small and largemouth bass and trout in summer

Question
Hello Jack, my name is Garret and I have a question on fishing. I live over in the Northwest-Washington State to be exact. The water here is about 60-70 degrees hee, its very muddy and its not very hot in the air for temperature. My questuion to you is how do I catch smallmouths and largemouth bass in the summer? What lures should I use and where dop I use them? Just ell me everything you know about bass in the summer. And also, what about trout? What do I do to catch trout? Thank you for your advice!

Answer
Trout fishing from a boat is going to be far more productive than from the bank for two reasons. First, trout will be in schools in the warmer water. As the schools move around the lake, you can follow them with a boat, but from the bank you can be limited in access.

For trout, from a boat, use ford fender trolling gear and a wedding ring spinner with white corn or worms for bait. You'll need to vary the depth to find fish. Use weights connected in front of the trolling gear to get the gear down, you'll need 1, 2, or 3 oz weights.  It sounds like you are fishing a fairly shallow lake, I would try closer to the bottom. Troll this gear slowing and in zig-zag patterns.

For trout from the bank, cast 1/16 oz, or 1/8 oz rooster tail spinners, wait from them to fall close to the bottom, then retrieve slowly. Another good way to catch trout from the bank is to use powerbait brand bait, (the greenish-yellow color) with a size 14 hook and a 1/4 oz weight. The use just enough bait to cover the hook, not too much, and make sure the hook and bait are buoyant so they will float off the bottom.

For bass. From both the boat and the bank, I would start with a lightweight rod and light line, probably 6-10 lb test. Use a size 10 hook and a small, whole worm. If possible, cast the worm with no weight, and let it sink naturally. If you need a little weight to cast far enough, use as little as possible. Split shot weights will accomplish this. Add as little as possible, you don't want the splash to scare the fish.

PLEASE send me an e-mail and tell me which lake you are fishing, I also live in Washington and would love to know where you are.

Thanks
Kelly
www.NWFamilyFishing.com