Best Baits to Throw in August

Through the years, August has always been a mystery month in bass fishing. Most bass anglers can probably recall fishing lakes that were great in the spring, decent in the summer, but then in August, the bass just vanished. This begs the question: where did all the fish go? 

This baffling August phenomenon is usually what sparks speculation about low oxygen, fish kills, bass viruses, and tournament mortality. Then when spring returns, it’s gangbusters all over again, proving they were there all along.

These mysterious disappearances of August bass don’t happen everywhere. In the upper Midwest and Northeast, fishing is fantastic in August. In lakes with ample vegetation densities, the grass is at peak growth, and that helps position bass in more predictable locations. But for many lakes across the Southeast, lower Midwest and even into Texas, August has always been a kind of mystifying black hole in terms of where bass go and what they do. 

August Bass Behavior

Of course, a lot of that August puzzle has been solved with the advent of forward-facing sonar. We always wondered where fish went in August, and forward-facing sonar showed us: everything sort of scatters out. There is not a strong biological force, such as spawning or a forage migration, that brings fish together. The bait wanders and spreads out. Current can still concentrate some fish, but even along the TVA chain of lakes, the large offshore schools tend to break up. Some bass roam around and suspend in open water. Some have moved to the bank to make a better living. Some are sulking around on a piece of cover, slumbering away the dog days. Quite simply, August is very nomadic. 

As crazy as it sounds, I believe the fall transition actually begins in August. The water has reached its warmest point of the year. Thermoclines have set up on stagnant lakes, forcing bass up off the bottom into shallower portions of the water column. Daylight hours are waning. Vegetation growth is topped out. The summer “tide” has basically peaked and now things are getting ready to go the other way. The tiny young-of-the-year shad are beginning to show up in tight schools, provoking bass to school over open water. Sporadic bream spawns in August cause some bass to wolfpack around the bank in groups of five to ten.  

With all this in mind, those who excel at catching bass in August are usually the true grinders and junk-fishing experts. Anglers who get top checks put a pile of rods on the deck and catch a few schoolers, crank a couple off laydowns, skip one from underneath a dock, prop two from a wolf pack, and punch a kicker up from a debris mat. August requires a lot of lure options to get the job done.

Jighead Minnows

It’s safe to say we have reached a point in bass fishing where a jighead minnow gets mentioned nearly every month. And August is no exception. Forward-facing sonar shines in August because of the randomness beneath the surface. Love them or loathe them, minnows are still marvelous to bass when paired with pingers.

Topwater Lures

The sneakiest lures for August are topwaters. This sounds counterintuitive, given that the surface of the water is so hot, but topwaters do work in August. I’ve covered too many grinder tournaments in August where topwaters played a big role in the top 10. 

Match topwaters to the lake:

• Walkers and ploppers for highland impoundments
• Prop baits and frogs for lowland impoundments or natural lakes
• Buzzbaits for run-of-river lakes or highly developed lakes

Whereas larger topwaters are better in the post-spawn and early summer, downsizing becomes more favorable starting in August and into the early fall, due to the young-of-the-year forage. Some of the best smaller walkers in the 3- to 4-inch range for late-summer schooling bass include:

• Super Spook Jr.
• Spook Boyo
• Skitter Walk 8

Target shade pockets with a Whopper Plopper 90 or Choppo 90. Isolated shade is also perfect propbait territory. Small, custom-made 3-inch propbaits from the following makers all fit the bill:

• PH Custom Lures
• Brian’s Bees
• Black Label
• Greenfish Tackle

Smaller, compact buzzbaits are great for gurgling along seawalls and shade lines formed by docks. With submergent vegetation mostly topped out, hollow-bodied frogs also become a major player in August.

Crankbaits

Early summer was the time for big, deep-diving crankbaits that scour the bottom in 20 feet. Those large plugs will still work in lakes with enough constant current to keep a thermocline at bay. But if thermoclines are present, the bait, which is usually small, will be above the thermocline. Going back to smaller, medium-running crankbaits on shallow cover such as stumps, laydowns and wind-blown riprap is a worthy adjustment. Put squarebill-type baits back in the equation, such as:

• Lucky Craft’s 1.5
• Strike King’s KVD 1.5
• 6th Sense Crush 50X
• Bill Lewis’ ATV 1.5
• Rapala’s DT-6
• Berkley’s Frittsides lineup

Pitching Baits

Keeping a pitching bait handy is another great option in August. Venturing far back into creek ends to find the deadly combination of shade and current is a lethal August tactic. It’s old school, but it still works. Cooler, oxygenated waters flowing into hot, stagnant reservoirs are just the kind of spots bass like to sull up for the heat of summer. These places require close-quarters fishing, and a beaver or creature-style bait with a 5/16-ounce weight fits the bill for pitching laydowns and debris mats. Topped-out vegetation is another place where pitching soft plastics paired with a ½- or ¾- ounce tungsten weight will work. 

Shaky Heads

Finally, the tried-and-true shaky head is a proven performer in tough August conditions. Skipping the shaky head up under tight, shady places like docks and over-hanging trees can deliver in a pinch. 

If this bait selection sounds like it’s all over the place, that’s because it is. August is random, so junk it up to match that randomness with your lures.