Strike King and Lew’s Pro John Garrett lets us in on his tips and tricks for Zone 3 in July.
"By the time you get to June and July in Zone 3, you really start seeing most of your quality fish fully migrating to deeper water. But by July, the fish are going to be more spread out in terms of their location,” shares Garrett. While there will not be as many holding spots, the areas that are holding fish will have them in greater concentration. So, keep fishing and you’ll find them, Garrett advises. “You can work an entire area for an hour without a bite and then you'll run into a bunch of them schooled up together,” says Garrett.
“Towards the end of July and into the fall, you start seeing those fish that were out in the 25-foot range being to move shallower into the 13- to 18-foot range. I'm targeting ledges that provide ideal ambush points with current, as well as any sort of cover that could include brush piles, rock piles, or stumps on the river channel,” states Garrett.
Garrett reaches for the 6XD Hard Knock when fishing near ledges, rocks, or stumps.
If the water is clear, Garrett prefers Olive Shad. In stained water, he switches to TN Shad 2.0. For muddy water, Garrett will favor Blue Back Chartreuse.
If the water is clear, Garrett opts for Green Pumpkin. He will also throw Green Pumpkin for more stained water, while he will reach for Black and Blue if the water is muddy.
If fish are holding near ledges, rocks, stumps, or brush piles, Garrett reaches for a Texas Rigged Magnum Cut-R-Worm.
Garrett’s choice for clear water is Plum, while he opts for Red Bug if the water is stained. In muddy water, Garrett reaches for Black and Blue.
This spinnerbait is Garrett’s top choice when fish are near ledges, rock, stumps, or brush piles.
He opts for Blue Shad in clear water, and switches to White if the water is stained. Garrett reaches for Chartreuse White in muddy water.
Garrett reaches for this set up when he is fishing near ledges, rocks, stumps, and brush piles. He pairs the jig with a Green Pumpkin Rage Craw or Scounbug trailer.
If the water is clear, he will throw Green Pumpkin, while more stained water calls for Black Brown Amber. In muddy water, Garrett grabs Black Blue Flake.
Garrett's choice for clear water is Red Bug. In stained water, he switches to Tequila Sunrise with Orange Flake. For muddy water, Garrett will switch to Desert Craw.
Strike King pro Mark Menendez shares his best tips for offshore and shallow water fishing, and reveals why earlier can be better for fishing during July in Zone 3.
“There are two schools of thought – the first is the offshore angler out there fishing structure,” starts Menendez. “For offshore anglers, 6XD, 8XD, and 10XD are huge players. Along with a football jig, a structure head with a Rage Bug is a big deal, and then our HUGE profile worms – Anaconda, Thumper, or Zeus Worm,” says Menendez. Menendez recommends larger profile worms for offshore anglers in Zone 3 because the higher water temperatures make bass lazy, eliminating their want to chase. They want the biggest meal without expending a lot of energy, making the Anaconda, Thumper, and Zeus Worm ideal when fishing in Zone 3.
“The second school of thought – this is for shallow water anglers,” Menendez begins. “Go and find a natural source of incoming water in a major embayment or creek. At the very back of that, there will be incoming water that is cooler with a lot more oxygen, often meaning there is a population of bass shallow,” Menendez says. Typically, these bass will be in the heaviest cover they can find. Menendez points out that “the heaviest cover may just be shade.” Menendez recommends using a Popping Perch, a Pad Perch, and a Sexy Frog work best in those overhang situations in the creek channel proper. “Another thing I really like to do is utilize those same big worms I mentioned earlier, but with a very light sinker and pitch those around the heaviest cover I can find around those creek channels,” Menendez adds.
“Sometimes, especially in summer, the early bird does get the worm. So, you can get away with a Sexy Dawg topwater pattern or a KVD Splash in very early, low light conditions and get a couple of fish that you would not have caught had you gone straight to the structure,” Menendez concludes.
If the water is clear, Menendez prefers Green Gizzard. In stained water, he switches to Sexy Shad. For muddy water, he will favor Chartreuse Sexy Shad.
This legendary lure set the standard for deep diving crankbaits. The 6XD is a constant for Menendez when fish are holding off humps and cover.
Menendez’s choice for clear water is Plum, while he opts for Junebug if the water is stained or muddy.
The body of the KVD Zeus Worm is sectioned, so that anglers can easily downsize to a 7-inch worm without losing any of the life-like action of the tail. It’s developed with the advanced Perfect Plastics pouring system to create vivid, strike-enticing colors and features an unmistakable tail action that mimics swimming baitfish, driving bass wild.
He opts for Green Pumpkin in clear water, and switches to Bama Craw if the water is stained. When fishing in low-vis conditions, Menendez opts for Black Blue. He will often tie a Green Pumpkin Rage Craw trailer on.
The design of Strike King's Denny Brauer Structure Jig aims at reducing hang-ups and increasing your hookups. The shape and weedguard angle helps the bait move through cover while the wide footprint of the head helps increase your feel of the bottom.
If the water is clear, he will throw Green Gizzard, while more stained or muddy water calls for Sexy Shad.
If fish are not chasing a fast-moving bait, the Rage Swimmer will often trigger fish to respond. The beauty of the Rage Swimmer is that the legendary tail maintains its swimming action whether burned through a school of feeding fish, or slowly crawled across the bottom or through cover.
He opts for Plum in clear water. If the water is stained, he will throw Bold Bluegill, while he will switch to Black if the water is muddy.
With a slightly larger body size than the original, Strike King’s Fat Baby Finesse worm is perfect for shakey head, and the oversized presentation pairs perfectly with larger tackle.
