick Worm: http://bit.ly/2aWkG7E

Weightless Rigging... 

Standard- Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap 1/0: http://bit.ly/2aKGmHM

Weedless- Owner Jungle Wacky Weedless 1/0: https://bit.ly/2VKZl9U

Neko Rigging... 

Standard Hook- Owner Sniper Finesse Neko: http://bit.ly/2kfdv37

Weedless Hook- Owner Sniper Finesse Weedless Neko: https://bit.ly/2zXirRH

Weight- Swagger Tungsten Pagoda Nail: http://bit.ly/2iGNSFW

Jig Heads... 

Shaky Head- Dirty Jigs Canterbury 1/4 oz: http://bit.ly/2aFOs0V

Ned Head- Swagger Tungsten Flanders 5/16 with 2/0: http://bit.ly/2KcIB6M

Tim's Neko Rig Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7' Med Light: http://bit.ly/2jOUXAO

Reel- Shimano Stradic CI4+ 2500: http://bit.ly/2gu84t7

Line- Sunline SX1 12 lb High Vis: http://bit.ly/2FngUkQ

Leader- Sunline Sniper 7 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Tim's Shaky Head Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis NRX 852C JWR: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq

Reel- Shimano Metanium DC HG: http://bit.ly/2qrSZvs

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- Sunline Sniper 12 lb: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

All-Around Summer Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7'2" MH: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Shimano Curado DC 150 HG: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

Line- Sunline Assassin 15 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

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