Luke Clausen’s Five Surefire Summertime Fishing Techniques

Fishing in the summertime is a great way to get family, friends or kids on the water with you. Nothing beats a great summertime day on your favorite lake.

Often, these are referred to as the “dog days” of summer because of the occasionally slow bite. I don’t see it that way. I think it’s one of the most enjoyable times of year to go fishing. Fish your strengths and have a great time on the water. Just don’t forget to stay hydrated and cover up with sunscreen or wear UPF clothing of at least 30 during your outing for protection from the sun.

Beat the dog days with my five surefire summertime techniques.

1. Topwater – Always start early mornings and early evenings with a topwater bait. I’ll tie on a Dog-X walking bait from Megabass and cover a lot of water first thing in the morning. It’s tough to beat the addicting explosions of a big bass on a topwater lure; however, even if you don’t catch any fish on it, you can learn from it. Watch the bait closely and look for bass showing themselves underneath the bait. If you cover enough water with the Dog-X, you’ll either land some good fish or locate fish to get back to later in the day.

2. Rip Bait – The rip bait is overlooked in the summertime by many bass anglers, but when the topwater bite dies down, the fish will often eat a rip bait. Cover water and work a rip bait, like everyone’s favorite Megabass Vision Ito 110. I’ll use the Vision 110 High Riser in the summertime and rip it fast, pausing only briefly most of the time. I will mix in a long pause – 3 seconds – on occasion.

3. Drop Shot – It’s tough to beat a drop shot almost any time of the year, but it’s especially effective in the summer months. For clear, deep water go with really light line and a Z-Man Finesse ShadZ, but don’t overlook the shallow grass and structure. I’ll flip around summertime grass and structure with a drop shot rig set up with 15-pound Gamma fluorocarbon line and a Z-Man Finesse WormZ. Just pitch it into a hole in the grass, shake it a little and hold on.

4. Big Worms – The Z-Man Saw Tail WormZ is one of my favorite ways to catch summertime bass. Fishing a deep ledge or bend in a creek channel with a 10-inch Saw Tail WormZ is a great big fish technique. I’ll Texas rig it with a bullet shaped weight between 3/8 and 3/4 ounce and line up 12 to 15 pound Gamma fluorocarbon line. Although with a 10-inch worm your averagefish size will go up, don’t underestimate the appetite of keeper size fish. You just might be surprised how small of a bass will actually eat a 10 inch worm.

5. Deep Crank Bait – If the big worm is the right hook of my summertime arsenal, the knockout punch is the Megabass Deep X-300 crankbait. I’ll stick with a line somewhere between 10 to 17 pound Gamma Fluorocarbon depending on the depth I want the bait to run. Crank it down and bang the bottom. This is a great bait for the now very popular long lining technique.

Although these are my five surefire techniques, in the summer there are plenty more ways to catch summertime bass. Froggin’, punchin’, spinnerbaits and more can all catch fish in the summertime as well. No matter what technique you try, get out on the water and enjoy a great day fishing. After your trip, visit my Facebook page at Facebook.com/LukeClausenFishing, post your fish picture and let me know how you caught it.

Luke Clausen

Hometown Spokane, Washington

Birthdate 08/03/1978

Career Earnings Over $1 Million

Favorite Lake Clear Lake (CA) - "Big fish, and they're easy to catch. It's always fit my style and I've always done well there."

Least Favorite Lake Lake Mead (NV) - "There's about three bass in there."

Favorite Technique Sight-fishing

Primary Fishing Strength Clear-water natural lakes

Secondary Fishing Strength Finesse-fishing

Biggest Weakness Fishing offshore in off-colored water

Boat Ranger

Motor Yamaha

Fishing Team Chevy

Favorite Food Sushi or Mexican

Favorite Music "Alternative, but I listen to a little bit of everything."

Non-Angling Hero Father - "I have a lot of respect for him. He makes intelligent decisions."

When Not Fishing "I like to hunt everything -- bow-hunt, bird-hunt, a little bit of everything."

Why He Fishes "I fish to make a living, and I love to fish. I love the challenge each day. Every place we go to is different."