NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/853309
60 NEBRASKAland • AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2017 Fishing When It's Hot Where to find fish in the summer heat. By Julie Geiser B y August, Nebraska temperatures have taken their toll on many anglers, but many fish are biting, especially in the early mornings and evenings when temperatures bring some relief. Some people shy away from fishing in the heat of summer because they've heard fish quit feeding when it's hot. Fish will feed heavily during the summer months, but they feed in different locations than they do during the cooler months. Finding those spots is the angler's challenge and finding the right spot can pay off. In hot weather most fish spend their days in deeper, cooler water, moving into the shallows at night and into the morning hours to feed. Many anglers take advantage of that tendency by waiting for the fish to arrive the hours before and after dawn and dusk. Here are a few ways of improving your chances of being successful while fishing when it's hot outside. • Fish the areas of the lake where the water is the coolest. The deepest water may also be the coolest and drift fishing there with lures or live bait may be productive. Other cool water areas include spots where there are shoreline trees with branches that hang out over the water, spots where vegetation grows in shallow water, and man-made structures such as boat docks that provide shade. • Stump fields, downed limbs and logs in the water and weed beds also provide protection from the sun and attract fish. • Flowing water is usually cooler than standing water, so look for spots where a creek or stream flows into the lake. In addition to being cooler, the moving water also washes food into lakes and fish line up to feed. • Try fishing the outside edges of weed beds near deeper water for bass and large bluegills. Smaller bass and bluegills will be found along the inside edges of the weed bed where they can hide to escape larger predators. • A small Beetle spin, a chunk of worm or minnow suspended below a bobber, a dry fly or a slowly-sinking fly pattern are all good hot weather bluegill baits. • White bass and wipers are prime targets in August on Nebraska reservoirs. These voracious fish will be pursuing vast schools of baitfish and gizzard shad, pushing them to the surface for a feeding frenzy. Again, this will most likely happen early and late in the day. • For bass, cast a spinnerbait or buzzbait into shady, shallow water beneath overhanging tree branches and retrieve it just beneath the surface to attract a fish's attention. It's also hard to beat slowly crawling a plastic worm across the bottom of a body of water, along a submerged weed bed, or along the edge of an underwater drop-off. • Crappie can be taken on minnow imitations fished in deep water off shallow ledges, submerged stream courses, or in shady spots such as under docks, in stump fields, and in and around weed beds and brush piles. Rocky reefs and sandbars with steep drop-offs are also spots where crappie school in the summer. • Nighttime is the best bet for cat fishing, especially in August. Cats move into shore to feed at night, so it pays to suspend bait, such as a bluegill, a glob of nightcrawlers, or a chunk of cut bait near the bottom in five to 15 feet of water, then sit back and wait for the action to begin. ■ PHOTO BY JULIE GEISER t a spinnerbait or buzzbait w water beneath ieve a , nder ry ern are all .