August can be one of the hottest months of the year, but it can also produce some of the best bass fishing if you understand where the fish go. Every summer I remember three words: deeper, thicker, and current. Bass either move to deeper, cooler water, tuck under the thickest cover they can find, or position anywhere current brings oxygen and food. Whether you fish a tiny pond, a natural lake, a reservoir, or a river, those three clues will put you around more fish. Just as important, remember that conditions change across the country, so here are my favorite August baits for northern and southern anglers.
Northern Anglers:
My first choice is a drop shot. When fish slide deeper or suspend around rock, grass edges, and current, a drop shot keeps your bait right in their face. I like heavier tungsten weights in August—usually 1/4 to 3/8 ounce or more—to stay in contact with deep fish. My favorite plastics are the Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm and the Berkley Lab Series Straight Tail Worm because their scent and natural action help trigger extra bites. My second northern bait is the Berkley Power Switch, a pre-rigged minnow that excels around suspended bass. Whether I’m casting to fish on electronics or vertically ‘moping’ beneath the boat, it stays horizontal and has an incredible shimmy that pressured fish can’t ignore.
Northern Deep Fishing:
• Drop Shot with Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm
• Berkley Lab Series Straight Tail Worm
• Berkley Power Switch pre-rigged minnow
Southern Anglers:
The heat is brutal this time of year. Bass often stay shallow if they have thick overhead cover. Grass mats, docks, laydowns, flooded timber and lily pads all become prime real estate. When fish are buried under that cover, I rely on two presentations. If I’m fishing over the top, I grab the Molix Sneaky Frog and walk it across the thickest cover I can find. If I need to punch through the cover, I rig a Berkley MaxScent Creature Hawg behind a Berkley Fusion Straight Shank Hook with a heavy tungsten weight. The goal is simple—
get that bait into the cool, shady holes where bass spend the day.
Southern Thick Cover:
• Molix Sneaky Frog
• Berkley MaxScent Creature Hawg
• Berkley Fusion Straight Shank Hook
• Heavy tungsten weight
When southern fish move offshore, I switch gears and hunt schools. A Berkley Dredger deep-diving crankbait is my search bait because it covers water and bangs the bottom where bass group up on ledges, points, humps, and river channels. Once I locate a school, I follow with the Molix Lover Spoon. Its fluttering fall keeps fish interested and often catches multiple bass from the same school. Many bites come as the spoon falls, so watch your line closely. If they won’t eat the crankbait anymore, that spoon can keep the action going.
So before your next August trip, keep it simple. Remember the summer rule: deeper, thicker, and current. Let the fish tell you which pattern they’re using, then pick the bait that matches the conditions. For northern anglers, lean on the drop shot and Berkley Power Switch. For southern anglers, cover thick vegetation with the Molix Sneaky Frog or punch a Berkley MaxScent Creature Hawg into the heaviest cover you can find. If the fish move offshore, fire up the Berkley Dredger and clean up with the Molix Lover Spoon. Stick with those four bait categories, fish them with confidence, and you’ll put more bass in the boat all month long.
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