Bass

The lowly rock bass won’t win many popularity contests among anglers. These fish are not sleek and powerful like a landlocked striper.

Find Out Why a Spoons Fluttering Action Drives Largemouth Bass Mad

With the advent of pliable floating frogs and toads, weedless metal spoons lost some lustre with the bass crowds. This is a shame, really, as the latter triggers fish with unique properties only a metal lure can produce.

No thrill in angling can match that of a hungry bass chomping down on a surface lure the size of a rat. But finding such aggressively-feeding fish is unfortunately the exception rather than the rule. When bass are in a finicky, skittish mood or not aggressively feeding, jumbo surface lures often fail miserably.

By late June, most bass have moved to their summer hangouts. Dropoffs, weedlines and weedflats should be good, butthe edges of humps and reefs will usually hold the most fish. Anglers know it is around this time of the year when night fishing can improve the odds of success often between dusk and dawn.

Subtle changes in presentation can make a big difference in fishing success, something I was reminded of during last week's slate of guide trips.

Earlier this season, I was fishing for brook trout in a river I know and love.

Stripe Bass are seldom thought of as summertime fish, but in the right places, and with the right baits and presentations, you can experience some unbelievable action in hot weather with these monster predators. I'll reveal my summer livebait striper strategies under one condition: that you practice catch and release with these great gamefish.    

Summer Striper Hotspots

With bass season set to begin soon in Eastern Ontario, Canada, my day has been spent prepping tackle and sorting my fishing gear.