Angling Summer Dog Days

We anglers always can’t wait until summer finally gets here because we keep telling our selves “then the fishing is going to get better”. Pending on which part of the country you reside, this particular spring into summer has been far from normal by any means.

Most places spring came in and never left with the cool air temperatures and many extra days of rain as well. The lakes and rivers water temperatures are far below normal as well with New England waters in mid July and barely over the 70 degree mark, which is almost 10 degrees off.

Fishing this season seemed to be focused around spring like conditions for a much longer time this fishing season. But now we are finally getting to the point that the fish have moved into their summer haunts and it seems like that may have happened over night. That is fine with this angler as now the deeper fish are finally there and time to search them out.

This time of year, many anglers dread because the fish are not as easily found as they are in the spring or fall. The air and water temps are rising and those conditions do make it harder for some anglers to locate fish. The bigger fish leave the shoreline shallows as the water is getting to warm and head off shore looking for cooler and more comfortable waters.

This time of year with fish seeking refuge off shore, this has anglers perplexed as to how are we going to locate and also catch these fish. If the waters are deeper than 5 feet or so, some anglers will still avoid looking for fish there, as they will still catch some fish shallow, but the bigger fish are out deeper.

This time of year the electronics in your boat come into play much more than they do in other times of the year. Finding the deep weed line is fairly critical as these are ambush locations that fish use fairly regular in their search for food. By watching the graphs that we have we are able to follow these weed lines and anywhere that it makes an abrupt turn or nook, these are key areas that the bigger fish in the area will occupy.

Also, if you can find areas in the weed line that have rock or wood there as well, these are fish magnets that will attract fish every year. Always look for something that is a little different and that is what is going to keep fish biting your baits. Don’t be afraid to venture out into deeper water as there are many areas that the fish haven’t seen bait and are willing to bite whatever comes by.

If you have an underwater camera, this is a great tool to have out there as well. This will allow you to take a look down there and see what are there and also what the fish are relating to. Having underwater eyes is fun to watch but is something that will definitely teach you as well as now you are in the fishes world and can see what they are doing.

Try exploring some deeper waters and you may surprise yourself in what you find and catch there. While you are reeling fish in you will see boat after boat going down the same shoreline not catching much and much smaller fish. You can then tell yourself, “that use to be me and now I am fishing for fish that are more than likely untouched and more willing to bite”.