Strike King and Lew’s pro Mark Zona is all about the largemouth in July and shares his secret to catchin’ a big one in Zone 5.
“It's the one month of soft water where all I target are largemouth,” says Zona. In post spawn, smallmouth are spread anywhere from 3- to 30-feet so Zona focuses on the largemouth bass for one main reason. “When it's a hodge podge time of year like this, I really start focusing on largemouth for the simple fact that I think this zone is one of the best spots in the country when it comes to size and numbers – they're big, plentiful, and dumb,” shares Zona.
His main target is 1- to 4-feet of water since there are so many bluegill still spawning in this depth during the month of the July. “Every one of the baits covered will mimic a bluegill in some way, shape, or form,” notes Zona.
When fishing near docks in 1- to 4-feet of water, Zona reaches for the Denny Brauer 1/2 oz Structure Casting Jig with a Rage Craw trailer.
If the water is clear, Zona prefers the Black/Blue with a Blue Craw trailer. In stained water, he switches to the Green Pumpkin with a Blue Craw trailer. For muddy water, Zona will favor a Black/Blue with a Black Blue Flake trailer.
When fishing near docks, boat lifts, and pontoons in 1- to 4-feet of water, Zona grabs the KVD Sexy Frog.
Zona’s choice for clear water is the Green Pumpkin Gill, while he opts for Green Pumpkin Pearl Belly if the water is stained. For muddy water, Zona swaps out for a Black.
This KVD Perfect Plastic Caffeine Shad 5" is Zona’s top choice when skipping docks or overhangs.
He opts for the KVD Magic in clear water, and switches to a Green Pumpkin if the water is stained. When transitioning to muddy water, Zona grabs a Green Pumpkin Sapphire.
Zona picks up the Hack Attack® Pad Perch when walking the bait over submerged grass or pockets of broken surface grass.
If the water is clear or stained, he will throw a Green Pumpkin Gill, while muddy water calls for a Black Shadow.
Zona pairs the Rage Punch Bug 3.5" and 1- to 2-ounce weight for punching matted grass.
He opts for Blue Craw in clear water. If the water is stained, he will throw the Green Pumpkin, while he will switch to a Black Blue Flake or Crawdaddy if the water is muddy.
