Strike King and Lew’s pro Mark Zona is all about the largemouth in July and shares his secret to snaggin’ a big one in Zone 5.
“It's the one month of soft water where all I target are largemouth,” says Zona. In post spawn, smallmouth are spread anywhere from 3- to 30-feet so Zona focuses on the largemouth bass for one main reason. “When it's a hodge podge time of year like this, I really start focusing on largemouth for the simple fact that I think this zone is one of the best spots in the country when it comes to size and numbers – they're big, plentiful, and dumb,” shares Zona.
His main target is 1- to 4-feet of water since there are so many bluegill still spawning in this depth during the month of the July. “Every one of the baits covered will mimic a bluegill in some way, shape, or form,” notes Zona.
When fishing near docks in 1 to 4 feet of water, Zona reaches for the ½- oz Denny Brauer Structure Jig with a Rage Craw or Scounbug trailer.
If the water is clear, Zona prefers the Black/Blue with a Blue Craw trailer. In stained water, he switches to the Green Pumpkin with a Blue Craw trailer. For muddy water, Zona will favor a Black/Blue with a Black Blue Flake trailer.
When fishing near docks, boat lifts, and pontoons in 1- to 4-feet of water, Zona grabs the KVD Sexy Frog.
Zona’s choice for clear water is the Green Pumpkin Gill, while he opts for Green Pumpkin Pearl if the water is stained. For muddy water, Zona swaps out for a Black.
This twitch bait is Zona’s top choice when skipping docks or overhangs.
He opts for the Magic in clear water, and switches to a Green Pumpkin if the water is stained. When transitioning to muddy water, Zona grabs a Green Pumpkin Sapphire.
Zona picks up the Hack Attack® Pad Perch when walking the bait over submerged grass or pockets of broken surface grass.
If the water is clear or stained, he will throw a Green Pumpkin Gill, while muddy water calls for a Black Shadow.
Zona pairs the Rage Punch Bug and 1- to 2-ounce weight for punching matted grass.
He opts for Blue Craw in clear water. If the water is stained, he will throw the Green Pumpkin, while he will switch to a Black Blue Flake or Crawdaddy if the water is muddy.
Strike King pro Jay Przekurat highlights some of his favorite places to fish when chasing big bites in Zone 5 during July.
“For the month of July in Zone 5, this is when mostly everything has made it out to their summertime feeding areas,” says Przekurat. During July, Przekurat typically looks to deeper water with healthy vegetation and the presence of baitfish to find bass. “If there is no grass, then hard bottom mixed with sand and big or smaller sized rock is another good option,” Przekurat shares. Water temperatures will also be in the 70’s in Zone 5, the warmest it has been all year. “This is when some of your best deep fishing can occur because the bass haven't seen the pressure yet because they have just arrived a few days ago,” Przekurat says.
If the water is clear, Przekurat prefers Green Pumpkin. In stained water, he switches to Brown Purple. For muddy water, he will favor Triple Magic.
Molded from super-soft plastic, the KVD Dream Shot features a hinged tail section that quivers and shakes at the slightest movement of your rod tip. Extremely lifelike feel and action – a deadly choice for any dropshot rig.
Przekurat’s choice for the 3/8 oz Denny Brauer Structure Jig with a Menace trailer in clear water is Blue Craw, while he opts for Black Blue if the water is stained or muddy.
The design of Strike King's Denny Brauer Structure Jig shape and weedguard angle reduce hang-ups while the wide footprint of the head helps increase your feel of the bottom.
Przekurat opts for a Strike King Finesse Football Jig with a Green Pumpkin Menace trailer in Green Pumpkin Craw for clear water, switching to Black Blue in stained or muddy water.
The Strike King Finesse Football Jig features a sculpted, football-shaped head and the 60-degree flat hook eye that stays flush with the head to keep your knot in the proper position; a Perfect Skirt in beautiful colors; and a specially designed tapered barb keeper to securely hold soft plastic trailers.
If the water is clear, he will throw Green Gizzard Shad, while more stained water calls for TN Shad 2.0. When fishing in low-vis conditions, Przekurat goes for Citrus Shad.
The 5XD dives to around 15-feet and is ideal for deflecting off deeper structure as fish make their way back into shallower flats.
He opts for Green Pumpkin in clear water. If the water is stained, he will throw Summer Craw, while he will switch to Black Blue Flake if the water is muddy.
The super versatile Cut-R Worm is perfect for flipping and pitching or Texas and Carolina rigging. The Rage flange on the tail of the Cut-R Worm causes increased action and has the fastest tail flicker rate on the market.
