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what is the best bait for bass fishing in july in tennessee?

My boyfriend and I are having a hard time getting any bass to bite these days. We have been using worms in watermelon seed with salt and with salt and prey technology. We also used a rattle trap, a floater, a spoon, We have fished off the bank and off the boat around rocks and hanging structures. Can't get anything at all to bite.

Public Comments

1. Are you fishing during the middle of the day? If so, yes, it can be very tough at times. Remember, Bass move to deeper water in hot weather. Your bait selections are actually pretty ideal for this time of year.

How are you fishing the plastic worms? To be productive this time of year (during the day especially), they need to be Texas or Carolina Rigged. I'd suggest the Texas Rig, just because it is a very simple setup. A quick Google search will show you this simple setup. Cast them into cover, and fish them slow. I personally find cover, and cast in and around it thoroughly. Let the worm fall to the bottom, then raise your rod from a 9 o clock position to about an 11 o clock position, then reel up the slack and repeat.

The Rattle Trap is another great choice, although during the day, you need to fish them fairly slow. Again, cast it out, and let it sink down towards the bottom. Use a slow to moderate retrieve so it stays fairly deep. I have even somewhat jigged Rattle Traps up and down off of the bottom. If you're fishing during the heat of the day, this can be very productive.

Another bait you should consider in warm weather would be a jig and craw combo. You fish them similar to how you would a Texas Rigged plastic worm. Rather than making one upward motion, like you would do with the Texas Rig, I like to twitch the rod while making that upward motion. A jig is made to imitate a Crawfish, so the twitching looks more natural than simply raising the rod up in one steady motion.

Lastly, the top waters. Don't fish these during the heat of the day, unless you see a lot of fish on the surface. The only time to consider that in my opinion is when you get an overcast or rainy day. Any other time, fish them early in the morning and in the evening hours. Bass do come up during these times to feed, so it's a great choice in that situation.