07/03/2026
Snuck out for a few minutes last night and caught this stud on a Core Tackle 5/0 3/8oz Ozark Rig with a 10.5” Zoom Bait Ol’ Monster. This is my favorite rig on hot, calm summer days. The big worm gets big bites and the Ozark Rig gives it a wobbling action on the fall that you don’t get from a Texas Rig.
This fish came off of a road bed in 15ft of water. The bass were grouped up right on the drop off and I was pulling the Ozark Rig 3-5ft off the bottom to get as much wobbling action as possible. I caught a couple other 3lbers in the same area on this rig too.
06/30/2026
To save time on the water, I’ve started storing my terminal tackle and soft plastics in the same tackle tray. The Evolution Outdoor, LLC 3700 4-Latch Tray makes this easy because of the built-in middle compartment at the bottom. I can store minnow baits in the top customizable compartments and my Hover Rigs in the extra middle slot
06/17/2026
Big topwaters get big bites in the summer. My recent favorite is the Dead Man Walking. It walks easily on long casts, has a loud internal rattle to draw fish from further away, sharp and sticky stock hooks and a super durable paint job that holds up to dozens of fish catches.
I throw this bait in 2 different scenarios in June and July.
1. Around shallow bream/bluegill beds in 1-5ft of water. During a full moon in the summer, wolf packs of 4-10 bass will roam shallow pockets and flat banks feeding on spawning bluegill. I will put the trolling motor at 50% and cover water down the bank with this topwater. You will usually run into 1-2 wolf packs per hour and they are usually good quality fish.
2. Shallow offshore ledges in 2-6ft of water. On lakes with dirtier water (less than 2ft of visibility), bass will set up on top of shallow ledges around rock piles and shell beds in 2-6ft of water. In the afternoon, big gizzard shad will pull up on top of these ledges and the bass will ambush them around the hard spots. You can often find big bass busting gizzard shad out of the water on these areas and they will crush a big walking topwater.
