One of Strike King’s most recent pro staff additions, Brent Chapman, shares his insight on fishing in Zone 4 during the month of July.
With the onset of brutal summer heat throughout Zone 4 in July, Brent suggests heading out early for the best catch of the day. “We don't typically have a whole lot of offshore submergent and emergent grass for fish to find cover in Zone 4. What we do have plenty of is shoreline vegetation, docks, laydowns, and a variety of rock structures and because of that, I really try to capitalize on the morning bite,” says Chapman.
“Moving bait wise, I'm throwing KVD squarebills in the 1- to 2½-foot range and targeting shallow laydowns and shoreline grass with a buzzbait and shallow, rocky, open-water areas with a walking bait,” shares Chapman. When headed into the heat of the day, Chapman changes up his selection to target deeper water. Chapman continues, “Once it starts heating up, that's when I'm targeting deeper docks, brush piles, or standing timber with a XD or Texas-rigged Cut-R-Worm when I've located a particular piece of offshore brush or standing timber.”
Chapman throws the KVD Squarebill 1.5 when fishing near shallow rocky banks or riprap.
If the water is clear, Chapman prefers the Olive Shad. In stained water, he switches to the Black Back Chartreuse. For muddy water, Chapman stays consistent with the Black Back Chartreuse.
The Sexy Dawg is Chapman’s choice when fishing around shallow rocky banks or riprap.
Chapman’s choice for clear water is the Green Gizzard Shad, while he opts for Summer Sexy Shad if the water is stained. In muddy water, he reaches for the Black.
This buzzbait is Chapman’s top choice when fish are in shallow cover like water willows and shoreline grass.
He opts for the Pearl or Black in all water conditions, whether clear, stained, or muddy.
Chapman Texas-Rigs his Cut-R-Worm for targeting brush piles or standing timber.
If the water is clear, he will throw Plum, while more stained water calls for a Red Bug. When fishing in muddy water, he reaches for the Black Blue Flake.
The 6XD Silent Series is a favorite of Chapman’s when fishing at deep rocky points, drop offs, and standing timber.
He opts for Olive Shad in clear water. If the water is stained, he will throw the Citrus Shad, while he will switch to a Black Back Chartreuse if the water is muddy.
Pro angler Trey McKinney shares his July game plan for Zone 4 bass.
In July in Zone 4, the bass have normally been off the banks for a while. The bigger schools have been feeling a lot of fishing pressure and are pretty weary. You can normally find a few schools in the morning that can lead to a quick limit or even a bigger bite, usually on topwater. The morning fish not relating to offshore bait can be found cruising the shallows chasing bream.
As the day goes on, these fish seem to move deeper and relate more to cover. Specific cover Trey looks for is brush piles (especially off the edges of points) and docks (especially with brush and deeper water). Water clarity is a big determining factor of how tight they relate to cover; the dirtier the water, the tighter they relate. And of course, Trey always keeps his forward-facing sonar scanning!
If the water is clear or stained, McKinney prefers PB&J. In muddy water, he switches to Black/Blue.
McKinney loves the Strike King Denny Brauer Structure Jig for a variety of scenarios, but especially for isolated brush piles and dock skipping. McKinney lets the depth of the cover he’s fishing determine the line size for his jig. He always uses a Rage Menace as his trailer for the Structure Jig.
McKinney’s choice for clear water is Morning Dawn, while he opts for Magic if the water is stained. Black/Blue is his go-to in muddy conditions.
McKinney loves a Fat Baby Finesse Worm on a Drop Shot rig, especially as a follow up bait behind the Structure Jig. He also throws a Fat Baby Finesse Worm at livescope fish.
He opts for Plum in clear water, and switches to Red Bug if the water is stained. McKinney utilizes Black/Blue is low-vis conditions.
Trey throws a Zeus Worm on a Texas rig with no weight peg. He prefers as light a weight as he feels he can get away with. Trey will drag it or hop it off the bottom, especially near brush piles and off the ends of points.
He opts for Honey Candy in clear or stained water. In low-vis conditions, he will throw Black/Blue.
McKinney will throw a Neko rigged Ocho at suspended, roaming fish. He feels it’s a great finesse tactic to get a bite when the fish are being very finicky. When chasing fish with livescope, he’ll use a heavier nail weight. When around cover like docks, he’ll use a lighter nail weight.
