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5 Lures To Help You Catch Big Bass – August 2025
August is here and guess what… it’s still hot. Everywhere around the United States, bass will be in their summer patterns and that generally means you have a couple options. The first thing it means is that it’s time to fish deeper offshore structure. Carolina rigs, football jigs, those bottom-contact dragging baits will play, as well as more finesse approaches like a drop shot. But… there is also a good population of fish that stay shallow… and to me, those […] The post 5 Lures To Help You Catch Big Bass – August 2025 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
August is here and guess what… it’s still hot.
Everywhere around the United States, bass will be in their summer patterns and that generally means you have a couple options. The first thing it means is that it’s time to fish deeper offshore structure. Carolina rigs, football jigs, those bottom-contact dragging baits will play, as well as more finesse approaches like a drop shot. But… there is also a good population of fish that stay shallow… and to me, those are the most fun to catch. It also makes it easier to avoid pleasure boaters and jet skis on your body of water and from my experience trying to fish offshore on a kayak on a Saturday afternoon… you spend more time with your head on a swivel than focusing on catching fish. It’s not fun. But if I can stay close to the bank, away from the boats, and drag around a frog, I’ll take that scenario all day long.
So without further ado, here’s 5 bass baits for the month of August, that should play across a majority of the middle 75% of the country… if you’re way north, maybe go back a month and check out July’s list, and if you’re on the deep south, maybe check out last year’s August post.
1. Topwater/Frog
Like I said, I LOVE a topwater bite. It’s probably the most fun you can have bass fishing to be honest. A topwater walking bait or a popper (especially during the mayfly hatch if you have that going on) is particularly effective in the summer months, as well as the shad and bluegill spawn. There’s nothing like the surprise of a big bass blowing up on a topwater walking bait and if you can find some big schools offshore, you can fill up the boat pretty quickly. Tough to go wrong with bone, natural, and/or chrome colors. But if you got some matted vegetation, lily pads, or my favorite, duckweed, a hollow body frog is tough to beat.
Berkley J-Walker Walking Bait – $11.99
Colors: Bone, Maverick, CJ Shad
Storm Arashi Cover Pop – $9.99
Colors: Green Gill, Ghost Pearl Shad
Rapala PXR Jowler 127 – $21.79
Colors: Broken Bone, Pure Chrome, Ayu
Toad Thumper Swamper Frog – $9.99
Colors: Bad Bone, Black, Bad Gill
2. Drop Shot
A drop shot is one of the most versatile and one of the most effective techniques that you can honestly probably use every month of the year. I have one tied on pretty much year around, and it’s really become a confidence bait for me over the years. When I need a bite, pick up the drop shot. If you’re on the bank, it’s great. If you’re fishing around shallow flats or near docks, it’s great. If you’re fishing deep rock way offshore… still great.
If you’re not fishing around any grass or wood, you can nose hook your soft plastic on a drop shot hook, but if so, opt for a finesse Neko hook and you can tex-pose that hook point so it’ll come through that cover without hanging up. One thing I’ve been trying this summer is using a ned rig as the weight, and essentially fishing two hooks at once (it’s not legal everywhere). It’s kinda silly, but seems to up the odds of catching fish… sometimes they want it on the bottom, sometimes they want it off.
Roboworm Straight Tail Worm – $3.97 – $4.99
Colors: Aaron’s Magic, Margarita Mutilator, Morning Dawn
Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Flat Worm – $4.98 – $9.99
Colors: Goby, Smelt, Gobyashi
Great Lakes Finesse Drop Worm – $6.99
Colors: Morning Dawn, Green Pumpkin Purple, Matte Black
3. Crankbait
Fishing a deep crank can be a great way to catch them in the summer months, as a number of bass, especially some big ones, will push deeper where the water is a little cooler and the water has more dissolved oxygen in it. Look for ledges, deep points, creek channels, and offshore humps. If you’re in a big reservoir with some current, bass will often set up on the down-current side of the structure, waiting to ambush baitfish.
The one thing about deep cranking is that you really need a special rod for it, one that not everybody has since it is not that versatile. You’re gonna want a big and long, cranking rod with a moderate action, probably or 7 and a half feet or more, so you can get a good, long cast. A lower gear-ratio reel will help you not wind too fast.
Colors: Citrus Shad, Green Gizzard Shad, Big Shad
4. Minnow/Underspin
Ah… the ol’ minnow shaking. For this one, it really helps if you have good electronics, especially Forward-Facing Sonar (FFS) but you definitely do not need it. In August, you can sometimes find really big schools of bass, and shaking a minnow through them can get you a number of good bites in a short amount of time. We see pros win tournaments doing this all the time. I also really like an underspin this time of year, but just a regular ol’ minnow on a jig head will get the job done.
Rapala Crush City Mooch Minnow
Colors: Green Pumpkin Disco, Electric Shad, Perch
Size: 3/16, 1/4 oz
Great Lakes Finesse Sneaky Underspin
Size: 3/14
Great Lakes Finesse Drop Minnow
Colors: Watermelon Pearl, Green Pumpkin, Crush Shad
5. Texas/Punch Rig
For me, flipping and pitching around shallow cover is always gonna play, doesn’t matter what time of year it is. It’s just the way I love to fish and it will catch you fish year around. Fish will generally go deep in the summer months, and you can definitely flip deeper grass lines and weed edges too, but there’s always a population that stays shallow too. As the grass starts to top out or mat up, throw on a heavier weight (3/4 ounce – 2 ounce, use the lightest that will work) and punch right through there. Heavy rod, heavy lines, heavy weights… it’s a fun way to fish.
If you haven’t found a favorite yet, here’s a few I really have had a lot of success with, especially the Bronco Bug… it just gets bit
Rapala Crush City Bronco Bug – $6.99
Colors: Black & Blue Flake, Green Pumpkin Blue, Candy Bug
Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Stank Bug – $8.99
Colors: Green Pumpkin, Black Blue Fleck, Green Pumpkin Blue
Rapala Crush City Cleanup Craw – $6.99
Colors: Tilapia Magic, Green Pumpkin Blue, Bama Craw
And for a more detailed bait recommendation, specific to your exact location and waterbody, check out the Bass Forecast Bait Advisor. Just input your ZIP code or share your location, and Bass Forecast will give you 5 bait recommendations, a bite rating, and suggestions for peak feeding times.
Bass Forecast Bait Advisor
What is Bass Bait AI – Powered by Bass Forecast
Our advanced bass fishing algorithms analyze over 11,000 factors, including weather shifts and bass behavior, to predict what baits will give you the best chance at success for any GPS location. Just enter your location, and it does the calculating for you. Giving you the complete bait breakdown for major and minor Bass feeding times in any bass fishing location. Click HERE to learn more.The post 5 Lures To Help You Catch Big Bass – August 2025 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
