I have been taking my boys out to multiple Nebraska lakes over the last couple of weeks and fishing has been “hot” … not just temperature-wise, put catchin’-wise too! We’ve been throwing lots of crankbaits recently and have been doing pretty good on any rif-raf … down deep as well as the shallows … anywhere there is cover and most importantly … “SHADE.” As far as where we’ve been over the course of the last few weeks, here’s just a few in/near the Omaha area: Lake Wehrspan, Lake Zorinsky, Standing Bear Lake, Glen Cunningham Lake, Fremont SRA Lakes, Walnut Creek, Summit Lake, and a few of the I-80 Lakes in Nebraska. We’ve hit these lakes multiple times each and the pattern is running true on each of them – colder water, shade, rif-raf and laydowns, early AM or late evening, Yamamato worms (downsized and in darker colors), scum frogs, crankbaits, and small booyah jigs (dark colors). We’re fishing slow and picking everything apart methodically … sometimes, casting as many as 15-20 times to a log or stump to get that “reaction/feeding” strike. The strategy is working, but it’s tough and you’ve got to be patient. Water temps all around are in the upper 80′s (I’ve seen as high as 88 degrees Fahrenheit in some lakes). You’d think the temp would get the bass moving around … but it’s been the opposite. When it gets this hot, they get somewhat sluggish and need a “trigger” to feed. Additionally, I believe with the water temp (and outside air temp in the 90′s each day), the algae and water weeds have had a hay-day growing. We’ve seen blooms in all lakes (not severe, but the green-tinted water with algae is certainly taking its toll on the oxygen in the water) and my guess is the fish are holding shallow in cover where its cooler and they can ambush food … or they are holding deep on cover (above the thermocline and where its cooler). All of us boys have downsized our fishing tackle, fishing line, and custom fishing rods … we went to lower-geared fishing reels to help us “slow” down our plastic bait presentation, and are really working our crankin’ … the more life-like on the cast-and-retrieve … the better we seem to do with these artificial baits. BTW: we’ve been successful on several different crankbaits: crawfish, shad, minnows … if I had to say a color, I’d say “different” or ‘as close to the baitfish color as possible.” We got skunked a few times out and I sat down to “rethink” what we’d done on those trips and what we needed to change. So, we pulled out the custom fishing rods designed for smaller line and lure weight, strung em’ up and gave it another shot at those same lakes. Voila! Smaller and slower … hammer-time! We’ve been netting between 3-12 bass on our 4-6 hour weekend fishing jaunts and the boys have had a blast with their light-tackle Cajun Custom Rods … makes a pound-and-a-half or two pound bass feel like a five-pounder every time. As we dig in and get ready for the end of summer, I suspect the “bite” will prove to be steady state for the next month or so … then comes the fall and the bass are certain to start lining up for the buffet in preparation for the winter. Keep at em’ and remember to take a kid fishing … they’ll never forget you and will make it their sport of choice in the coming years.  Tight lines.

Jaesen Yerger
www.cajuncustomrods.com

Bug Catches Yet Another Lake Standing Bear Bass