Summer heat pushes them deep on the channel swings. Work the 15-20 ft drop early and late, then follow them to the ledges at midday.

Water's sitting at 81 degrees, that warmer summer temperature where bass are most comfortable but they're still lethargic during peak heat. They feed aggressively at first light and last light, then pull out to the channel swings and deeper ledges where they can stay comfortable during the bright hours. The lake's running stained like always, so brighter baits and colors that stand out will help them find what you're throwing. Pressure is steady and there's almost no wind, so the bite will follow the sun and shade. Early morning and evening are your best windows. Once the sun gets high, you're chasing them deeper and switching to slower presentations on the breaks.

The day's game plan

Where to fish

• Drowning Creek Channel Swing — 8-18 ft · Channel swing with hard bottom and rocky banks, adjacent flat
  Filters baitfish and bass through a predictable zone. Early and late light, work the 8-15 ft break. The channel is deep enough that bass retreat there during the heat.
• Lindly Point — 5-20 ft · Main-lake point with rock taper, drops into 50+ ft of water
  Shallow enough for early and late feeding, deep enough for midday retreat. Rock base holds bass all day, always worth working through.
• Lower-Lake Channel Swing (west) — 10-20 ft · Outside bend where flat drops into old river channel, hard bottom with rocks
  Primary ambush edge during midday and afternoon. Bait moves through the bend, bass stack on the outside. Deep water nearby means they don't have to move far to hide.
• Ice Box Bluff Point — 8-18 ft · Bluff-bank point with fast drop, rocky face, deep water at base
  Late afternoon and evening sweet spot. Shallow on the point, deep below. Wind-blown days especially good because the bluff face catches breeze and oxygenates. Bass slide up the point to feed and drop back to deep water.

What to throw

• Medium-diving crankbait — 5 to 7 inches · Chartreuse or natural shad · n/a (Early morning and evening, or whenever they're willing to look up)
  Steady retrieve working the channel break, cast to the shallower flat and crank through the 8-15 ft zone
• Football jig — n/a · Craw or green pumpkin · 3/8 to 3/4 oz (Midday and throughout the day on deeper structure)
  Pitched to rocks and dragged along the break, short hops on bottom or vertical work on the deeper edge
• Spinnerbait — n/a · White with chartreuse skirt and chartreuse or Colorado blade · 3/8 to 1/2 oz (Early morning, evening, and any time they're willing to chase moving baits)
  Slow-rolled along the channel break and point edges, work just above the drop or through rocky areas
• Topwater walker or prop — 2 to 3 inches · Black or dark color · n/a (Evening and dusk when light is low, and at night)
  Walk-the-dog or steady cadence with small twitches, fished in shallow creeks and around wood and docks
• Shaky head with finesse worm — 3 to 4 inches · Watermelon, junebug, or green pumpkin · 1/4 oz jighead (Midday and whenever they're tight to structure and moving baits aren't working)
  Dragged slowly along the ledge or vertical jigged on the break, barely off bottom

How to work it

• Channel break fishing — Early morning and evening when they're active; midday when fishing deeper parts of the break · Drowning Creek, Lower-Lake Channel Swings, Elk River Channel Swings
  Cast shallow onto the flat next to a channel swing, crank or drag a bait through 8-15 ft water where the structure drops off into deep water. Work the edge where bass ambush bait moving through the channel.
• Point-and-drop technique — Mid-morning through late afternoon, any time they're not shallow and not full-depth · Lindly Point, Ice Box Bluff Point, Main Lake Points (East and West)
  Work the shallow taper of a point, then drag down the slope as depth increases. Use jigs, worms, or crankbaits that let you follow the contour smoothly. Bass set up at the edge where the point meets deeper water.
• Shallow wood fishing in low light — Dusk, night, and early morning in shaded creek arms · Drowning Creek, Duck Creek, Elk River, Horse Creek
  Pitch topwater and soft plastics to docks, brush piles, laydowns, and flooded timber in 2-8 ft water. Work tight to the wood. Let soft plastics sink slowly and pause frequently.

Pro tips

• Pressure is steady and there's no wind, so the bite is going to track the sun strictly. Don't waste energy on deep structure during early light or late light. Spend that premium time on the shallow breaks and wood where they come to feed. Flip your deeper work to 10 AM to 5 PM when the sun pushes them out.
• This lake stays stained year-round, so lean on vibration and brighter colors. A white-and-chartreuse spinnerbait will catch fish a shaky head won't because it reaches them faster and they don't have to look as hard. Early and late, reaction baits win. Midday, slow down and fish precise cover, but keep your colors bright enough to stand out.

If conditions change

If a breeze picks up from the south or west, the shallow flats and near-dam banks warm up and bass will feed longer into the hot part of the day. Push shallower and work topwater and crankbaits a couple hours longer than usual. If clouds roll in anytime during the day, extend the shallow bite by 1 to 2 hours and don't drop to deeper structure as quickly. If the wind flips to the north or dies completely, expect a tighter midday bite. Drop deeper sooner and fish slower on the breaks and ledges. If rain muddies the water, upsize all your baits by half and go darker, charcoal or black, because they'll hunt by feel and lateral line only. If the water clears unexpectedly from rain runoff or current, downsize everything, use natural colors, and lengthen your leader on anything you throw shallow.