Where Do Bass Go in the Summer? (And How to Find the Big Ones)

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Summer is one of the prime times for fishing. People are going on vacation, the kids are out of school, and there are so many people on the lake that you’d think it was the best time of year to catch fish. 

Except, it’s not. Summer makes it kind of difficult to catch bass. At least, on the days when it’s most extreme. It can feel like all the bass packed up and moved for the season when you get skunked day after day. 

Well, the bass doesn’t pack up and disappear. They just start behaving differently. Just like you and everyone else run straight to AC to escape the heat, the bass have to find somewhere to stay cool and healthy. 

Today, we’re going to break down where bass go during the summer and how you can use that knowledge to target trophy-sized fish for your personal best.

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Timing is Crucial

First, bass don’t just pick a spot and sit there all day long during the summer. The water changes throughout the day, much more than your average terrestrial area, and bass have to move around. 

So, you can’t expect to find a spot, catch some good fish, and still catch them there 5 hours later. You also can’t expect that awesome morning spot from the other day to be great midday the next day. 

You have to take into account the time of day that you’re fishing in. 

As such, we’re going to cover each major period throughout the day, as well as a couple of special considerations, to help you pinpoint where the bass are at any given time. Not just a general time slot to go fishing. 

Early Morning Bass Fishing Locations

The early morning is one of the best times to fish in the summer. This is a big reason so many anglers think it’s the best time in general, but it can vary a lot depending on the season. 

In the early morning hours, the lake is cool. The sun hasn’t had time to bake it and drive everything away from the surface.

So, as those first few rays start to stretch across the lake, the bass get out there and start eating. It’s going to be their best bet until evening, and they take advantage of it. 

You’ll notice that this is one of two times the lake is most active during the summer, too. Not only are the fish biting, but the bugs are out, the bait fish are swimming along the edge, and various wildlife take advantage of it, too. 

That’s one big reason the bass come up along the shallows during the morning, too. All the food is there and easily accessible. 

As such, you need to be targeting areas where there are larger groups of bait fish, bugs, and wildlife such as frogs. 

The big bass will be around these areas just like the smaller bass, but you’re most likely to find these well-experienced bass lurking in the shadows along cover, ambushing their prey and taking their time with their meals. 

Look for areas that are dense with vegetation. This is where a lot of frogs and insects are going to hang out, and bait fish will often be around these hotspots to get the smaller food. Right behind them, you’ll find the big bass looking to eat. 

Mid-Day Bass Fishing Locations

Once the sun fully envelopes the lake, the bass aren’t going to stay in the shallows and fry. Just like you probably don’t want to stand out in the sun all day on the hottest days of the year, the bass want to find cover and coolness, too. 

During the midday period, the big bass are most likely going to be suspended near the bottom or the thermocline in deeper lakes. The younger, smaller bass are sometimes in the weeds and shade, still. You’re not looking for dinks, though. 

There’s just one problem with this. You can know that the bass are there, but getting them to bite is another task entirely. 

You have to remember that the bass just got done feasting in the earlier hours, and they’re trying desperately to maintain their body temperature. They aren’t interested in food. 

There are strategies to deal with this, though. That’s why we recommend keeping a deep-diving crankbait in your tackle box for every trip. 

When you know the bass have gone deep to stay cool, pull out that crankbait and let it get way down in the water column before bopping it around. You want an erratic and persistent action, but you don’t want to buzz it right by them all the time. 

The point of this isn’t to entice them into eating. It’s to irritate them. Bass are very territorial, and when you essentially try to mimic an annoying bait fish barging into their territory, they’ll lash out at it. 

This is called a reaction bite. It’s fast, violent, and tends to lead to some interesting bites and fights.

If that does not work, usually a big soft plastic work or creature baits fishing on outside weed edges, near cover such as wood, and near drop-offs is worth trying.  

When it’s the hottest part of the day, these are going to be your bread and butter strategies. 

Late Afternoon Bass Fishing Locations in Summer

The late afternoon tends to look a lot like the morning bite, and it’s for the same reasons. 

As the sun starts to slowly disappear over the horizon, the water’s surface starts to cool down, the bugs start to come out in mass, frogs start croaking along the edge, and the whole lake comes to life after being seemingly lifeless most of the day. 

This is a great time to hit the water and play around with the entire column. 

Like morning time, it’s often best to cast around cover. Not necessarily because of the coolness and shade, but because that’s where the most insects and aquatic animals are going to be, and the bass are going to start eating again. 

Big bass will likely be around smaller forms of cover that make for great ambush points. That stump 10 feet off the water’s edge, or the small pier that no one uses anymore, are great points to target if you’re looking for big bass. 

You can also target right underneath trees. The insects fall in all the time, and a big bass knows that a meal is coming if they just sit around and relax long enough. 

Night Fishing Bass Locations

One of the great things about summer fishing is that it’s the best time to do some night fishing.

Night fishing in the fall and winter can be unsafe, and it doesn’t tend to work well, and even springtime tends to be cold at night.. With summer, it’s like the morning bite on steroids. 

If you’re in a boat, you need to keep your eyes open for surfacing bass. They love to feed on topwater prey. Especially when the moon cycle lines up with your fishing trip. It’s cool out, insects and other prey are everywhere, and the bass go nuts. 

Unfortunately, a lot of bass anglers miss this period. Night fishing is usually seen as a catfishing strategy in the US. Night fishing conjures up images of people with broomstick-thick rods fighting giant flatheads for an hour before finally heaving them onto the boat. 

Don’t let that be you. Get out there around a full moon late at night, and watch the lake come alive in a whole new way. At BassForecast, that’s one of our favorite times to fish out of the whole year. 

One of the most effective nighttime baits is a black and red spinnerbait with one large Colorado blade fished around shallow to deep intersections and shallow flats near deeper water where the fish migrate up from at dark to feed.

You can slow roll it, and the big Colorado leaf blade puts out a lot of vibration that a bass can detect with its lateral line and hone in on. 

Rain Affects the Bass

Like we said, there are a couple of special situations to consider, too. One of those is rain. 

Now, the average angler, especially the weekend warrior looking to get a few fish on the line on their day off, isn’t going to be open to standing in the rain. However, if you’re a bit more hardcore, it’s a great opportunity. 

Assuming it’s safe and you’re not waving a rod with metal hooks tied to the end around in a lightning storm, or trying to stand on your boat in a serious downpour, you can stay out through those little summer drizzles and enjoy a good bite. 

That rain lowers the water temperature, and bass will come up even during the midday heat. Also, the barometric pressure drops as those drizzles roll in. That can cause bass to move shallow and feed.  

Again, don’t do anything unsafe. It’s not worth the potential consequences, and whatever fish you might have caught will still be in the lake when the bad weather passes.

We’re only talking about rain without thunder and lightning, that’s not dangerous to be in if you use a little common sense. 

Special Spawn Events for Insects

Sometimes, you’ll turn on the news, and you’ll see a bunch of stuff about cicadas spawning in mass.

You might also learn about mass spawns of special caterpillars and similar bugs. To the average person, this is a gross headline, and they start talking about it on social media a lot. To you, it’s a prime opportunity. 

You can bet that the big bass will be under the trees and foliage that those large bugs love, because they know they’ll be falling into the water.

They might completely ignore a typical behavioral pattern in favor of taking advantage of those rare opportunities. You should do the same. 

If you know something like that is going on, and you’ve found a tree or similar source, fish right under it as a priority.

Tips for Summer Fishing 

We’ve given you a few tips for each time of day, but there’s still more to cover. 

Here are a few tips to make the most of your day, regardless of what time it is. 

1: Use Finesse for Pressure

One of the first things we talked about was how popular the lake is during the summer. That means most of your favorite spots are likely going to be under a lot of pressure. 

One thing about pressure is that a lot of the problems come from all those typical baits being used over and over by tons of people. The bass wise up. They don’t want to get caught. 

So, you need to switch it up. Don’t always go for your go-to lure just because conditions dictate it’s a good choice. 

We recommend going smaller. Have some small finesse baits in your tackle box. Most people aren’t using them, and they tend to slay in high-pressure situations. 

2: Go Where Weekend Warriors Won’t

This is also pressure-related. One of the good things about it is that those large crowds tend to do one thing. They pull up to the bank, walk about 20 feet to the nearest spot, and set up shop. Then, they sit there until the weather drives them off. 

That leaves all the more difficult areas open, and the bass are likely in those areas, avoiding all the family fun. 

Getting in a boat is best, but even if you can’t, you can make yourself willing to take the hard route.

Walk through the brush to that little outcropping that no one else goes to, take the long walk from the parking lot, and learn to cast in that area with tons of trees overhead. 

3: Stay When the Others Leave

First, sometimes people leave the lake because it’s dangerous. Don’t be silly and stay around out of stubbornness. Go home in dangerous situations. 

However, it’s usually a comfort issue for the masses. They’ll get there at 9 AM, fish until noon, and when sweat starts forming on their foreheads, they head home. The same goes for nighttime. The average person isn’t hitting the water at midnight when the alarm clock goes off for work 5 hours later. 

If you want prime fishing time, stick around when the crowds head home. The pressure drops, and you’ll be able to target those big bass easier. 

Go Where the Bass Are and Catch More Summer Fish

The bass doesn’t lay in one spot all day, and you shouldn’t either. When you’re fishing in the summer, take this guide and make sure to switch your spots depending on the time and conditions.

If you want to improve your chances of catching bass in summer, download the Bass Forecast app today!