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What should I do when bass fishing at a lowland California reservoir in the summer when the bite turns tough in the afternoon?

When bass fishing at a lowland California reservoir in the summer, if the bite turns odd in the afternoon, there are a few strategies you can employ to adapt and increase your chances of success:

Focus on Grass Edges and Isolated Patches: As mentioned in the video, lowland reservoirs often have significant grass coverage. Bass tend to relate to these grass edges and isolated patches, especially when the bite gets tough. Look for anomalies like tule points, grass edges, or isolated grass patches that stick out farther into the lake. These areas can hold bass even when the bite slows down.
Fish Deeper Grass Lines: During the afternoon, bass might move to slightly deeper water to find cooler temperatures and more comfortable conditions. Target the deeper grass edges, especially where the color line (a distinct change in water color indicating depth change) is visible. This can be a productive zone where bass ambush prey.
Use Swim Jigs and Topwaters: A swim jig with a no-jack hook and your favorite swimbait can be very effective. This setup allows you to bring your lure through the grass without getting snagged. Additionally, big topwaters, frogs, and buzzbaits can trigger aggressive strikes, especially around grass edges and isolated patches.
Parallel Fishing on the Color Line: If you notice a color line, try fishing parallel to it. This technique can be particularly effective as bass often suspend along this line, using it as an ambush point. Use swimbaits, crankbaits, or topwaters to cover this area thoroughly.
Adjust to Cover and Structure: If the grass isn't producing, look for other types of cover such as laydowns, logs, or marina docks. Bass often seek shade and cover during the hotter parts of the day. These structures can provide the necessary cover and cooler temperatures that bass prefer.
Time of Day Considerations: The bite can often improve later in the day as the sun starts to set and temperatures cool down. Be patient and adjust your tactics as the day progresses.

By focusing on these strategies, you can adapt to the changing conditions and increase your chances of catching bass even when the bite turns odd in the afternoon. Good luck out there, and tight lines!

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Where Do Bass Go After They Spawn? (And How To Catch Them!) by TacticalBassin → the lowland reservoirs you're looking for the anomalies if you're up fishing the shoreline look for a tule point that sticks out farther in the lake than the rest or a grass edge or you know an isolated grass patch you know out there sometimes i mean you could be a mile offshore fishing the edge of grass in 12 foot and you can throw you know your big top waters your frogs your buzzbaits that sort of stuff so a lot like the grass in the backs of of the lowland reservoirs those natural lakes like i said don't have a lot of rock piles and stuff going on unless you go a little bit deeper um for the most part it's all about the grass so again swim jig is key in that i didn't talk about it in the lowland reservoir stuff but section but uh a swim jig is great it has the california swim jig has a no jack hook in it put your favorite swim bait on there and you can just bring that stuff right through the grass uh when you get one of those bites you won't forget it but natural natural lakes ponds same thing ponds you know fish that deeper grass edge towards that that that color line uh where those fish can go a little bit deeper and ambush either out of the grass or up but you guys natural lakes really are all about the grass as well

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Where Do Bass Go In Summer?? (And Tricks To Catch Them) by TacticalBassin → this so highland reservoirs if you've got cover there will be fish shallow i'm going to cover up it's pretty hot out here there will be fish up in those shadows up in that cover if there's grass in the backs of kobe's it might not be every cove you might one out every 15 coves has a little bit of grass in the back those fish will be there if you've got lay downs logs laying out into the lake there will be fish there if you have marina docks i am telling you there are fish there but the majority of your fish they've backed out now they haven't necessarily necessarily gone deep but they've gone out they've gone to the main lake they will be on the largest main lake points they'll be on humps they'll be on that offshore structure if you've got rock piles they're on rock piles uh but the biggest piece of cover if you will it's not cover is the color line if you are in a highland reservoir you need to understand how the color line works because your fish are revolving around it and you are probably not fishing for them if you're on a highland reservoir clearer water and you spend all your time just going down the bank aimlessly fishing you are a normal bass fisherman that is what most people do so don't feel bad about that that's what most people do

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Where Do Bass Go In Summer?! (And The Tricks That Catch Them) by TacticalBassin → stuff so Highland reservoirs kind of kind of Breeze through the different features of the different types of bodies of water but for a Highland Reservoir you know typically you're dealing with uh deeper clearer water now what I found this time of the year uh especially with area like you know Northern California a lot of times that water uh really fluctuates especially when you have uh a Long Winter you have a lot of snow pack you have you have a lot of that snow melting in the sier sieras coming down and and and filling up those lakes and then maybe they drop right all depends on the water level but typically you have clear uh water you got a lot of visibility uh some Fisheries will have a lot of stuff in the water sometimes with that water up all the way you're going to have big overhangs uh I like to fish shallow throwing top water I like throwing moving baits I like to uh cover water and find those active fish maybe they're up under lay downs if you don't have that type of Highland Reservoir maybe you kind of have a rocky Shoreline or whatever to me that's going to be more of an offshore deal right those fish are going to be pulling out uh main Lake points secondary points they're going to be on that uh isolated cover that structure Rock piles Chunk rock that

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Where Do Bass Go In Summer?! (And The Tricks That Catch Them) by TacticalBassin → California you're going to have some offshore Rock piles you know have some isolated Rock piles once you find those those are gold right those fish are going to pull to those have some steep uh Bluffs if you if you have some some mountainous terrain nearby but for the most part you know there's not a lot out there in the North End of Clear Lake right it's kind of a big big bowl you know not a lot of features but you will find a little bit of Creek channels uh same thing with u with a pond right talked about a little bit you might have a big pond Little Pond big pond but a lot of ponds especially like Park ponds and Golf Course ponds they're fairly featureless but if you find you know uh maybe some maybe some ponds have like a a beaver or something where they've dropped trees into the water or you have a a shallow area where there's a grass point maybe you even have some some pads right some lily pads you might have all sorts of stuff that those fish are going to pull to you know winter time they're going deep they're going to stay in that deeper water this time of the year you're going to have to kind of find them uh either in that shallow stuff if you have those lay downs those brush piles in that stuff or check the Deep

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Where Do Bass Go After They Spawn? (And How To Catch Them During The Spring To Summer Transition) by TacticalBassin → and farther out over deeper and deeper water so you want to fish right on the line and B typically fish parallel it's a great place to throw a high tech swim bait count it down run it through there it's a great place to throw a crankbait it's a great place to throw it top water if you've got smallmouth or spotted bass or they're really aggressive they'll suspend out there on that color line it doesn't matter that it might be 60 feet deep they'll sit partway down out in that dark water and ambush up to your top water fished parallel on the color line so again if you've never fished the color line you've been missing out on one of the greatest things you can do in the summertime next up would be lowland reservoirs lowland reservoirs your fish are going to split into two distinct groups now there were a small percentage of fish in a Highland reservoir that will that will handle this second group as well which is staying shallow and going into grass but there's far less of them at a Highland reservoir than in a lowland so a lowland reservoir is still a reservoir obviously it's got a dam on it but the fingers don't tend to have as many little offshoots they don't go as far they tend to be larger more open bays with a lot more offshore structure be that old

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