Entry 309-5
Bass Tactics You Can Use Now in the Summer with Mark Rose
Editor’s Note: Last week we caught up with Mark Rose, while he was practicing on Kentucky Lake for an FLW tour event. He’d just come off the lake where he’d found plenty of bass. We asked Rose to tell us the tactics he’s using right now to locate and catch bass on Kentucky Lake, and if these same patterns will work throughout the summer on lakes all across the country that are similar to Kentucky Lake.
Part Five: Use Them Anywhere Anytime This Summer
Question: Mark, you’re preparing to fish Kentucky Lake for an FLW tournament. Kentucky Lake’s a big lake, and it has good structure, ledges, humps and mussel beds in it. And the tactics you’ve given us are applicable when you find those situations anywhere in the country. But if you’re not fishing a lake like Kentucky Lake, what baits are you going to use this summer to catch bass?
Rose: Strike King has a 7-1/2-inch Anaconda worm. If I’m fishing farm ponds or fishing from the bank, I’ll use that 7-1/2-inch Anaconda. Or, I’ll use the Strike King finesse worm on a Shaky Head jig. When the water begins to get hot in the summertime, the plastic worm is hard to beat for catching bass, regardless of where you’re fishing. There’s no telling how many tons of bass have been caught on a plastic worm, a Carolina rig and/or a Texas-style rig.
You can use the plastic worm on Kentucky Lake, which is a structure lake. 
You also can fish a plastic worm successfully on eastern mountain reservoirs, in the Ozarks or in south Texas. When the water starts getting hot in the summertime, the 7-1/2-inch Anaconda and the Strike King finesse worm are just hard to beat. In the spring I like jigs and crankbaits, but as the weather gets hotter, a worm’s hard to beat.
Question: Mark, what’s the most-traditional setup for worm fishing? And why do you fish this way?
Rose: I like 17-pound-test line, a 6-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy action rod, a 3/16-ounce slip sinker and a No. 4/0 worm hook rigged Texas style. This is as basic a worm-fishing setup as you’re going to ever see, and it’s extremely deadly.
Question: How are you rigging-up when you’re fishing the Shaky Head worm?
Rose: Wind, water depth and water color are all important factors to consider when you’re choosing the size of jig, the length of the worm and the color of the worm you’re planning to fish on a Shaky Head. The most-common setup I use is a 1/8-ounce Shaky Head jig and a 7-inch Strike King finesse worm. I like the green-pumpkin color for the jig and the worm. I like to fish it on a 6-foot, 6-inch medium-action rod. 
I prefer to fish with 6- or 8-pound-test line, depending on the depth, the wind conditions and water clarity. If I’m fishing gin-clear water, I like the 6-pound-test line. If I’m fishing on a windy day, and I’m having a hard time feeling my jig, I’ll go up to as much as 8-pound-test line.
Question: Are you primarily catching your fish on the Shaky Head worm as it falls? Or, are you catching the bass when the jig’s sitting on the bottom, and you’re shaking the worm?
Rose: If you’re fishing a school of bass, they’ll primarily take the bait on the fall. But if you’re just fishing down the bank, you’ll most often catch the fish while you’re shaking the bait.
Contents:
- Part 1: Where to Find Bass This Summer
- Part 2: Crank 'Em Up
- Part 3: My Money Bait
- Part 4: What's a Rage Thumper Worm?
- Part 5: Use Them Anywhere Anytime This Summer
