Lunker Lines

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	It’s June — fish it like May June 06 at 9:00 am June is normally one of my two favorite months to catch bass. They’re finished with the spawn, have moved back toward deep water and are fattening up after going without for a couple of weeks.

	Look to pattern April fish April 08 at 9:00 am April is the month that bass spawn in most lakes around North Carolina, but when that happens exactly depends a lot on the weather and some other factors. Because I don’t like to fish for bedding bass — it’s not one of my strengths — I spend most of my time on the water looking for prespawn fish.

	Try a jerkbait this month February 06 at 9:00 am A lot of bass fishermen really want to get out on the water in February. A lot of them haven’t fished in better than a month; they’ve been sitting around, maybe getting a little cabin fever, organizing all their tackle and going to boat shows to see what’s out there.

	Going back to reel basics December 10, 2012 at 9:00 am More than 25 years ago, when I started to get the reputation for catching a few fish on crankbaits, one of the tools I carried with me wherever I fished was a Lew’s BB1N baitcasting reel. To me, it was the perfect reel for fishing crankbaits: you could cast a mile with it; you could fish crankbaits with it all day without your arms and wrists cramping from the workout, and it was a great reel once you hooked a fish because the gearing made winching a big bass to the surface an easier task than it should have been. I fished Lew’s reels until they went out of production a few years ago, after Browning took them over and then Bass Pro Shops. At one point, I was so taken with those reels that when Bass Pro Shops priced them at $49.95 for some Midnight Madness sale, I bought 50 of them.

	October back to ‘normal’ October 08, 2012 at 9:00 am A lot has sure changed in a couple of months. From getting no rain, the lakes being low and figuring that we’d have shallow bass the rest of the year, we’re back to having plenty of rain and looking at a normal October and fall pattern. That’s fine by me, because October is one of my favorite months to fish — probably my favorite fall month. It’s a great month to catch fish on my favorite crankbaits, and it’s a great month to pattern bass by their movements back in creeks and up and down.

	Shallow bass in August? August 06, 2012 at 10:00 am I know this is really going to sound unusual, but if you’re going to catch bass from most of our lakes in North Carolina in August, you’d better be prepared to fish shallow. It’s been hot all summer, we haven’t had much rain, so there’s not much current, and that’s a perfect prescription for our lakes not carrying much dissolved oxygen. Bass can stand hot water, but they can’t stand water that isn’t carrying any oxygen, and that’s what we’re in for, unless something happens to change it — like a tropical storm.

	The calendar is lying June 29, 2012 at 9:45 am I have to admit, I wait the whole year for June to arrive, because it’s my favorite month to catch bass on a crankbait. And I also have to admit, I’m afraid things are going to be different this year. Bass have spawned early everywhere, and I really wouldn’t be surprised if June doesn’t turn out to fish like July usually does. We’re really going to have to watch things.

	One speed fits all? April 01, 2012 at 7:00 am A question I get at a lot of fishing shows where I do seminars has to do what kind of reel I choose for most of my crankbait fishing. A lot of fishermen want to know about the retrieve ratio of reels, and what ratio they should be using for what baits.

	The weatherman rules... February 01, 2012 at 7:00 am Probably more than any other month, the fishing in February depends on the weather; that’s what it’s all about. When you get really cold weather, it’s tough. When it warms up, it’s really good.

	Harvest your largemouths November 01, 2011 at 10:03 am It’s too bad that so many guys who bass fish also like to deer hunt. There are only so many days in November, and the tree stand usually wins out over the bass boat.

	Lying in wait...Early September is tough, but later is great August 29, 2011 at 2:51 pm There’s no month that can be tougher on bass fishermen than September, but fortunately, there’s no month when bass can change as much as they do from Labor Day until the approach of October.

	Get on the move. Be ready to follow July bass June 27, 2011 at 12:37 pm July can be a really good month for bass fishermen in North Carolina, but the one thing you need to understand is that you definitely can’t fish the same way the last of the month that you fished the first of the month. Even though July might seem like a month for a consistent summer pattern on most lakes, there’s a tremendous amount of change that goes on.