SAMPLE GUIDE REPORT · WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026
Hot water demands first light and deep ledges. Morning topwater over structure, then drop to 15-20 feet by full sun.
WATER 78°FAIR 76°FWIND 6 MPHSEASON SUMMERPOOL -0.1 FT
Summer water is sitting right at the top end of comfortable at 78 degrees, which means the bite's compressed into narrow windows. Early morning you'll get the shallow bite over grass and timber before the sun climbs and bass slide into deeper, cooler water. This is the toughest part of the year on Stillhouse because the fish scatter between structure rather than schooling tight. Pressure is steady and wind is light, so you won't get the feeding surge you'd get before a front. Stained water means you can use some darker colors and not worry about leader visibility. Plan to grind first light hard, then make the mental shift to deeper work by mid-morning. This isn't a day where you cover water fast; it's a day where you pick apart the places bass actually live.
The day's game plan
EARLY MORNING · 6:59 AM to 8:30 AM
Flooded timber and hydrilla edges in 4-8 feet, close to channel breaks. Focus the main lake island hydrilla perimeter and shallow timber pockets in the creek arms.
Small topwater walking bait in black or dark colors, 2.5-3.5 inches. Work it with a steady side-to-side walk and brief pauses. Start around grass edges and timber branches, let it sit for 2-3 seconds between strips. Follow with a small shaky head jig, 1/8 ounce, with a 3-4 inch dark worm in junebug or black grape, dragged slowly through the same cover.
This is the window where a few bass are still feeding shallow before sun penetration kicks in. Water temperature is cool enough in the lower column that bass are willing to look up. Topwater gets reaction strikes from aggressive fish. As soon as you see the sun hit the water surface, shift to the shaky head for the slower, more selective fish.
MORNING · 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Move to the deeper hydrilla edges, 12-18 feet. Target the outside rim of the hydrilla island and the channel-side timber in the main lake. Work the ledge breaks where bottom structure drops off from 10 feet to 20 feet.
Texas-rigged dark worm, 5-6 inches, in junebug or black, with a 3/8-ounce bullet sinker. Fish it along the hydrilla edge with a slow drag and pause, letting it sit in the thickest grass. Use a Carolina rig with a 2-3 foot leader and a dark creature bait, 4 inches, dragged along the bottom on the ledge breaks. Alternate between vertical drops into timber and horizontal retrieves.
As sun angle increases, bass pull away from shallow water into grass and ledges. The stained water and darker colors work well here because largemouth can see them but they blend in and look like natural prey. Slow presentations keep baits in the strike zone longer when fish aren't aggressive.
MIDDAY · 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Deep ledges and channel breaks, 18-26 feet. Fish the main river channel swings where the bottom composition changes from hard to soft, and the outside bends of the creek channels. Target scattered timber in deep water.
Drop shot with a small 3-inch dark worm, 1/4 ounce weight, fished 12-18 inches off bottom. Work it vertically over depth changes and ledges, using small lifts and twitches. Alternate with a small blade jig, 3/8 ounce, in chartreuse or white, dragged slowly along the bottom with pauses.
Midday sun is intense and water is at its warmest. Bass have moved to deepest available structure where they can stay cool and still be close to food. Drop shot keeps the bait in the zone without aggressive movement. Small blade jig gives you some vibration to trigger reaction strikes from lethargic fish.
LATE AFTERNOON · 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Transition back toward 12-18 feet, same ledges and hydrilla edges you worked in the morning but with renewed hunting by mid-sized fish. Edge of the hydrilla island and secondary points with timber.
Shaky head with a 3-inch dark worm again, dragged slowly. Use a small swimbait, 3-4 inches in natural shad color, on a 1/4-ounce jig head, worked with a slow rolling retrieve near the grass. Keep presentations deliberate and close to cover.
Water temperature is still peaking but some bass are starting to feed again as afternoon light softens. You're not getting a full second bite yet, but there's movement. Fish are still depth-dependent but slightly more willing. Stay with dark colors and slow speeds.
EVENING · 5:00 PM to 7:04 PM
Move shallow again, targeting the same flooded timber and grass edges you fished early morning. Hydrilla perimeter and channel-edge timber in 4-10 feet. Focus sunny banks and wind-blown points.
Work a small topwater walking bait again in black or dark colors, 2.5-3.5 inches, with that same steady walk. Follow up with a small crawfish-pattern creature bait on a light Texas rig, 3/8 ounce, crawled over the bottom near timber and grass. If you see any schooling activity or nervous water, throw a small walking bait over it immediately.
Second-shift bite is weaker than first light but still real. As sun angle drops, bass move shallow again. This window is shorter than early morning and less explosive, but you'll get quality bites if you're methodical. Topwater sets up the aggressive strike; Texas rig cleans up the followers.
DUSK · 7:04 PM to 8:08 PM
Shallow flats and channel-edge timber in 3-8 feet, anywhere with structure and proximity to deep water. Flooded brush and standing timber in the creek arms.
Small walking topwater or popper in dark colors, worked with longer pauses between strips. If no topwater response, throw a small dark soft plastic on a shaky head fished very slowly, almost dead-sticking it near cover.
This is the solunar major window at 7:04 PM and it aligns with sunset, which can spark a quick bite. Light is dropping and water is cooling slightly. Bass can be aggressive in this narrow window, but it's brief. Get your best color in the thickest cover and wait for the strike.
NIGHT · 8:08 PM onward
Don't fish at night on Stillhouse in summer heat unless you're specifically chasing catfish. Bass don't feed reliably once the sun is down in warm water. If you stay, work deep structure on the edges of timber or rock with a blade jig or drop shot, but expect slow fishing.
If you choose to fish, work a drop shot with a small dark worm in 20-26 feet over deep ledges, or a small blade jig with pauses. Keep movements minimal.
Summer nights are when bass are most inactive. Water is warmest overnight and dissolved oxygen is depleted in deep zones. Any bass still feeding are deep and tight to cover, and strikes are hard to come by. Most anglers should be off the water, planning for the next morning.
Where to fish
- Main Lake Island Hydrilla Perimeter — 12-18 feet outside edge, 8-12 feet on the inside pockets · Dense hydrilla beds with defined outside edge meeting open water. Hard bottom underneath.
This is the documented prime largemouth zone. Hydrilla provides food and shade. The outside edge is where bass ambush baitfish. Good depth progression allows fish to move shallow or deep based on sun angle. - Channel Swing Ledges — 18-26 feet on the break, 8-12 feet on the inside of the bend · Hard-bottom drop-offs where the main channel swing transitions from shallow to deep. Timber and rock on the deeper side.
Bass use these as highways and feeding stations. The depth change concentrates baitfish and gives bass access to both shallow and deep water. The hard bottom holds structure and creates visibility for hunting. - Flooded Timber in Creek Arms — 4-10 feet, with deep water access within 15 feet · Standing and fallen timber, branches, root systems in water.
Early and late light, bass stage on shallow timber that connects to deep escape routes. The wood breaks up light and provides cover. Baitfish school around timber, making it a natural hunting ground. - Secondary Points with Rock and Brush — 8-15 feet on the point, dropping to 20+ feet nearby · Rocky banks, riprap, scattered brush and blown-down timber near main lake points.
Rock reflects heat and provides sight-line hunting ground. Secondary points funnel fish movement between deep and shallow water. If the main structure is getting pressure, secondary points hold less-targeted fish.
What to throw
- Small Walking Topwater — 2.5-3.5 in · Black or dark colors · n/a (Early morning to 8:30 AM, and evening after 5:00 PM)
Steady side-to-side walk with brief pauses, worked parallel to grass and timber edges. Let it sit 2-3 seconds between strips. - Texas-Rigged Dark Worm — 5-6 in · Junebug or black · 3/8 oz bullet sinker (Morning through midday, 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM)
Slow drag along hydrilla edges and ledges with deliberate pauses. Let it sit near cover for 3-5 seconds, then creep forward. - Shaky Head with Dark Worm — 3-4 in · Junebug or black worm · 1/8 oz jig head (Morning to evening, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM)
Vertical jigging and subtle shaking with small lifts. Work it down the face of ledges and through grass, pausing every few shakes. - Small Blade Jig — 3-4 in · Chartreuse or white · 3/8 oz (Midday and early afternoon when top-water is dead)
Dragged slowly along bottom contours on ledges and deep timber. Lift and fall retrieve, pausing on the drop. - Small Shad-Pattern Swimbait — 3-4 in · Natural shad or silver · 1/4 oz jig head (Late afternoon and early evening, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM)
Slow rolling retrieve near grass edges and timber. Work it steady and close to cover, letting the tail do most of the action.
How to work it
- Dragging Hard Bottom Ledges — Midday when shallow water is too warm, especially 11 AM to 2 PM · Main river channel swings, 18-26 feet, outside bends where bottom composition changes
Fish a drop shot or light Texas rig vertically down channel breaks and hard-bottom transitions. Drag slowly with small twitches, pausing frequently. Stay in contact with bottom and watch your line for subtle strikes. - Picking Apart Hydrilla Edges — All day but especially morning and evening, focusing on the edge rather than inside the thickest mat · Hydrilla island perimeter, 12-18 feet, and scattered grass beds in creek arms
Work the perimeter of grass beds with a shaky head or Texas rig, making precise casts to the outside edge and into pockets. Fish the transition zone between grass and open water where bass ambush. - Topwater First Light — 6:59 AM to 8:30 AM only; sun elevation kills the window fast in summer · Flooded timber in 4-8 feet, hydrilla perimeter at sunrise
Position yourself 30-50 feet away from shallow timber and grass. Walk a small bait with steady strips and intentional pauses. Work it side to side and let it sit near cover for 2-3 seconds between strips. Set the hook on any swirl or disturbance.
Pro tips
- First light is king in August on Stillhouse. Spend 90 minutes working shallow hydrilla and timber with topwater and shaky heads. When the sun breaks the tree line, have already shifted to 12-18 feet because the shallow bite dies fast. A second topwater bite happens in the last 60 minutes before dark, but it's typically 30 percent smaller than morning.
- Summer nights and midday are when bass move to their deepest stable structure. Learn to read the depth transitions and channel breaks with a depthfinder. Water temperature layering puts bass 20-26 feet deep from 11 AM to 4 PM. Use sonar to confirm structure, then work it vertically with drop shots and blade jigs. One good ledge fished thoroughly beats random casting.
- Water is stained, so dark colors dominate. Black, junebug, and green pumpkin work all day. You don't need to change colors chasing water clarity like you would in clear lakes. Stay on dark colors and adjust size and speed instead. In stained water, presentation speed and proximity to cover matter more than exact shade.
If conditions change
If a front rolls in and pressure drops heading into evening, expect aggressive topwater and reaction-strike fishing in the last two hours before dark. Fish shallower and faster. If a front moves through and pressure rises with clear skies and cold overnight temps, expect a shutdown. Downsize everything to 3-inch finesse worms and drop shots, fish the densest timber very slowly, and plan for a slow day until the system stabilizes. If water clears below 4 feet visibility, dial in natural colors like shad and reduce leader visibility with fluorocarbon. If water muddy up from rain, shift to chartreuse and brighter patterns and fish with wider retrieves to create more vibration. Wind shift to north-northwest brings cooler air and can extend the morning shallow bite 30-45 minutes longer, but also signals pressure rising and tougher midday fishing. South and southwest wind will warm water and compress the already-narrow morning window further.
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