Target Shade For Summer Bass

Bass fishermen learn early on that their favorite game fish continually seeks cover.
Bass are found close to treetops, pea-gravel banks, stump rows or brushpiles. However, one of the best and most overlooked forms of cover during the summer months is shade. When I say shade, I’m also referring to shadows.

Shade is an ideal concealment for baitfish, but it also provides bass with a tremendous advantage when feeding. For example, a bass can hang in a shady area and gaze into a brightly lit area. It’s similar to peering into a lighted room on a dark night. The person hiding in darkness can clearly see into the lighted room. However, the people in the lighted room cannot see who’s hiding in the dark.

Many anglers I talk with are very fond of visible cover. This can be attributed to their level of comfort and confidence when fishing near a visible target. Shade will offer anglers similar qualities.

When you fish a very clear lake, shade becomes even more important because it’s a type of cover that provides bass with shelter from the sun. However, keep in mind that the location of shade will naturally change as the sun rises and sets.

As the sun moves during the day, the shade (or shadow) will steadily change positions. Bass will follow this movement, and their position along the shade line constantly changes. For example, if a shade line extends out several feet from a boat dock, there’s a good chance bass will hold anywhere within the shaded area. But once the shade line moves closer to the dock, bass also will move closer.

Boat docks are easy targets when hunting for shady bass, but don’t overlook shaded areas near a treeline or bluff bank. Tall objects located along the shoreline often cast a shadow onto the lake’s surface. These are ideal spots to fish. It’s not necessary to have an object in the water such as a boat dock. Fishing shady areas created from tall trees near the shoreline also is highly productive.

If you looked at a horizontal treeline running from north to south during the morning hours on a bright day, the sun would cast a shade line off the east shore. As the sun continues to rise, the shade line would move toward the shoreline. For example, at 8 a.m. the shade line may extend 200 feet out into the lake. This, of course, depends on the height of the trees on the east shore. By 9 a.m., the shade line is not nearly as prominent. By 11 a.m., the shade line may only extend 5 to 10 feet from the shoreline. When the sun is directly overhead during the midday hours, the shaded area will disappear. Bass move as the shade line changes. When there isn’t any shade around noon, bass will hold near any small, shaded area they can find in the general vicinity. A stump, brushpile, treetop or any other small object that will project a shaded area is an ideal location for the bass and also a perfect spot to fish.

Don’t be misled about fishing shady areas. The entire area located in the shade won’t produce. Anglers should concentrate their efforts near irregular features within the shaded area. You might find one of these high-percentage areas near a submerged stump row, a ditch, an old treeline, a fencerow, a depression or a transition change in the bottom contour. Bass instinctively use irregular features.

Most fishermen are visually oriented and are more confident when they can see their target. Shade and shadows are a very visible target and can be fished without too much trouble.

Since a shade line can fall onto the lake’s surface 10 to 50 feet or more out into open water, you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to fish the entire area and at various depths. With this in mind, you should fish a wide selection of lures. Try crankbaits that dig the bottom, jigs that bounce through treetops or spinnerbaits that bump through the stumps.
When bass are shallow during the early morning hours, another excellent lure is a buzzbait. As bass move toward deeper water, a spinnerbait is a good choice. A crankbait, such as a Bomber Fat Free Shad, is yet another good option when the fish are located at medium depths.

As the shade line moves closer to shore, the depth you fish should change. As you change your depth, you also should change your lure and presentation. However, as long as a particular fishing lure is producing results, you’d be crazy to change and begin experimenting with other lures.

The next time you get a chance to fish, don’t overlook the shade. After fishing a few shady areas, I’ll bet you’ll agree that this kind of cover is certainly worth fishing.