Fishing WNC’s Summer Heat: Light tackle & fly for smallmouth bass

In July, August, and September, many anglers flock on vacation to the cooler mountains for trout fishing; however, when they arrive, they find out that fishing trout in the rivers and streams can be challenging during this time. I have many conversations around “prime time” to fish trout, and I always start with “anytime that isn’t hot.”

Many express that getting up in elevation is the solution to better fishing, but let’s face it, many of my clients are brand new, and fishing in our challenging upper-elevation landscape requires agility and expertise.  The truth is, regardless of location or expertise, no angler should want to catch a fish so bad they’re willing to put that fish at risk.

“Risk? What risk?”

Trout are at serious risk in warmer water conditions during summer, causing lethargy by early to mid-morning. As cold-water fish, they have a limited window for productivity amidst summer’s heat in a day. If you have a responsible guide on your trout trip, they will likely start the trip very early and end the trip before the heat sets in to prevent mortality rates. If the water is above 68 degrees, a responsible guide may not run the trip at all, which is called “Hoot Owl Restriction.”

Even more, temperatures are just one condition that leads to mortality. Catch and release practices can also contribute to trout mortality rates regardless of when the trip starts and ends. The stress and physical effort of a fighting fish can lead to the fish never recovering. During summer, mortality rates increase despite angler efforts to prevent it. That’s the fact of the matter when it comes to fishing trout in summer. That’s why I prefer fishing light tackle, or fly, for smallmouth bass.  That education was gloom and doom, but worry though, fellow anglers, good news is on the way!

Summer heat is not the same case for Smallmouth Bass. When the south’s oppressive summer heat meets the mountains, smallmouth bass are fish that want to bite and are safe to fish in higher water temperatures (68-78 degrees). An angler is in the right to say that catching smallmouth bass in 75-plus degree water is fine, if not, some of the better times to catch them outside of spring pre and post-spawn.  While water levels drop across our rivers due to heat and lower rainfall, smallmouth bass aggregate together in the deeper pools that are visible against the rocky shoals oxygenating the heads of currents. This makes the bottomless holes an easy-to-find target for anglers as we pickpocket every shoal drop that comes by boat.

We start early here in Western NC for bass, usually meeting around 5:30 or 6 am. It is early, I know, but worth it. The difference between starting early on trout and starting early on bass is we have a lot more productive time in the day to fish bass. With trout, you are racing the clock before all bites shut down, or mortality rates increase above ethical levels, while the early morning bite for bass is just about being there in time for the first bite style of the date’s cycle.  When fishing smallmouth bass, we follow a specific cycle of locating fish in conjunction with the heat of the day, which translates into the bites throughout the day. It’s not an exact science and can vary greatly day to day, but it’s a solid rule of thumb guides follow.

Here’s how it works:

Smallmouth bass are up and active in the mornings since the water is at its coolest after a long nights rest from the summer sun. These first handful of hours are a great time to find smallmouth bass landing into the net.  Truthfully, it’s the guide’s best chance at getting a new angler on their first smallmouth, so don’t be late in the mornings unless it’s to get your guide a biscuit and coffee… every minute counts! The bass are just happier in the mornings and we want to be in their happy place as long as we possibly can.

In the early morning light, we use a mix of baits or flies to grab their attention while the fish are patrolling the upper water columns and actively chasing food. I throw everything from Berkley’s Choppo to Warden’s Original Roostertail, water-walking minnows like Heddon’s Spook, and Rebel’s Pop-Rs made famous with a fast retrieve to mimic a fleeing shad. Smallmouth bass are willing to chase at this time of the day, making them easy to find, hard to miss, and fun to catch.

Mid-morning when the sun begins to draw higher in the sky, above the treeline, the water will begin to warm a degree or two and the bass will drop away into the depths of the cooler water. They move towards the bottom sections of the river, which is why I start to fish low and slow in hopes of feeding them directly off the river bottom with Berkley’s Finesse Swim Jigs, Zman’s TRD soft plastic baits on a ned head, variations of Carolina rigs, and slow-moving drop shots that finesse bass to bite.

Generally, when water is warm and low, the smallmouth bass prefers being fed from the top down with a cast angled behind the boat instead of trying to pull them up and across the river in front of the boat like they do when they’re chasing minnows in the morning.  I always say, “Throw your line up the river, let it find the bottom, and bop em’ on the head.” This is why for summer smallmouth fishing in deeper pools with a medium light rod and a high tip, a quick, hard hook-set will bring smallmouth to the boat for most of the day.

Finesse is the name of the game.  Come direct sun and heavier afternoon heat that really burns the back of our necks, the shallow shoals will begin warming the river into the upper seventies and slowing the bite down mid-river.

There is no need to worry:

Unlike trout that shut down completely soon after the sun gets warm, bass will continue to hunt and eat as they pursue shadow lines, and cover along the river’s edge. Inside the shadows is cooler air (up to 10 degrees cooler) which equates to cooler water and potentially steadfast bites for an angler into the evening hours.

A great bank bite is throwing 1/8th ounce ned rigs against the edge and grabbing fish “on the fall” of the bait. I call it the thunder tap game; as soon as your bait hits the water along the edge, you feel “tap, tap, tap” and it’s a 50/50 chance of getting it or not, but it sure is fun! Smallmouth bass often will pursue crustaceans crawling the bank sides, eating things on the move and in motion. It’s a great way to stay productive while fishing in the hot summer sun.  Another style of bank fishing is throwing poppers on the fly rod and stripping them back to the boat with short pauses between each strip. The eruption that can happen along that bank cover is a sight to behold!

It’s this movement cycle throughout the day that makes it easy for me to prefer fishing smallmouth bass with light tackle over fly fishing trout in the summer. Trout fishing turns off, bass fishing keeps going.

Experience the thrill of catching smallmouth bass during summer by booking a light tackle or fly fishing trip with Headwaters Outfitters on the French Broad, Little Tennessee, or Tuckasegee River. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors and create unforgettable memories.

Group trips up to 4 anglers are welcome. No lunch is provided.

Let’s go on a one-of-a-kind mountain fishing adventure, email myself, Gavin Griffin for details and/or to book.  Gavin@headwatersoutfitters.com, 828-877-3106