NY Lakes Producing Greater Bass in July

As the water temperatures warm up in the lakes across New York, bass angler Michael Cleary-Morgan is catching not only more bass, but bigger ones! It’s a refreshing pattern for Michael who is coming off a frustrating June where the fish just weren’t patternable. “Things were hit or miss last month,” he said. “It was difficult finding the right lures, colors, and techniques to catch bass.” Michael fishes Cranberry Lake in NY and said the warmer temperatures are a welcomed change. With the warmer water, Michael said he’s seeing a better largemouth bass bite than smallmouth. “Last month, the water temperatures in the lakes were around 60 degrees. That’s great for smallmouth but largemouth bass were hard to find,” he said.

The Rockland County fisherman has been trying different lures and techniques and has figured out what the bass want. “For a while, I was using light-colored lures. Then I switched it up and tried some darker colored plastics and that was the ticket,” he said.

Michael has been throwing a Berkley Power Blade and Berkley Swim Jigs with a Berkley Max Scent Trailer. “The best colors I’ve found are the Pumpkin Crawl and black,” he said. For those looking to try other baits, he recommends using spinnerbaits and jigs in green, black, or blue.  “I’ve been catching some decent size fish, with my best catch being a 5.8-pound largemouth that was caught on a black and blue Berkley Swim Jig with a Black Max Scent Craw as a trailer,” he said. Also, using a topwater frog early in the morning has produced some big bass.

As far as his technique, Michael said he has been slowing things down. “I’ve been making the lure play dead for a few seconds. I’ll give the reel handle a few turns and then let the lure drop down and sit for a bit. Then I’ll give it a little tug and let it lay down again.

The summertime pattern should continue through August for bass fisherman who target largemouth bass in the lakes across New York. “After that first cool front I’ll have to figure them out all over again,” Michael joked.

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award winning outdoor journalist that resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outdoor column for the Slidell Independent Newspaper. He also writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Commission’s VisitTheNorthshore.com. He is the former host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Show and is on the board of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association. Keith contributes to numerous publications both online and in print and prides himself on promoting South Louisiana’s unique fishery. To contact Keith email: [email protected]