The obvious story about July is that it’s typically in the running with August for our hottest month of the year. Water temps, vegetation, air temps, oxygenation, everything matters in July if you want to make sure you’re maximizing your chances of catching fish. One of the most common mistakes I see both in the shop with saltwater anglers and at my local lakes and ponds is that anglers will go out in the middle of the day and fish shallow water. Yes, you can absolutely catch fish in shallow water in the middle of the day, particularly in freshwater if you’re looking for small bass or panfish. But, if you’re looking for big striped bass or largemouth bass in July, you’ve got to understand how the heat of the day impacts their movements. And, if you’re really trying to get the summer pattern down, say goodbye to your sleep schedule, because you’ll want to get up early or stay out late for the best results. Let’s dig into it.
Freshwater
July sees high vegetation volume and high temperatures. Now, veggies are almost always a good thing, as they provide oxygen and habitat for baitfish. But, like all things, they’re also best in moderation. Too many veggies, especially the invasive kind, can make fishing hard and even crowd out small lakes and ponds to the point where they aren’t really worth fishing. I’ve seen it happen with some of my favorite millponds in Vermont, where I grew up. I know there are near double-digit largemouth in there, but you had to catch them early or late in the year because fishing these spots in July or August was just impossible because of the vegetation and muck.
Like anything, there are ways to fish heavy vegetation, particularly by flipping creature baits or jigs into the holes in the vegetation. This can be really fun, but you’ve got to have a strong rod and heavy line, or you’re just going to be snapping off and losing your fish. Use 50lb or heavier braid, a flipping rod, and a strong reel, so that when you do toss that bait into a gap in the weeds and get whacked, you’ve got a fighter’s chance at pulling them out.
Even though flipping is fun, the best way to catch more bass in the summer is simple: fish early or late. And I don’t mean early as in 8 am, I mean be on the water at the very first peak of light, which can be sometimes around 4:30-5:30 am. That’s part of the magic, anyway! It’s calm, cool, less crowded, and the animals you’ll see will make it all worth it. As will the fish you’ll catch.
Topwater is always my go-to in the low-light hours. Big spooks or poppers are always fun. But with all of the vegetation around, I’d also recommend topwater hollow body frogs as well. There’s almost nothing better in freshwater fishing than seeing a big bass come up through the vegetation and obliterate your frog.
The simple equation to remember during high heat months is that the hotter it is, the deeper the fish will go. This is not a universal rule, so don’t destroy me here. But generally, if it’s 85 degrees outside and the sun is beating down, your chance of finding a big largemouth bass in a couple of feet of water is seriously diminished. Go early, go late, and then hit the shallows. Or, if you do fish mid-day, do it the right way by targeting deeper areas using diving cranks, jigs, or Carolina-rigged creature baits
Saltwater
I hear a lot of saltwater anglers who target striped bass moan and groan about July. Which I always find interesting, because I have better luck targeting big stripers during these months than any other months of the year. Like freshwater, the solution is simple: go early or stay out late. And in the salt, sometimes that can literally mean fishing from 7 pm until 1 am, or my personal favorite, the 1 am to 8 am shift. Big striped bass move shallow at night. It’s cooler, there’s no sun beating down on them, and there is bait-rich structure for them to hunt in. You’ve just got to be willing to go in the dark. Now, if the weather is overcast and rainy, you will get much better fishing throughout the day in shallower (under 30’) water. But, if it’s hot, calm, and sunny, night is right.
The best baits for big summer striped bass are no secret: live eels, live bunker, big soft plastics, and big topwaters. Big plugs like Danny’s or even tubes will also produce large fish during the summer. My personal go-to is the Gravity Tackle GT eel, a 13.5” imitation eel that moves and shimmers like no other plastic eel on the market. I’ve caught more big striped bass on GTs than any other bait, including live eels. Use plastic eels surgically to pick apart shallow, current-washed structure and you’ll be happy.
A common interaction I have with anglers in the hot months is someone coming in around 10-11 am and mentioning that they’re launching for striped bass at that time of day because they want to catch the good tide. And I always tell them that in the summer, whatever tide it is at 4 am or 8 pm is the good tide. The caveat here is if you’re fishing deeper. Striped bass can, of course, be caught throughout the day, but during the hotter hours, they are almost certainly going to be much deeper and tougher to get to than during the morning or evening hours, and that’s why I recommend the early or late tide, whatever it may be. Yes, you will possibly catch some stripers in shallow during the hot hours, but those bigger bass almost universally move deep during that time of day. I’ve been lucky enough to catch a handful of striped bass over 50 inches, and not one of them was in water deeper than 8 feet. Similarly, all but one came at night, and the other came at sunrise and was in about 3’ of water near a current-swept boulder field, no doubt still there from the night before. So, if there’s one golden rule to follow to catch more and bigger striped bass during the summer, it’s to go early or go late and use big bait.
Summer is also a ton of fun because of the various species around. Locally in the LI Sound, we have seabass, porgy, fluke, tautog, bluefish, striped bass, and if you’re lucky, you can get offshore and chase some tuna, a fishery that has skyrocketed in popularity and accessibility in recent years. If you want to go out with the family and catch whatever is biting, your best bet is some squid on some sort of hi-low bottom rig. In July, that’s almost certainly going to bend the rod for the kids, even if it’s a sea robin or a skate, which, while they aren’t the target species, always seem to get the kids fired up due to their unique looks. For seabass, try targeting deep humps and reefs using jigs like the Shimano Shimmerfall or Daiwa SK. For fluke, you can drag a fluke spoon or bounce bucktails with a jig strip. If you want a more active way to catch whatever is biting, tie on a small metal jig like a Shimano Current Sniper, drop it to the bottom, and flutter it up and down. That’s a great one for older kids who might not want to sit and hold a stagnant bait rod. And it produces well.
Overall, summer is the best in New England, but I certainly don’t need to tell you that. They say New England tests you in the winter and then rewards you in the summer, and the fishing certainly follows that mantra. Have fun and make some memories!