TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2026 · CEDAR CREEK LAKE
Hot water and rising pressure make it a shallow-early, deep-and-slow midday grind. Fish first light hard, then pick apart the deeper structure.
WATER 89°FAIR 78°FWIND 7 MPH SSEASON SUMMERPOOL -5.5 FT
Water's 89 degrees and sitting 5.5 feet below pool, so the lake is in full summer lockdown. Bass pull off the shallow flats by mid-morning and hunker down on ledges and channel breaks in 15 to 25 feet where it stays a little more comfortable. Pressure's climbing and skies are clear, which pushes them tighter to cover. Early and late light will see some shallow activity, but you're hunting the first 90 minutes and the last hour hard. The rest of the day is a deep-structure game. Clarity is good and the wind is light from the south, which doesn't move a ton of water around, so don't expect a feeding push from wind. Bass are feeding, just selectively, so slow presentations and natural colors matter more than flash.
The day's game plan
EARLY MORNING · 7:08 AM to 9:00 AM
Shallow riprap, seawalls, and docks on south-facing banks in 3 to 8 feet. Focus on any shade line and hard bottom.
Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill Crankbait in sexy shad, medium retrieve along the structure, let it deflect and tick cover. Follow up with a 6.5-inch Zoom Trick Worm in green pumpkin, Texas rigged, slow sink near the harder bottom and any vertical wood.
Early light before the sun rakes the shallows, bass are still willing to hunt near cover. They'll chase a crankbait that bumps structure and provokes a reaction. The squarebill works better than a lipless crank here because it deflects and stays in the zone longer. If clouds are still heavy, the shallow window can stretch another 30 minutes.
MORNING · 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Shift to mid-lake channel swings and secondary points in 12 to 18 feet. Work drop-offs adjacent to sandy flats.
4-inch finesse worms in green pumpkin on a shaky head, 3/8 ounce, dragged slowly along the break. Alternate with a 3/16-ounce drop shot, same color, fished tight to any hard bottom or rock pile.
Sun's climbing and water is hot, so bass are sliding deeper and tightening to the harder structure. The shaky head works the zone without a lot of movement, which is what they want in the heat. Drop shots let you pick apart the edge methodically. This window gets tougher as the sun gets higher, so be ready to go slower and smaller. If you're marking bait on the structure, bass will be within a foot of it.
MIDDAY · 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Main-lake ledges and points in 18 to 25 feet. Work the channel edge and any hump with hard composition near deeper water. Focus on humps and ledges between the dam area and Key Ranch.
3/8-ounce Carolina rig with a 4-inch finesse worm in green pumpkin or watermelon seed, bounced slowly along the bottom. A 3/8-ounce stand-up jig with a small craw trailer, dragged methodically over the structure. Work each spot at least 5 minutes before moving.
This is the dead zone temperature-wise. Bass are locked in the deepest, most stable water they can find. The Carolina rig keeps the bait on bottom where they're holding tight. Jigs work because they stay in the strike zone and don't require much from a lethargic fish. This is a numbers grind, not a reaction bite. Patience and a clean bottom presentation win the day. The pressure is climbing, which makes them even more conservative, so go slower.
LATE AFTERNOON · 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Secondary channel points and inside creek bends in 10 to 16 feet. Shallow off the deep structure where baitfish are moving.
4-inch soft plastics in green pumpkin on a shaky head, 3/16 ounce, or a small 3/8-ounce stand-up jig with a tiny craw. Work these areas with a slow drag and pause cadence.
Bass start to get a little aggressive as the sun angle shifts and water cools slightly. They haven't moved all the way shallow yet, but they're willing to chase a little more. The secondary points adjacent to deeper water are transition spots where they'll stack up before making a full move. If you see any baitfish activity or mulch on the surface, that's a sign of feeding.
EVENING · 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Shallow flats, seawalls, and riprap on all banks, 2 to 8 feet. South and southwest banks get last light longest.
Topwater like a Whopper Plopper in bone color, steady retrieve with occasional pauses. Back it up with a green pumpkin Trick Worm on a shaky head, 3/16 ounce, worked slowly in and out of pockets and under any available cover.
Final light of the day triggers the shallow bite again. Bass move in to feed before dark. The topwater can draw reaction strikes and will show you where the active fish are. When topwater slows, drop down to the slower bait and pick the shallow structure apart. If the light holds long and the sky stays clear, they'll only feed in the absolute last 15 minutes, so be ready to make every cast count. South banks hold heat longest and fish longest into dusk.
DUSK · 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Same shallow structure, but work tighter to cover. Focus on docks, overhanging trees, and dense riprap pockets.
Black or dark junebug-colored soft plastics on a shaky head, fished shallow and deliberate. A small dark topwater like a pencil popper in black if you can see your rod tip.
Fading light makes dark silhouettes the best visibility tool for bass. They're hunting by sight but the reduced light lets them hunt shallower. Work cover like you're skipping under docks. The strikes will be subtle and quick. Moon is in early crescent phase, so the night won't be bright. If you can work until full dark, the bite can stay good, but bass spread out more in darkness, so cover more water.
NIGHT · 8:30 PM to whenever you want to stop
Shallow flats and open-water structure near deeper access in 6 to 12 feet. Work the same humps and ledges as midday but in shallower positions.
Dragging soft plastics slowly along bottom in dark colors, or soaking a live shad on a simple slip sinker rig in deeper pockets. Keep presentations vertical or slow.
Bass will continue to feed shallow at night in summer heat because the water temperature is cooler in the shallows relative to deep water. They're looking for bait that's also seeking cooler zones. Night fishing is more about patience and listening for strikes than visual presentation. The waxing crescent moon won't light the water much, so bass rely on lateral-line detection and the occasional dim silhouette.
Where to fish
- Shallow riprap and seawalls on south-facing banks — 3 to 8 feet · Hard riprap, concrete seawalls, occasional wood and shade line from bank-side trees.
First-light and last-light feeding zones. Bass use this as a staging area before retreating deep in the heat. South banks warm fastest and hold bass longer. - Channel swings and inside creek bends — 10 to 18 feet · Hard bottom with some grass or brush. Channel edge where the deep water meets the flat.
Natural migration highway and transition zone. Bass use these as rest stops between deep and shallow water. Secondary points adjacent to channel breaks hold pre-movement bass in late afternoon. - Main-lake points and humps (dam area, Key Ranch, spillway area) — 18 to 25 feet · Hard-composition humps with sand and gravel, defined drop-offs, occasional brush or rock pile.
Summer core structure. Bass hold on these throughout the day when water is hot. The proximity to deep water and the hard bottom make these reliable, repeatable spots year-round.
What to throw
- Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill Crankbait — 1.5 in · Sexy shad · 3/8 oz (Early morning and evening shallow periods)
Cast to riprap and docks, medium retrieve with deflection off cover, let it bounce and tick. - Zoom Trick Worm (6.5 inch) — 6.5 in · Green pumpkin · Texas rig, 3/16 to 1/4 oz (Early morning shallow, and all day on deeper structure when bass are tight)
Slow sink near bottom, work it with a drag-and-pause. Let it fall on slack line. - Finesse Drop Shot Rig — 4 in · Green pumpkin or watermelon seed plastics, 4 inch · 3/16 oz weight, light mono or fluorocarbon leader (Midday grind when bass are on defined edges and hard structure)
Drop straight down, work vertical jigging motion or drag slowly along the ledge. - 3/8-ounce Stand-Up Jig — n/a · Green pumpkin or brown · 3/8 oz (Midday through late afternoon on ledges and deep structure)
Drag slowly along the bottom, pause, then drag again. Keep contact with the bottom. - Whopper Plopper (110) — 4.3 in · Bone · 1/2 oz (Evening and dusk on shallow structure)
Steady retrieve with occasional pauses, work shallow water.
How to work it
- Deflection Retrieve — Early morning and evening when bass are willing to chase briefly. · Shallow seawalls, riprap banks, and dock pilings in 3 to 8 feet.
Cast hard structures like riprap and docks, let the crankbait tick and bounce off the surface, retrieve steadily with subtle rod twitches. - Drag and Pause on Bottom — Midday through late afternoon when bass are tight and slow. · Deep ledges, channel edges, and mid-lake humps in 15 to 25 feet.
Keep the jig or soft plastic in contact with the bottom, drag it 12 to 18 inches, pause 3 to 5 seconds, repeat. Let bass catch up. - Vertical Jigging on Structure — Midday when bass school up on structure and won't chase. · Well-defined humps and hard-bottom points in 16 to 24 feet.
Drop straight down to a marked hump or ledge, work the jig up and down in 2 to 3-foot motions, listening for ticks and feeling for soft takes.
Pro tips
- When you hook a bass on the deep structure, mark that exact spot with your GPS and fan-cast it for the next 10 minutes. Summer bass don't move far once they set up, so multiple fish often hold within 10 feet of each other. If one eats, the others are close.
- Pressure is climbing, which makes the fish tight-lipped. Downsize your plastics, lighten your jig heads, and fish slower than you think you need to. A bass in high pressure will inhale a bait that's sitting still or moving a quarter-inch per second, but it won't chase a moving target.
- Use your electronics to find the hard bottom and confirm where baitfish are hanging. In summer, focus on spots where baitfish are holding in 15 to 20 feet and work 2 to 3 feet shallower and deeper. Bass will be within a foot of the forage.
If conditions change
If a cold front pushes through and the pressure climbs even higher and the sky clears even more, compress your bite window tighter. Skip the midday structure grind and focus on the densest cover in the deepest water available, working baits that are barely moving. Go black or dark junebug colors and stay right on the cover. If the wind picks up from the north and cools the water slightly, the shallow bite can extend 30 minutes to an hour, and the midday deep bite might loosen a bit as bass move to shallower transitions. If afternoon storms blow through or the pressure drops fast, all-day shallow feeding can turn on and reaction baits like crankbaits and small spinnerbaits will start working again. If the water clears even more after rain, expect bass to push deeper during the day and rely harder on natural colors and finesse.
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