It’s summertime and bass are showing up in their usual offshore haunts. While some fish never leave the shallows, a large majority migrates offshore to brush piles, underwater humps, ledges, points or underwater channel swings. Like clockwork, as bass move to deeper water many anglers will follow suite and you’ll start to notice more boats floating away from the bank.
Some fishermen love “deep” fishing while others struggle to understand it, but there are undoubtedly more anglers targeting bass offshore right now than ever before. More people on the water fishing is a great thing for our sport but fishing pressure affects bass in 20 feet of water just like it does in two feet.
Professional angler Matt Lee spends his spare time as a fishing guide on legendary offshore fishery Lake Guntersville when he isn’t traveling for competition. Lee has seen the influence of more boats and anglers fishing for off-the-bank bass first hand; and whether he is fishing for $100,000 or working a guide trip, Lee has learned to adjust his strategy to exploit summertime schools of bass.
“Times have changed in terms of offshore fishing and our methods need to change as well,” Lee said. “These days a lot of anglers have high-end electronics and understand how to find traditional deep spots. This has led to an increase in fishing pressure and smarter bass.”