Entry 8-2

Fishing with Mike Wurm

Mike Wurm's Seasonal Secrets

Editor's Note: Mike Wurm, a 49-year old professional bass fisherman from Hot Springs, Arkansas, first fished competitively in 1978 and began fishing professionally on the BASSMASTER circuit in 1992. Wurm ranked 21st in the Top 150 Tour for 2000-01 and 3rd in the Top 150 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has had eight top-10 tournament finishes and has competed in five BASS Masters Classics.

Question: Give me your best summer pattern for bass. What kind of weather do you want and why?

Answer: The best summer pattern is probably going to be to fish topwater early with a buzzbait -- something the topwater bass will bite early. Later in the day, a deep-diving crankbait or a Carolina rig works best for me. I prefer to fish in a lake with grass, offshore submerged grass. You also may use a lead-head worm in that situation. Even a Texas-rigged worm may work if you have some wood covering in the lake. You will probably get some summer bites from bass on that as well.

Question: What kind of weather would be perfect for your summer pattern?

Answer: Perfect summer weather, for me, would be overcast skies in the morning, and then partly cloudy during the day with some wind. Some wind blowing makes the bass more active.

Question: Why else does wind on a lake help your bass fishing?

Answer: For one thing, the wind makes bass fishing more comfortable. In the summertime, the weather will be hot. Also, wind keeps the fish more active. On a dead day with no wind, in the middle of the summer, the fish get real inactive -- just like we do.

Question: What about water conditions?

Answer: I prefer the water to be off-color but not completely murky. I want the water to be fertile but not decaying. As far as the depth, I like to fish for bass in the summer anywhere from 5 to 25-feet deep

Question: What kind of covering do you like to fish?

Answer: That depends on the lake. In the summertime, I like to have grass and maybe some brush piles. Also, some good channel-bend structures are great for me and my style of fishing.

Next: Fall And Spring Patterns

Contents:

• Part 1: Mike Wurm's Tactics
• Part 2: Mike Wurm's Seasonal Secrets
• Part 3: Fall And Spring Patterns
• Part 4: Wurm's Strike King Lure Tactics
• Part 5: Wurm's Goals And Plans