Big bass in the August surf
If I said I didn’t think I was going to catch a 50 pounder this weekend in the surf, I would be lying! August means one thing, big bass are lurking in the surf and all it takes is one cast to make or break your entire season. Fronts roll through, the humidity drops and the water temperatures begin to fall. As I have said before, my favorite time of year is the last week of July and the first two weeks of August. Get after it while the gettin’ is good!
We pulled an all nighter last weekend and found several small fish stacked along the shoreline. Most fish were in the 20 to 26 inch range and one beauty shook the hook just 10 feet from shore. Mag darters and sluggos did the trick during the night and as the sun began to rise we got into a nice top water bite.
The water temps have been extremely warm the past month or so, hovering upwards of 70-73 degrees. This is absolutely brutal on the surf caster, as most fish will be hanging offshore in cooler water temperatures. These bathtub like conditions are just not ideal for bigger fish to be hanging close to shore for a prolonged period of time. When the bigger fish come through (if at all) it is short lived and often times they just are not willing to bite. If you are looking to find the bigger fish, fishing at night in the cooler conditions will be your best bet.
The keys for us this season have been finding shallow boulder fields with currents or deep water channels off the sandy beaches. These areas will provide the coolest water temps (at night) allowing for you to have a shot at some large striped bass in the surf.
Last night, I ventured out to one my favorite spots which has produced the most action for me this season in regards to larger fish. With the Tropical Storm moving through, water temperatures dropped upwards of 10 degrees. If you are a surf caster, you should be feeling like a kid on Christmas morning. This cooler water means one thing, big bass are going to be lurking close to shore in search of an easy meal!
Thursday night, that was exactly the case. I found a good school of slot fish that were feeding heavily but not always committing. It was a little frustrating at first, but I grinded it out and got rewarded with a nice 25 pound class fish, that came on….you guessed it, the 12 inch pre rigged sluggo!
A quality fish that fell for a 12 inch pre rigged sluggo!
The plan for the next two nights is to head back out in search of some trophy sized August fish. The tides are ideal to go out and mess around in some structure.
I will be tossing the wet suit on and slinging some rigged eels, sluggos, darters and maybe a needle. My prediction? The bass are going to cooperate these next couple of nights and there will be a really good bite on some larger fish! Optimistic? Maybe so….but you can’t catch em’ from the couch.
If you get into some bigger fish, remember to handle them with care. I know I have been saying this a lot lately, but these next 7 years are only going to worsen before it gets better AND that’s if we each do our part.
I have been doing my absolute best this season to handle these fish as quickly as possible ensuring a safe release. Try to fish with single hooks, limit the amount of time the fish is out of the water, limit the picture taking to a few throughout the night, and take the time to properly revive them before letting them go.
It’s going to get real good these next couple of weeks!
Tight Lines.
Follow us on Instagram @stripedsurvival and tag us in your posts if you get that trophy in the surf this weekend.
It’s not just a mission, it’s a movement #stripedsurvival
