In July in Zone 4, the bass have normally been off the banks for a while. The bigger schools have been feeling a lot of fishing pressure and are pretty weary. You can normally find a few schools in the morning that can lead to a quick limit or even a bigger bite, usually on topwater. The morning fish not relating to offshore bait can be found cruising the shallows chasing bream.
As the day goes on, these fish seem to move deeper and relate more to cover. Specific cover Trey looks for is brush piles (especially off the edges of points) and docks (especially with brush and deeper water). Water clarity is a big determining factor of how tight they relate to cover; the dirtier the water, the tighter they relate. And of course, Trey always keeps his forward-facing sonar scanning!
If the water is clear or stained, McKinney prefers PB&J. In muddy water, he switches to Black/Blue.
McKinney loves the Strike King Denny Brauer Structure Jig for a variety of scenarios, but especially for isolated brush piles and dock skipping. McKinney lets the depth of the cover he’s fishing determine the line size for his jig. He always uses a Rage Menace as his trailer for the Structure Jig.
McKinney’s choice for clear water is Morning Dawn, while he opts for Magic if the water is stained. Black/Blue is his go-to in muddy conditions.
McKinney loves a Fat Baby Finesse Worm on a Drop Shot rig, especially as a follow up bait behind the Structure Jig. He also throws a Fat Baby Finesse Worm at livescope fish.
He opts for Plum in clear water, and switches to Red Bug if the water is stained. McKinney utilizes Black/Blue is low-vis conditions.
Trey throws a Zeus Worm on a Texas rig with no weight peg. He prefers as light a weight as he feels he can get away with. Trey will drag it or hop it off the bottom, especially near brush piles and off the ends of points.
If the water is clear or stained, he will throw Oyster, while more muddy water calls for Black Lab.
McKinney always keeps a Sexy Dawg on the boat deck in case schooling fish show themselves. He feels it’s a great way to get a big bite, especially early in the morning. Trey lets weather conditions and cloud cover determine his bait color selection.
He opts for Honey Candy in clear or stained water. In low-vis conditions, he will throw Black/Blue.
McKinney will throw a Neko rigged Ocho at suspended, roaming fish. He feels it’s a great finesse tactic to get a bite when the fish are being very finicky. When chasing fish with livescope, he’ll use a heavier nail weight. When around cover like docks, he’ll use a lighter nail weight.
