Could that title actually be right?  Shallow water fishing in the summertime?  Yes, it’s true, you can catch fish in the middle of summer, in shallow water.  Here’s how:

Lakes with vegetation offer an opportunity to catch fish shallow or relatively shallow practically all year long.  If you regularly fish a lake that has milfoil, coontail, hydrilla or water willow (also known as “Coosa grass”) you have an opportunity to catch fish shallow all summer long. You can fish the edges of the grass lines with a Lunker Lure buzzbait early and late in the day, and experience some great topwater fishing.  On days when the there is cloud cover or light rain, you can fish these grass lines all day with a buzzbait and absolutely wreck ’em.  Another great techique for fishing shallow vegetation is using a jig.  Not just any jig, a jig designed for heavy vegetation, like our Triple Rattleback Monster Grass jig in sizes up to an ounce, you can take this jig and flip it into emergent vegetation and access fish that have not been pressured by other anglers.  Black and Blue and Green Pumpkin are two of the most effective colors.  Be sure to equip yourself with a good flipping stick and 65#-80# braided line when employing this technique.

So what if your lake has no vegetation?  Does that mean you’re out of luck when it comes to fishing shallow in the summertime?  In short, the answer is absolutely not.  One of the best bass forages available are rampant in shallow water during the summer.  What is it?  Bluegill, or bream depending on where you live.  All summer long, late May, June and July the bluegill will spawn.  They will also position themselves around shallow docks before and after they spawn, this makes them easy targets for lurking largemouths.  One of the best ways to fish shallow docks in the summertime is with a jig.  The Limit Series jig is one of our best in this situation, preferably in a bluegill/bream imitationg color like Green Pumpkin, Rootbeer w/green flake or Cumberland Craw.  Select a jig in a heavier weight, like 1/2 oz or 3/8ths oz which will allow for easier pitching/skipping when fishing around these docks.  Try to put your jig into the shady or shadiest areas of the dock, that is most likely where the largemouth will be hiding out, waiting for an unsuspecting bluegill to come by.  Most of your bites will come on the initial drop, so you don’t have to “work” your jig a lot, just pitch it in, let it sink, hop it a few times and bring it out.  Pay close attention to your bait, if you start getting bites when your retrieving your bait back out from the dock, you may want to start swimming your jig around the docks instead of pitching it in and letting it sink.

It may take sometime to figure out the best docks on your lake for the above mentioned technique, but give it a chance, you can fish shallow in the summertime and be successful at not only catching some bass, but catching some quality fish at that.

The Limit Series  jig is available by contacting the Lunker Lure Home office.  Our contact information is available under the “Contact Us” link on our website.

Good Luck and Good Fishin’,

Lunker Lure/Hawg Caller

If you’re like most anglers, you’ve had enough of the triple digit temperatures we’ve had this summer.  So how can you fish and not get hot?  The answer is simple, go night fishing.  It takes a little getting used to if you’ve never been, but once you get acclimated to doing your normal fishing routines in the dark, it can be a blast.  Most often the fish will be shallower during the night than during the day, and will be more receptive to feeding.  They also are a lot less pressured.  Places to start are the normal places you fish in the summer time, just possibly a little shallower.

What kind of baits do you need?  Really bait selection is very simple.  Two baits can do the bulk of your night fishing: 1. a jig (regular or football) and a spinnerbait with a single Colorado blade.  Colors are also very simple.  Dark colors seem to dominate during the nighttime on both baits.  I’m no expert, but when it’s dark, dark colors actually provide a better bait profile than a bright or white bait.  Colors like: Black & Blue, Black, Black and Red, Purple & Pink, Black, Blue & Purple, you get the idea, dark shades just seem to work better.  So take a little time spend some time on the water after dark.  One item that’ll help you is a headlamp, one of those small lightweight models for hikers, it will help with retying, getting unsnagged and moving around the boat.  Once you get comfortable fishing after dark, you’ll use it less and less.  Remember one thing…WEAR YOUR LIFEJACKET!! Fishing at night changes your perception, so make sure you have your PFD on, don’t think you’re above falling out of the boat.

Other than that, get out on the water after dark!  Give it a try, it just might be for you!!

Good Luck and Good Fishing,

Lunker Lure-Hawg Caller

How well do you know our products? We asked for the fine folks who follow along on Facebook page to list their favorite Lunker Lure / Hawg Caller products and we’d go a little more in depth about them on our blog.

So today’s spotlight lure is the Ultimate Rattlin’ Jig. It comes in 6 different weights ranging from 1/16th of an ounce all the way up to 3/4 oz, and is available in over 50 different skirt colors.  All sizes of the Ultimate Rattlin’ jig come with a wide gap round bend Gamakatsu hook.  The smaller sizes (1/16th-3/8ths) come standard with a 4/0 hook, the two larger sizes (1/2-3/4) come with a 5/0 hook, both hook sizes have a 60 degree flat eye. With multiple head colors available (matching the general skirt color) the Ultimate Rattlin’ Jig is an excellent choice for any angler as well as an excellent jig for any fishing situation.  Look for our Ultimate Rattlin’ Jig at your local retailer or you can find them at our online store located on our website www.lunkerlure.com

A special thanks to all of those who replied on our Facebook page, we value all of our fishing friends!

Good Luck and Good Fishin’,

Lunker Lure Hawg Caller

Our last blog post covered our Ultimate Rattling Jig, today we’re going to cover the Hawg Caller line of Spinnerbaits.  The spinnerbait is one of the most widely used baits in fishing.  But what makes it so?  What seperates one spinnerbait from another?  Let’s take a look at what Hawg Caller offers in their spinnerbaits to see why not only is the spinnerbait so versatile, but why ours is a great choice.

The Hawg Caller line of spinnerbaits are available in sizes ranging from 1/8th oz all the way up to 2 ozs. Blade configurations vary from single Colorado or single Willow to Colorado/Willow, Double Colorado, Double Willow, even triple willow combos are available. This allows an angler to have a Hawg Caller spinnerbait tied on to suit any circumstance they may encounter.  With the many skirt color options available, we’re sure we have what you want.

Now, let’s take a look at the inner workings of the spinnerbait.  The two main components in attracting a fish to strike a spinnerbait is flash and vibration.  What controls these two factors, one is the size of the blade used, the other is the size of the wire used.  About wire size: At Hawg Caller we have matched the smallest diameter wire we can use to provide excellent vibration, and continue to provide great durability.  The smaller the diameter of wire used in a spinnerbait increases the vibration; however, it also becomes succeptable to breakage due to the fatigue placed on the wire during fish catches.  Our goal at Hawg Caller is to find that perfect balance between maximum vibration and durability.  Which is why the wire diameters on our baits vary between sizes, on our 1/8th oz bait we use a .028 wire, .032 diameter on 1/4oz-3/4oz baits.  Our 1oz and up sizes come with a .035 wire.  Combine the proper wire size with premium silver and gold plated blades or painted blades, attached with top of the line ball bearing swivels and the end result is a spinner bait that has maximum flash, vibration and the durability to handle many fish catches.

Not to leave out the buiness end of the bait, all of our spinnerbaits come with a high quality Mustad needle point hook.  A great choice that is forgiving when it comes to hook-ups.  It penetrates easy and has wide gap that has excellent fish holding power once you have one on.

Take the time to check out the great line of Hawg Caller Spinnerbaits, we’re certain you’ll love ’em, we know we do!

Good Luck and Good Fishin’,

Lunker Lure Hawg Caller

Ask any bass angler what their favorite cold-water lures are, will most likely get you a wide range of responses.  But there are a few tried and true lures that will be repeated when it comes to catching a bass out of cold-water.  First and foremost will be a jig, for decades anglers have relied on this lure to catch lethargic, cold-water bass. At Lunker Lure we manufacture jigs that will fit almost any scenario an angler can encounter.  The limit series jig is an excellent chice when it comes to catching them in cold water. Second in line will most-likely be a jerkbait.  Again, next to a jig, there isn’t a more favored lure to catch cold water bass.

But recently there has been addition to this list.  It is a castable umbrella rig, here at Lunker Lure-Hawg Caller we make such a product, it is called the Gill Raker.  Across the country for the last year and a half, countless bass have fallen victim to this lure.  With it’s ability to be fished from near the surface to over 20 feet deep, the Gill Rakeris an excellent choice for cold water bassing.  It is designed to imitate a small school of shad, which is a key ingredient in a bass’ diet.  Depending on how heavy of a jig head is used with the Gill Raker will depend on what depth the lure can be fished at most easily.  Jig head sizes of up to 1/2 oz are available.  Simply add your favorite soft plastic swimbait to the jig head of your choice and attach it to the snap swivel at the end of each wire on the Gill Raker and you are in business.  It is recommended that you use a reel spooled with 65lb braided line on a heavy action 7’6″ – 7’11” rod.

When it comes down to what areas or where to throw the Gill Raker, bear in mind that the fish you are attempting to catch are suspended, usually over or near deep water. In the cold weather months all the way through to the immediate pre-spawn, use this lure anywhere you would throw a jerkbait or drag a jig, we’re certain you won’t be disappointed.

Good Luck and Good Fishin’,

Lunker Lure-Hawg Caller