SAMPLE GUIDE REPORT · WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2026
Summer heat shuts down the day bite; hunt first light and dusk in the hydrilla, then flip the thick mats when the sun gets mean.
WATER 92°FAIR 90°FWIND 9 MPHSEASON SUMMERPOOL -1.6 FT
Water's sitting at 92 degrees, which is flat-out too warm for active feeding during midday. Bass are locked in survival mode, holding tight in deep shade and the densest hydrilla they can find. You're looking at a dawn-and-dusk bite with topwater, then a flip-and-skip game into the vegetation once the sun climbs and the fish burrow in. Clear water and bluebird sun all day pushes them deep and tight. The pressure's rising after dropping yesterday, so they're not as aggressive as they were, but low-light windows at first and last light will still produce. Forget the middle of the day unless you're working the coolest, thickest cover available.
The day's game plan
EARLY MORNING · 6:42 AM to 8:00 AM
Hydrilla edges and lanes in 4 to 8 feet, especially where vegetation borders deeper water or creek channels.
Topwater walking bait, 4 to 5 inches, or a small hollow-body frog in shad pattern. Walk it slow and steady, pausing for half a second when you feel a wake push. Keep it on the edge where the bass don't have to chase far.
First light is the only time they'll hunt shallow in this heat. The low sun angle keeps them confident, and topwater triggers reaction strikes. They're looking for baitfish fleeing the grass, so work the edges where they ambush. You've got a tight window before the sun burns off the shade.
MORNING · 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Transition deeper into hydrilla flats and the outer grass line where it drops to 12 to 16 feet.
Switch to a 5-inch finesse worm, green pumpkin or watermelon seed, on a 3/16-ounce Texas rig with a light tungsten weight. Fish it slow, dragging through the grass lanes and picking apart the edges. Work any open water within the mat.
Sun is rising fast, so the bite moves from topwater to subsurface. The hydrilla is your lifeline now. Bass are sliding deeper as the light strengthens and temp climbs. Light line, natural colors, and a slow drag keep them interested even as they tuck tighter into cover.
MIDDAY · 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Thick hydrilla mats in 6 to 10 feet, and any deep holes within the grass where the bottom drops to 15+ feet.
Flip or skip a 3/8-ounce jig paired with a compact craw trailer, black or dark green pumpkin. Drop it vertically into the thickest mat you can reach. Work it with short hops and let it sit. If that doesn't work, switch to a 4-inch shakey head with a light weedless trailer, shad pattern, and drag it across the mat edges.
Heat is peak and sun is high. Bass are buried in the grass. You're not covering water, you're picking apart thick cover where they're hiding. Vertical presentations and patience are the game. Dark colors create silhouettes in clear water. Flipping lets you probe the densest spots where bass have no escape route.
LATE AFTERNOON · 3:30 PM to 5:45 PM
Grass edges transitioning to deeper water, creek channels bordered by hydrilla, and any point structure with vegetation nearby.
Move back to a 4-inch finesse worm on a 3/16-ounce head, green pumpkin or watermelon, worked along the grass perimeter with a slow, steady drag. Cover more water than you did at midday. Cast parallel to the edge and work it back toward you.
Temperature peaks around 2 to 3 PM but doesn't drop fast. Late afternoon is still hot, but the sun angle lowers slightly and bass start looking out from the thickest cover. Edges and transitions matter more now. Slow finesse keeps them interested without triggering explosive strikes.
EVENING · 5:45 PM to 7:30 PM
Shallow hydrilla flats, creek channels, and anywhere vegetation meets open water in 3 to 8 feet.
Topwater is back. Walk a 4-inch shad-pattern walker or throw a small hollow-body frog in black. Keep it tight to the grass line and in any open lanes. Walk it with a steady rhythm, then pause and let ripples settle.
Light is dropping and the bite wakes up. Shallow cover comes alive again. Bass slide up from their midday holes to hunt edges. Topwater gets reaction strikes. The second major solunar window hits around 1:31 PM, but the better timing for this heat is the dropping light in late afternoon and evening.
DUSK · 7:30 PM to 8:05 PM (sunset)
Hydrilla flats, shallow creek arms, and any open water with vegetation nearby in 2 to 6 feet.
Stay with topwater: walker or frog, shad pattern or black. Work it slow and deliberate. The light is fading fast, so bass are more willing to come up. Pause between casts to let your eyes adjust.
Last light is prime. Bass are fully committed to the hunt now. Topwater produces its best strikes. You've got maybe 30 minutes of useful daylight, so fish it hard and work every promising edge.
NIGHT · 8:05 PM onward
Shallow hydrilla, creek channels, and open-water flats in 2 to 6 feet near vegetation.
Black topwater or a black jig with a craw trailer flipped into grass. If you fish it, work slowly and deliberately so you can feel and hear strikes in the dark. Assume the water is still warm and bass are still shallow.
The full moon phase (waning crescent, day 29, almost new) is dark tonight, so bass will continue shallow feeding longer than usual. Water is still 92 degrees, so there's no cool-down overnight. Bass feed in shallow cover until the water cools weeks from now.
Where to fish
- Hydrilla Flats and Mats — 4 to 10 feet · Dense submerged grass with open lanes, pockets, and edges transitioning to deeper water
Hydrilla is the primary cover on Kurth. Bass relate to it year-round. In summer heat, the grass provides shade and oxygen. Thick mats hold bass during the day, edges produce in low light. - Creek Channels — 8 to 18 feet, with 4 to 6 feet in the channel itself · Hydrilla-bordered channels with hard bottom and deeper bends
Channels funnel bass movement and create current breaks. The deeper water nearby gives bass escape routes. Grass along the banks provides ambush points. - Grass Edges and Transitions — 4 to 12 feet · Where hydrilla meets open water, sand, or deeper bottom
Edges are where bass stage to hunt. They don't have to commit far to the open water to feed. First light and dusk bites concentrate here. - Deep Holes and Pockets Within the Grass — 12 to 16 feet · Open water pockets surrounded by dense hydrilla
Refuge during peak heat. Bass stack in cooler water surrounded by shade. Vertical jigs and shakey heads reach them without excessive cover navigation.
What to throw
- Topwater Walker — 4 to 5 in · Shad pattern · n/a (First light and dusk, low light conditions)
Walk it side to side with rod pops, pausing between movements. Keep the pace slow and deliberate, letting the water ripple settle between twitches. - Finesse Worm — 4 to 5 in · Green pumpkin or watermelon seed · 3/16 oz or 1/4 oz (Morning and late afternoon, transition periods)
Texas rig with a light tungsten weight. Drag it slow through grass lanes and over edges. Let it fall on slack line in open pockets. - Jig with Craw Trailer — 3/8 oz · Black or dark green pumpkin · 3/8 oz (Midday, thick cover, peak heat)
Flip or skip into thick hydrilla. Work it with short hops. Let it rest between movements. Keep it tight to the thickest mats. - Hollow-Body Frog — 3 to 4 in · Black or shad pattern · n/a (First light, dusk, any low-light window)
Cast and walk it across open lanes and the edge of the hydrilla. Pause and let ripples settle. Work it weedless so it rides over the mat. - Shakey Head with Weedless Trailer — 4 in · Shad pattern or green pumpkin · 1/4 oz or 3/8 oz (Midday and early afternoon when other baits slow down)
Drag it across grass mat edges and through open lanes. Keep the rod tip low and the bait just off the bottom. Work it steady and slow.
How to work it
- Flipping into Thick Hydrilla — Midday when bass are tucked in the thickest cover · Any dense hydrilla mat in 6 to 10 feet
Use a pitching rod with 20-lb braided line. Hold the bait in your hand, flip it underhand into the densest mat within your reach. Drop the bait vertically with slight jigging action. Set the hook hard when you feel pressure. - Skipping Under Cover — Anytime, especially midday when bass are hiding tight · Hydrilla mats with open pockets, dock pilings, laydowns near grass
Sidearm cast a compact bait so it skips along the water like a stone. Let it bounce into pockets under downed wood, dock overhangs, or dense grass. Keep the rod low and let the bait do the work. - Working Grass Edges and Lanes — Morning, late afternoon, and dusk when bass are willing to chase short distances · Hydrilla flats and creek channels in 4 to 10 feet
Cast parallel to the hydrilla edge and drag the bait back slowly toward you. Hit every open lane within the mat. Pause and let the bait fall on slack line. Cover 10 to 15 feet per cast, moving along the perimeter. - Topwater Walking in Low Light — First light and dusk only, when the light is dim · Shallow hydrilla edges and open water near vegetation
Cast ahead and pop the rod tip, letting the bait walk side to side. Pause between pops so the ripples settle. Keep the rhythm steady and deliberate. Set hard on any bulge or wake.
Pro tips
- On a day this hot, your best chance for a trophy comes in the first 90 minutes after sunrise. Bass feed hardest in cool water, and the shallow topwater bite at first light pulls bigger fish to the surface than the midday flipping game does. Spend your time then.
- Water clarity is exceptional today with full sun and no wind to stir silt. In clear water at this depth, bass rely on vibration and silhouette more than exact color. Black stands out harder than green pumpkin in midday sun, so flip black jigs in the thickest mats. Save the natural finesse colors for low-light periods when they matter more.
- Kurth's hydrilla is thick and healthy at 26 to 45 percent coverage. Bass thrive in it. Don't view grass as an obstacle, view it as your best ally. The fish that avoid the mats get caught first. The ones that burrow deep in the vegetation are the ones you'll get to later with flipping. Trust the grass and spend your flipping time in the densest spots you can find.
If conditions change
If a front rolls in and pressure drops, the bite improves immediately and bass move shallower and more aggressive. Work the topwater longer into the morning and hunt grass edges instead of thick flipping cover. If the wind picks up and stirs the water, the shallow bite extends and cloud cover helps you fish later into the day; shift to the same edges and transitions but cover more water with walking baits. If water clarity drops from an algae bloom or turn, switch to black and dark green colors exclusively, upsize your baits by 25 percent, and lean on vibration-heavy lures like spinnerbaits with Colorado blades worked across the grass edges. If pressure climbs after the front and the sky stays clear and blue, the bite gets harder; downsize everything to finesse worms and drop shots, fish slower, and hide in the thickest hydrilla you can reach. The basic pattern holds: first light and dusk topwater, midday flipping and dragging. The details adjust with the pressure and light.
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