Let’s talk about my Top Four Baits for the Month of June! June is a special month for me because my birthday is on June 17th, but it’s also a great time for fishing. The fish are super active in June, and depending on where you live, it’s getting warm, or it’s already been warm for a few weeks.
We’re fully into the summer pattern now, with fish moving out to deeper waters or hiding under thick cover. So let’s dive in and talk about my top four baits for this awesome month, split into two for the North and two for the South.
First up for the northern half of the country, let’s talk about small soft plastics. This category is broad, but for June, the perfect bait has to be the Ned rig. The Ned rig is a simple setup: a small plastic on a jig head. It’s versatile and effective for several reasons. In June, you might still see some spawners if you’re in places like New York or Maine. You’ll also have fry guarders and post-spawn fish ready to eat. The Ned rig works for all these scenarios.
Use a mushroom-style jig head, which has a round but blunt end that holds the plastic well. I recommend using a light head, usually no more than an eighth of an ounce. Some of my favorite plastics for this setup are the MaxScent Little General Worm, Berkley PowerBait Water Bug, and any 4-inch soft stick bait. Rig it straight, with the darker side up and the lighter side down, and fish it slow and low, but be ready for bites on the initial fall!
Next, for the North, we’ve got to talk about topwater baits. June is prime time for topwater action because you have a mix of post-spawn and early summer fish that love to hit the surface. My go-to topwater baits are popper-style lures. They’re great because you can fish them slow and leave them in place, mimicking a struggling bluegill or other panfish.
The Berkley Bullet Pop 70 is one of my favorites. Match the color to the local forage. Lots of bluegill spawn in June, so bluegill patterns are killer. If you’re fishing in heavy cover like grass or wood, switch to a frog popper, like the Molix Pop Frog. It’s perfect for popping around shallow flats, grass beds, or docks, where bass are hunting.
Moving to the southern half of the country, where the water is warmer and the fish are deep, my third pick is a deep-diving crankbait. In June, fish are usually on ledges, creek channel bends, and main lake points in the 10 to 16-foot depth range. The Berkley Dredger 10.5 or 14.5 are perfect for this depth. Colors like Citrus Shad and Blue Chartreuse are my go-to because they mimic shad and bluegill. When cranking, make sure the bait hits the bottom and deflects off cover. This triggers bites, and often you’ll find multiple fish in these deeper areas. It’s common to catch one fish and see several others following it, especially in June when fish start grouping up.
Finally, for the South, my fourth bait is the trusty football jig. When fish move deeper, a football jig dragged along hard bottoms, ledges, and points is a killer tactic. I prefer a half-ounce to three-quarter-ounce jig, like the Missile Baits Head Banger. Pair it with a trailer like the Berkley PowerBait Chigger Craw or the new Shape 108, which has great movement even when dragged slowly. This setup is perfect for covering water and finding those deeper, post-spawn bass. If you’re fishing in areas with heavy vegetation, switch to a more streamlined jig like the Missile Baits Flip Out for punching through grass mats.
There you have it, guys! My Top Four Baits for June: a versatile Ned rig, a popper-style topwater, a deep-diving crankbait, and a football jig. June is an awesome month for fishing because the fish are active and biting. Get out there, try these baits, and catch some big ones!
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