SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2026 · LAKE ALAN HENRY
Summer heat is driving bass deep into the timber and ledges, but early light and that dropping pressure before the weekend weather will fire up the reaction bite on wind-blown rocky points.
WATER 81°FAIR 81°FWIND 12 MPH SSWSEASON SUMMERPOOL -9.9 FT
Water's sitting at 81 degrees, right in the zone where bass get uncomfortable in full sun and hunt mostly at dawn, dusk, and into the night. The canyon walls and standing timber that define this lake are your best friends right now because bass are using that vertical structure to stay cool and shaded during the day. The pressure is dropping ahead of some weather coming in, which tends to fire up feeding before a system moves through. The pool is down nearly 10 feet, so the tight, steep banks and timber lines are even more concentrated. Early and late light will be your window for the shallow and mid-depth stuff, but once the sun climbs, you need to go vertical with electronics and sonar-targeted baits on the deep timber and ledges where bass stack up to escape the heat.
The day's game plan
EARLY MORNING · 7:07 AM to 9:30 AM
Wind-blown rocky points and secondary channel swings in 8 to 16 feet, targeting the rock transitions and timber edges where they meet the channel.
5/8 oz white or chartreuse spinnerbait with a Colorado blade, or a natural-colored crankbait (shad gray, pearl) worked quickly over the point drop-off. Cast tight to the rock and retrieve steady with a slight pause as you work the depth change.
Bass are looking up and feeding aggressively early because the light is low and the pressure is dropping. Reaction baits cover water fast and trigger strikes on schooled-up bass near structure. The wind from the southwest pushes baitfish and oxygenates the blown bank, making it a natural feeding zone.
MORNING · 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Suspended bass over deep timber lines and rock ledges in 22 to 35 feet. Transition deeper as the sun climbs and angles steepen.
Minnow-style swimbait in 4 to 5 inches, pearl or natural shad color, rigged on a light jig head (1/4 oz) and fished on a long cast with a slow, methodical fall. Use forward-facing sonar to spot individual fish and drop the bait to them. Alternatively, a drop-shot with a 4-inch finesse worm (green pumpkin or watermelon) worked vertically around timber.
As the sun rises and the water warms more in the shallows, bass pull away from the banks and suspend around the timber and ledges where it's cooler and darker. The clarity here rewards natural, subtle presentations fished slowly and deliberately. Sonar lets you target individual suspenders without wasting time on blank water.
MIDDAY · 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
The deepest available timber lines and rock ledges in 35 to 50 feet, or the shadiest undercut bluff banks if you can find them without spooking fish.
Hair jig in 1/4 to 3/8 oz (dark colors like junebug or black) with a small paddle-tail trailer (1.5 to 2 inches), fished tight to the timber with short hops and pauses. Alternatively, a drop-shot with a finesse worm soaked vertically on the ledge.
Midday heat has pushed bass to their darkest, deepest sanctuaries. They're not aggressive, but they will eat if the bait is in their face and fished slowly without pressure. The narrow canyon walls of this lake mean deep water with good structure is never far away, so you can stay productive even in the tough middle hours if you have sonar to locate the fish.
LATE AFTERNOON · 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Transition areas: inside bends of creek channels in 12 to 22 feet, or the shallower end of deep ledges where bass begin moving back toward feeding zones as light angles steepen.
Jerkbait in natural shad colors (pearl, chrome, ghost) worked with sharp 6 to 8 inch pauses between twitches, or a 6-inch soft-plastic worm (green pumpkin or watermelon) on a Texas rig dragged slowly along the bottom of the transition.
As afternoon light begins to fade and temperatures peak, bass gradually shift from deep sanctuary back toward structure where they can feed before full dark. The inside bends and ledge shoulders concentrate baitfish and bass movement. Twitchy, erratic presentations trigger reaction strikes even if bass aren't actively feeding, and the slower retrieve keeps your bait in the strike zone longer.
EVENING · 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Secondary points, creek channel swings, and shallow timber flats in 6 to 14 feet. Fish the first major depth break closest to shallow spawning pockets.
Crankbait in shad patterns (pearl, sexy shad, natural brown) in the square-bill or shallow-diving range, worked with steady rhythm and occasional pauses. Or a 5-inch soft-plastic worm (watermelon or green pumpkin) on a 1/4 oz jig fished around timber with short pulls and pauses.
As light dims and water cools slightly, bass slide shallow to feed before dark. The secondary structure near the main-lake channel funnels them, and they're aggressive as light drops. Crankbaits cover ground and trigger reaction strikes, while jigs let you pick apart timber precisely if fish are holding tight to cover.
DUSK · 8:00 PM to 8:45 PM
Shallow timber and rock points in 4 to 10 feet, including any sandy pockets or hard-bottom flats tucked into the creek arms.
Topwater (popper or walking bait) in white or black, worked with slow pops and pauses. Or a 4-inch soft-plastic in green pumpkin or pearl fished on a 3/16 oz jig with long pauses, allowing the bait to sink slowly through the strike zone.
Final light drives bass shallow to hunt shad and baitfish in the shallows. Topwater produces explosive strikes and visual takes that make dusk bite so rewarding. If topwater doesn't produce, downsizing to a slow-falling finesse jig targets bass that are present but cautious in clearer light.
NIGHT · 8:45 PM to 11:30 PM
Shallow timber flats, light-colored sandy pockets, and the mouths of creek arms where they widen into deeper channels. Stay in 4 to 12 feet.
Black or dark-colored topwater (walking bait, popper) worked slowly with exaggerated pauses, or a 5-inch soft-plastic worm in black or dark purple on a light jig head (3/16 oz) fished around timber with slow hops and long pauses.
Bass feed freely in darkness and hunt by lateral line and feel, so visibility and color matter less than profile and vibration. Shallow timber is a low-risk hunting zone for them at night. Dark colors create the strongest silhouette, and slow, deliberate retrieves let bass track and commit to the strike. The solunar major around 9:17 PM adds a small bonus feeding spike.
Where to fish
- Secondary channel swings and inside bends — 12 to 22 feet · Rock transitions, gravel bottom, timber line where creek channel bends back into shallow flats. Current break if water is flowing.
Funnels bass movement between shallow feeding and deep sanctuary. Inside bends concentrate baitfish and are ambush points during feeding windows. - Wind-blown rocky points — 8 to 18 feet · Hard-bottom ledge with standing timber or rock face, exposed to southwest wind.
Wind pushes oxygenated water and baitfish, triggers aggressive feeding, and rock creates steep drops bass use for quick transitions between shallow and deep. - Deep timber lines and bluff ledges — 30 to 50 feet · Flooded standing timber mixed with steep rock walls and clean ledges, minimal silt.
Primary sanctuary during heat stress. Bass suspend here for cooler water, lower light, and proximity to vertical structure where they can feed without moving far. - Shallow spawning-pocket transitions — 4 to 10 feet transitioning to 12-16 feet · Sandy or hard-bottom pockets tucked into creek arms, with quick access to deeper channel.
Bass use these zones to rest and feed during low-light hours before and after committing to deep sanctuary. Natural staging area at dusk and night.
What to throw
- Spinnerbait (Colorado blade) — 5/8 oz · White or chartreuse with white skirt · n/a (Early morning and late morning on wind-blown points and channel swings)
Cast to structure and retrieve steadily over drops and rock transitions. Vary speed to trigger reaction strikes. - Minnow-style swimbait — 4 to 5 in · Pearl, natural shad, or ghost · 1/4 oz jig head (Mid-morning through midday on deep timber and ledges)
Long cast, slow fall, methodical retrieve with slight pauses. Use sonar to target suspended fish directly. - Drop-shot rig with finesse worm — 4 in worm · Green pumpkin, watermelon, or natural pearl · 1/8 to 1/4 oz sinker (adjust depth) (Midday through late afternoon on ledges and around timber when bass are tight to cover)
Cast and hold vertical or work slowly up and down, using short 6 to 12 inch hops. Let bait flutter between movements. - Hair jig with paddle-tail trailer — 1/4 to 3/8 oz jig plus 1.5 to 2 in trailer · Junebug, black, or dark purple · n/a (Midday when bass are deepest and most inactive)
Pitched tight to timber and ledge edges with short hops and extended pauses. Keep bait moving minimally and stay in contact. - Crankbait (square-bill or shallow diver) — 2.5 to 3 in · Shad gray, pearl, sexy shad, or natural brown · 1/2 to 3/4 oz (Evening and dusk on secondary points and timber transitions)
Steady retrieve with occasional pauses over structure. Bump the bait off timber and ledges to trigger strikes.
How to work it
- Sonar-targeted drop-shot — Mid-morning through midday when bass are suspended and avoiding shallow, hot water · Deep timber lines and rock ledges in 30-50 feet
Use forward-facing sonar to spot suspended individual fish over deep timber or ledges, then cast beyond them, let the rig sink to their depth, and work it with small, subtle movements directly in front of them. - Rock transition hunting — Early morning, late afternoon, and evening when bass are feeding along defined structural edges · Secondary channel swings and rocky points in 8-20 feet
Work the boundary where hard-bottom rock transitions to soft bottom or between different depth zones on a ledge. Cast parallel to the transition and work baits with controlled pauses that let bass strike. - Timber pick-apart — Morning transition and evening when bass are using timber for shade and feeding lanes · Shallow and mid-depth timber (6-22 feet) in creek arms and bluff zones
Idle slowly along timber lines using sonar, identifying which trees have bass suspended nearby, then pitch or cast a jig or soft-plastic directly into the strike zone with minimal extra casts. Repeat rather than spam-casting blind areas.
Pro tips
- The pool is down nearly 10 feet, which concentrates bass even more tightly around the remaining timber and ledges. Electronics are non-negotiable right now. If you can see the fish on sonar, you can catch them; if you can't, you're wasting time guessing in the vast empty water.
- That pressure dropping before the weekend means fish should feed aggressively early and through the morning window, especially if you work reaction baits on wind-blown structure. Hit the reaction bite hard from dawn through mid-morning before you drop deep for the heat of the day.
If conditions change
If the front moves through and pressure rises with clearing skies and cooler air, bass will bury into the densest timber and tightest ledge shade. Downsize everything to 3 to 4 inch finesse baits, slow your retrieves to a crawl, and fish nothing but deep structure with sonar to locate them. If wind shifts north or dies completely and the lake flattens, the shallow early-morning bite shrinks fast. Move deeper and earlier, and rely more on sonar and vertical presentations than reaction baits. If afternoon thunderstorms cloud the sky and the wind picks up further, the shallow bite can extend later into the day and stay strong longer, so capitalize on it before conditions stabilize again.
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