Strike King pro Todd Faircloth offers valuable fishing tips for anglers to consider in Zone 2 during June.
Faircloth notes that fish will primarily be transitioning to an offshore
structure bite. He often finds big schools around humps, ridges, and
main lake points in the 10–20-foot range. If he is fishing a lake with
good vegetation, he will look for the outside edges of the grass to hold
fish.
For clear water, Strike King pro Todd Faircloth recommends Morning Dawn. In stained water, he switches to Watermelon Red Flake, and for muddy conditions, he prefers Lightning Bug to enhance visibility.
"The 6" Filler Worm is a great choice for highly pressured fish," Faircloth says. "Fish it on a drop shot rig around main lake brush piles in 15 to 25 feet of water."
Faircloth will pair the Slither Rig with a Rage Menace to achieve the ideal swimming action of the bait. It is an exceptional choice for swimming around brush and vegetation. Faircloth fishes the Slither Rig on a 7’6” medium heavy Signature Series Rod paired with a HyperMag 8.3:1. He spools the reel with 50 lb braid to combat abrasions from heavy cover.
Faircloth suggests Green Pumpkin Craw for clear water, and Black and Blue for stained or low-visibility conditions.
Faircloth favors a 6” Cut-R, paired with a 5/16 oz weight. This is a fantastic slower presentation for bass gathered near grass or wood cover. Faircloth fishes the worm on a Lew’s 7’1” heavy Signature Series to muscle fish out of cover. He opts for the HyperMag 7.5:1, spooled with 14 lb fluorocarbon.
For clear water, Strike King pro Todd Faircloth prefers Red Bug, while he opts for Watermelon Red in stained conditions and Junebug when fishing in low-visibility waters.
Strike King pro Clark Wendlandt reveals his strategy for Zone 2 in June.
“One of my favorite things to do in June is start with a topwater early in the morning,” shares Wendlandt. While it is typically pretty hot in Zone 2 during June and many fish have moved to deeper parts of the lake, Wendlandt advises anglers to also look shallow. “It’s usually hot and a lot of fish have moved off shore, but there’s always some fish shallow. Basically, getting out there early, fishing around grass, shallow rock – just about anywhere. Just really focusing on places where fish are looking ambush brim early in the morning,” Wendlandt says.
“Later in the day, most of the fish in June will be moving off shore or off shore already,” says Wendland. He is quick to note – “That doesn’t mean that it’s a long way off the bank, but it’s just off the bank.” Wendlandt loves using Strike King’s 6XD and 8XD in these situations. “My favorite way to fish for those fish are with a deep diving crankbait. I am targeting ledges that are 12-18 feet with 6XD and 8XD,” he says. His key tip for anglers when using these baits – fish them fast. “Usually, those baits work the best fishing them really fast. It sounds crazy that you can reel really, really fast and catch fish, but a lot of times that’s when you get the biggest bites,” Wendlandt says.
Wendlandt chooses the KVD Sexy Dawg Hard Knock because it’s a
premium, “walk-the-dog” topwater lure with great action and is perfect
for fishing around rocks and vegetation.
In clear water, he prefers Tennessee Shad 2.0, and for muddy or stained water, he opts for Bone.
This legendary lure set the standard for deep diving crankbaits. It is a
constant for Wendlandt when fish are holding off humps and deep
cover.
Wendlandt will reach for Natural Shad in clear water. In stained water, he recommends Chartreuse Sexy Shad. And for muddy water, he selects Citrus Shad.
