Evinrude outboards

Over the years, I have done enough seminars at enough fishing and outdoor shows that I’ve heard just about every question possible about catching largemouth bass. But when people see me somewhere and I’m in my Ranger boat, fishing or coming off the ramp or weighing in at a tournament, the question I get the most is an easy one.

We don’t have many tournaments in September because fishing can be tough. But for old timers like me, it’s a good month. The fish are so close to the bottom (they keep their bellies right on the bottom) that you can’t see them with forward-facing sonar. But I can still find ‘em with my baits, even if they get to hugging the bottom.” The key to success in September is being able to keep up with the movement of bass, both back into creeks and from deeper to shallow water.

July is a month where a lot of variables come into play when it comes to catching bass in the Carolinas. It’s the first real month of summer. But in a lot of lakes, fish won’t be on a summertime pattern, depending on location, water level and how early or late a spring we had. And what part of the calendar we’re on is also a factor. What matters the most in July is probably where you are fishing.