Early and late bite only. Pitching timber shallow, then dragging soft plastics over the humps when sun climbs. Water's too hot to move at midday.

Water is parked at 84 degrees, right at the edge of summer stress. The reservoir is down 5.4 feet, so the timber is sitting shallower than usual and the channels are more defined. Pressure is dropping ahead of some weather coming in, which should fire them up early and late. Stained water and full sunshine mean the bass are keyed to shade and structure. Early morning they'll be in the timber and around hard cover in 2 to 5 feet. As the sun gets high and hot they pull back out to the humps and deeper transition zones. The bite shuts down hard through midday. After 5 PM they slide back up shallow again as the light softens. Creature baits and worms tight to wood is the ticket here. Speed doesn't matter. Precision does.

The day's game plan

Where to fish

• Upper end timber — 2 to 5 feet · Standing hardwoods, flooded trees, dense brush
  Bass stack here early morning and evening for shade and ambush position. With the lake down 5.4 feet, this timber is shallower than usual, concentrating bass. Stained water keeps them close to cover because visibility is limited.
• Mid-lake brush piles and humps — 6 to 15 feet · Submerged brush, shallow humps, channel-edge transitions
  This is where bass stage during the morning transition out of shallow feeding and during the afternoon transition back. Cooler and deeper than timber but not yet the main lake basins. The humps are migration highways and holding areas. Brush provides shade and structure.
• Main lake points and channel bends — 15 to 25 feet · Rocky/hard bottom, deep outside bends, main channel edges
  This is midday refuge when the shallow water gets too hot. Bass drop deep here for comfort and adequate oxygen. It's also where they sit at night. These are the deepest comfortable zones with access back to shallow feeding areas.
• Pondweed edges and shallow grass — 2 to 6 feet · Floating or submerged vegetation, weed line transitions
  When present, pondweed provides cover and concentrates baitfish. Bass hunt along weed edges, especially early and late. The dense vegetation creates shade and a clean ambush setup. Stained water makes the weed cover even more valuable.

What to throw

• Texas-rigged creature bait — 4 in · green pumpkin or junebug · 3/8 oz bullet (Early morning and evening shallow timber)
  Pitch tight to wood, fall on slack line, slow drags and hops along structure
• Texas-rigged plastic worm — 5 in · junebug or watermelon · 1/4 to 3/8 oz bullet (Morning transition and late afternoon as bass move between shallow and deep)
  Drag slow along drop-offs and brush edges, keep bottom contact, minimal speed
• Topwater popper — n/a · black or dark · 1/8 oz (Evening and dusk when light is dropping and bass feed at surface)
  Slow, methodical pops with pauses. Let it sit between works. Keep it tight to timber.
• Jighead with finesse worm — 3 to 4 in · natural shad or watermelon · 1/8 oz jighead (Midday around shaded structure, or late afternoon transitions)
  Shake in place near structure or drag slow. Minimal movement. Use around shade like docks or deep brush piles.
• Crankbait, shallow-to-mid-diving — n/a · shad pattern or chartreuse · 3/8 to 1/2 oz (Morning and late afternoon transitions when bass are moving between zones)
  Steady retrieve over humps and drop-off transitions. Cover water, don't sit. Wind it deep into structure then rip back out.

How to work it

• Pitch and flip tight to timber — When bass are tight to shade and stained water limits their sight distance · Upper end timber in 2 to 5 feet, early morning and evening
  Shorten your cast to 10 to 20 feet, use a flipping rod, and place the bait at the base of trees or thick brush. Fall on slack line and fish vertically or with small hops.
• Slow drag on humps and transitions — Morning transition and late afternoon when bass are moving from shallow to deep · Mid-lake brush piles and humps in 6 to 15 feet
  Motor to the hump, position uptide or upcurrent if any wind or flow exists, and drag the bait slowly across the structure. Keep bottom contact. Work the edges where depth changes, not the flat tops.
• Topwater in fading light — Evening and dusk when light angle drops and bass feed at surface · Shallow timber and brush edges in 2 to 5 feet
  Work the popper slow with space between pops. Pop, pause 2 seconds, pop again. Let it rest for 3 to 5 seconds between sequences. Keep it near cover, not in open water.

Pro tips

• Work the shade line between sun and shadow on the bank. In stained water and bright sun, bass won't leave the dark. Pitch your bait so it lands in the shadow, not the light. Even a few feet matters.
• The pressure drop before weather is your friend today. Even though it's hot water, falling pressure makes them bite harder early and late. Don't waste the morning and evening windows scouting. Fish them hard.
• When you find a bass on a hump or brush pile, drop anchor or hold position and work that bait vertically or shake it in place for 30 to 45 seconds before moving. In hot water, they won't chase a lure far. Make them bite what's right in front of them.

If conditions change

If a front rolls through tonight or tomorrow and the water cools noticeably, the fish will stay in shallower zones longer and the midday bite might actually fire. If the pressure stabilizes or rises after today, expect the bite to shut down hard and fish will bury in the thickest timber and deepest structure. If clouds move in and the sun softens, the shallow bite will stretch longer into midday and you can work the timber and brush harder through the afternoon. If the wind picks up and the water stains more from wind-blown sediment, switch to darker colors (junebug, black) and rely on baits with more vibration like a small spinnerbait with a Colorado blade around the brush edges.