Last day in June 2023 the bass were active

 

The bass were very active yesterday.  It was 92 degrees out around 4pm here in the Heartland.  The water in the pond was noticeably warm.  I think the water temps were above 80 degrees.  That being said the bass were aggressive!  I could only stand being out there sweating for an hour and fifteen minutes, but during that time I caught around fifteen bass.  Above are a few pictures of some of the bass I caught and also some of the baits I was using.

Mepps Agila Dressed Spinner

The pond has noticeable algae blooms this year.  The water is stained green with algae, but the visibility still seems to be 2 feet.  That being said, I think the Orange feather tail of this inline spinner, and the chartruese colored blade is a great combo during these conditions.  I was right!  Caught several on this inline spinner during this outing.  I was slow rolling the spinner and they were hitting it closer to the bank.

Zoom Trick Worm

The trusty trick worm got it done as well.  I was using a motor oil with a chartreuse tail which again thought would look good to the bass.  I was right about that as well.  The bass wanted it bad, and I caught most of the bass on this day with the trick worm.  

Retrieve tactic

One thing that I have been experimenting with is the retrieve.  I've caught a ton of fish over the years on trick worms in more of a traditional slow worm retrieve.  On this day, they did not want the traditional retrieve.  Because the fish were so active they were reacting to stuff that was moving.  So, I was slow retrieving the trick worm with some twitches and they were hammering it.  That was a fun bite and it is always exciting to figure out a pattern.

I hope you are all doing great out there.  If you are in the United States, have a great Independence Day weekend.