Land of giants: Summer slaunches

With most Southern bass transitioning into summer patterns, the postspawn blues are waning and big fish are settling into predictable areas. The extreme heat is just around the corner, but four Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pros discuss their formulas for hot action. 

A sprawling forest of flooded trees long devoid of foliage may give the illusion of a widespread bounty perfect for random picking, but two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Brandon Palaniuk knows that’s far from the truth. A giant could be lurking just about anywhere, but that’s usually not the case. 

“Generally, when you have big timber lakes, you just look for something different,” Palaniuk said. “That could be a void in the timber, or if they’re relating to the trees, the ones with more branches offer the most attractive habitat for a big fish.” 

The other thing Palaniuk seeks is a tree with a horizontal or, at least, diagonal profile. That could be a tree that’s kicked outward and stands at an angle, or it might be a tree that’s broken in half with the upper section leaning down into the water. 

“These trees offer more shade in the summertime,” Palaniuk explained. “In a standing-timber lake, everything is pretty much vertical, so if you can get some sort of angle, that creates more area for a big fish to sit.” 

Key point: Palaniuk stresses sun angles, as the fish will move with shifting shadow lines. Also, fish will typically position along the angled tree based on light intensity. 

“They may be relating to the base or they may get way up high toward the surface,” Palaniuk said. “That may change throughout the day. They may start up high and then, later in the day, they’ll be down at the base.” 

Palaniuk’s go-to giant-getter is the Megabass Megadog-X, a hefty 7-inch topwater walker that pushes a ton of water with a wide saunter that creates a lot of commotion to draw those big fish off the structure with zero hang-up risk. In clearer water, Palaniuk likes more transparent baits, while dirty water or dark skies call for opaque colors. 

“I try to parallel those trees as much as possible, then I like a slow, steady retrieve instead of a choppy retrieve,” Palaniuk said. “Let it make a big push and glide to the left, make a big push and glide to the right. 

“If I get one following, I’ll speed up, but you have to give this bait time [for the right presentation]. Around those trees, I’m fishing this bait on 50-pound Seaguar TactX braid.” 

While fishing a topwater is always dependable for an adrenaline rush, it is not always the most consistent of techniques, due largely in part to fish behavior. The fact is, aggression and accuracy often hold an inverse relationship. 

“If a fish blows up on it and misses it, they’ll [often] stay there below the bait,” Palaniuk said. “It’s almost like they’re confused on where the bait went — especially with that Megadog — and you can trigger another bite. 

“If I set the hook and the bait tumbles away, I just make another cast past the cover and then work it down to the tree. But if he blows up on it and misses it, leave the bait right there. You can cut it side to side and you have a good chance of getting him to bite again.” 

When he has his sights set for the lower parts of the water column, Palaniuk reaches for an 11-inch X Zone Lures Blitz Worm. Plum is his color of choice, and he Texas rigs the Blitz Worm on a 5/0 BKK Hooks HD extra-wide-gap hook with a 3/8-ounce tungsten X Zone Lures weight. 

“I like to go perpendicular to the tree because that allows you to drag up to the tree and over it,” he said. “I’ve found if you try to drag parallel to a tree, your line will get stuck in the cracks in the tree’s surface.” 

BAIT: Megabass Megadog-X 
WHY: Creates commotion 
WHERE: Tree with horizontal or diagonal profile 

Expecting exceptionally clear water, David Gaston knows he’s looking for big, savvy fish with little tolerance for company. “Spooky” is the assumption, so the key to turning lookers into biters is patience — and a bit of strategy. 

Gaston looks for the biggest of the big around docks in creeks, especially those extending off small points. Add some nearby bream beds and these signs of life give him high hopes. 

“Usually, that time of year, you can run the banks and visually look for them and see them cruising,” Gaston said. “If I was blind fishing for them, it would be a popping frog or a popper. Around the docks, it would be a glidebait and a wacky worm. 

“They’re on the move a lot, but they’re gun shy; they’re skittish of your boat. Typically it’s long casts, but also, seeing a big one but not throwing at him. Come back where you can sneak up on him, conceal your presence, cast past the fish and pull it to them.” 

Gaston typically finds the big fish will follow his glidebait without pulling the trigger. Frustrating, but the benefit is twofold. First, that large, sauntering bait will bring unseen fish into view. Also, whether he initially spotted the fish or not, Gaston knows he can often use the glide to coax a big fish into range for a deal-closing wacky-rig pitch. 

Gaston particularly favors docks with lights and obvious fishing gear, as these spots likely have planted brushpiles. More habitat, more likelihood a giant will park there. 

“Obviously, morning is your high point, but this is something you can run all day,” Gaston said. “The big fish are so random, you just have to hit as many docks as you can until you find one that’s ready to bite.” 

BAIT: Wacky-rigged worm 
WHY: Tempts bites from skittish fish 
WHERE: Docks in creeks 

Channeling his California Delta experience, Matty Wong said searching for big postspawners starts with seeking intersections. Specifically, he looks for connecting waterways. 

“When you have a convergence of a tributary to a main river or a backwater that spills into a secondary tributary, the bait is usually pushed out there and fry [gather] there. 

And when you have baitfish, you have bass.” 

Wong looks for his best opportunities on falling tides because those outgoing cycles best position the baitfish. Near marshy areas, falling tides also bring cleaner water, as the vegetation filters the flow. 

“Fish position looking up, so as the bait is coming to them they’re able to come up and feed,” Wong said. “Regardless of whether it’s dirty, clean or tannic water, or if it’s a fishery that has grass, the nutrients being pulled out is the key to concentrating the bait. 

“You can catch them on a rising tide, but the big ones position in the textbook places when the tide’s starting to fall out. On high tide, they get tighter to cover, but when that [outgoing] current starts, it’s go time.” 

In such scenarios, Wong can fish favorable stretches multiple times. Likening it to a mess hall where there is only a narrow window of time to eat, Wong said tidal bass will determine specific little periods for gobbling as much as possible. 

“If you can find the mixture of a hard spot with grass and an outgoing tide, that’s typically very good,” he said. “The trifecta would be grass, a little hard spot — like a gravel patch, which helps break up the current — and a piece of wood in the water, that can be a place for bass to stage and get ready for an unsuspecting snack.” 

In tidal feeding scenarios, Wong typically starts by covering water with a Megabass V9 spinnerbait, which features blades with more of a teardrop shape than traditional willowleaf blades, which produce more water resistance even at slower speeds. 

With large forage like gizzard shad, golden shiners or bluegill, Wong likes a 7-inch Megabass Megadog-X. In extra-clear water, he’ll add a few feet of Sunline FC fluorocarbon leader between his main-line braid and the hefty topwater. 

For targeted presentations, Wong uses the Megabass PopMax, which features a unique gill system with intakes and a water chamber. The intakes channel water through the gills and out the sides for a splashing, chugging action. Two of the six intakes route water into the internal chamber and out the underside to create a bubble trail. 

“I use this to fish isolated cover with lots of commotion,” Wong said. “When fish are feeding in current, they respond well to something that pops and then sits above them.” 

BAIT: Megabass V9 spinnerbait 
WHY: Mimics tidal baitfish 
WHERE: Intersections 

When he’s hog hunting on any TVA reservoir, John Garrett forms his game plan around nature’s pecking order. Seniority matters in bass culture, so the older, more experienced bass get first dibs on everything. 

“A lot of times, the biggest fish in the lake spawn first, so by June, all of the giant fish are going to be postspawn,” Garrett said. “So we’re going to be looking away from the shoreline.” 

Generally, Garrett will find his giants in 8 to 15 feet. 

“I find that, a lot of times, the biggest fish don’t go super-deep, like to that 25-foot zone,” he said. “The majority of the time, they stay in that mid-depth zone. 

Garrett’s looking for isolated structure like brush, stumps, logs, trees on the bottom, boulders or old house foundations. He rarely finds more than five big ones at a time, and usually it’s a one-to-three-fish kind of deal. 

Regardless of the occupancy, whoever’s home treats intruders with swift aggression. 

“A lot of times, when you find that isolated structure, that’s where that fish is living most of the year,” Garrett said. “They’re very territorial, so when something gets in their space, they eat it pretty quickly.” 

“When you find that type of place, you can almost treat it like a bed fish,” he continued. “So if you mess it up, a lot of times, they’ll come right back.” 

Obviously, Garrett tries to avoid messing up, so he keeps at least 80 to 100 feet between his boat and the target. Long casts keep big fish in their comfort zone, and that’s the route to big-time bites. 

“The last thing you want to do is get too close to the spot,” Garrett said. “I’ll start downcurrent, use my GPS to see the distance and if I get inside that 100-foot range, I’ll move back.” 

Garrett tempts those postspawners with a 10-inch Texas-rigged Strike King Bull Worm or a 3/4-ounce Strike King Tour Grade Football Jig with a Strike King Rage Craw. The type of cover he’s fishing typically dictates which he’ll use. 

“If it’s wood cover, I’m going to go with the worm, but if it’s a house foundation, the football jig will produce best. I don’t want to get hung up, and the Texas-rigged worm is pretty weedless. 

“I’ll typically find my offshore spots on side imaging and then line up and use forward-facing sonar. For [lower] cover, I rely more on Humminbird 360.” 

While he’s not likely to find numbers, Garrett’s confident that his plan will lead to quality bites. 

“The beauty of fishing isolated cover is it doesn’t get fished a lot and it’s usually a two-cast deal. If I don’t get bit in five casts, I’ll pick up the trolling motor and move on to the next spot.” 

BAIT: Strike King Bull Worm 
WHY: Incites territorial bites 
WHERE: Isolated structure 

Originally appeared in Bassmaster Magazine 2025.