Zone 4 – July
Pro angler Scott Suggs shares his July game plan for Zone 4 bass.
In July in Zone 4, Scott Suggs expects the water temperature to be in the mid to upper 80's. He always targets brush piles in the 19-24 foot range, especially around the thermocline. Scott expects bass to be opportunity feeders, and will eat crawfish, bream, or shad.
In July, Scott will throw a Wake Shad over the tops of brush piles to call bass to the surface.
If the water is clear, stained or muddy, Suggs prefers Hornet Blue.
Scott will throw a texas rigged Zeus Worm with a 3/8 oz weight into brush piles when bass are more lethargic.
He throws Redbug in clear water and Junebug in stained water. For muddy water, he chooses Black/Blue.
When bass are being stubborn, Scott will rely on a Filler worm on a drop shot to get bites in July.
In clear or stained water, Suggs prefers Morning Dawn. In muddy or low-vis, Red Bug is his go-to.
He opts for The Shizzle in clear water and Sexy Shad in stained water. In low-vis conditions, he will throw Gizzard Shad.
Scott will crank a 6XD around the tops of brush piles or grass edges for a bigger reaction bite.
Scott keeps an Evader on the boat deck in case bass come up schooling offshore.
In clear water and stained water, Suggs prefers Pro Bone. In muddy or low-vis, Chartreuse Shad is his go-to.
Zone 4 – July
Pro angler Andrew Nordbye shares his game plan for July Zone 4 fishing.
In July in Zone 4, Andrew Nordbye expects water temps to be between upper 70's to low 80's. Andrew usually looks for 3 patterns to be prevelant this time of year; deep bass in brush, roaming bass chasing shad, and bass relating to rock and bluff banks. For the brush bass, he will typically target piles in the 15 to 30 foot range.
These bass will be opportunity feeders, meaning they will eat whatever is easiest around them. For rock and roaming bass, Andrew says that wind is your friend. A decent breeze will cause these fish to be more active feeders on crawfish and shad.
Andrew's first bait of choice when targeting brush piles is a Zeus Worm, texas rigged, with a 3/8 oz weight. He says the key to bites is making contact with the brush pile.
In clear water he throws plum, while stained water gets Red Bug. For muddier conditions, Green Pumpkin is his color of choice.
Andrew will also throw a 3/16 oz shakey head rigged KVD Finesse Worm into brush piles. He will slowly drag the worm around deeper brush.
In clear water he throws Watermelon Red, while stained water gets Green Pumpkin Purple. For muddier conditions, Junebug is his color of choice.
On rocky banks, Andrew will drag a 3/8 or 1/2 oz Tour Grade Football Jig with a Rage Craw Trailer.
In clear water he throws Green Pumpkin, while stained water gets Blue Craw. For muddier conditions, Bama Craw is his color of choice.
For fishing docks, Andrew will throw a 3.25 Rage Swimmer on a 3/8 oz head with a pretty fast retrieve. He says those bass are typically sitting right underneath the dock floats.
In clear water he throws Ghost Shad, while stained water gets Sexy Shad 2.0. For muddier conditions, Pearl Flash is his color of choice.
On long flat points or around schooling fish, Andrew will throw a Sexy Dawg Hard Knock.
In clear water he throws Carolina Chrome, while stained water gets Bone. For muddier conditions, Green Gizzard is his color of choice.