How to beat the heat

This is a time of the year when I notice an obvious decline in my enthusiasm about bass fishing. It’s a time when the daytime highs near and the heat index exceeds the century mark. It’s a time when being outside from midmorning until early evening is on the verge of miserable.

I still crawl out of the sack during the wee hours and am on the water at the break of day on occasions. And I’m not beyond taking advantage of the last few hours of daylight. But I hardly consider a couple hours of fishing worth going through the motions of dragging my boat several miles to the waters I most like to fish.

Well, how about night fishing for bass? Many resort to night fishing during the hottest days of the year, with impressive success. And I can recall a time when I was on the water three or four nights a week. But over the years, I have come to the conclusion that this style of angling is not for me.

First and foremost, I am a married man and feel a responsibility to be home with my wife during the evening hours. The time we have together during the mornings is sparse at best, and her work schedule is grueling.

She has never made an effort to limit my time amongst Mother Nature. But I see no need in taking advantage of her understanding of my passion for the outdoors.

In a nutshell, no person nor any activity should take precedence over favor from God and a long-lasting, healthy relationship with my wife.

And I have full intentions that He and Sandy will remain the two priorities of my life.

I have come up with some activities, though, allotting opportunities to still enjoy the outdoors during the most miserable times of day. In fact, this is the perfect season to focus on our local streams and rivers, many of which are an hour or so from our home.

I can’t think of a better means of navigating our waterways during these sultry days of summer than my ol’ trusty kayak. There’s something to be said for quietly paddling through a large, deep pool and casting into the shadows produced by overhanging trees. It’s an effective means of coaxing bass that are in wait of an opportunity to ambush unsuspecting baitfish.

In fact, just about any predator fish within the perimeters of the waterway are suspect of lurking in these shadows.

And then there are those shallows resting between each pool. These are the spots where one actually has an opportunity to beat the summertime heat.

That’s right, I ease out of my craft, tie a stringer from my kayak to my belt loop and slowly wade in the cool and refreshing water.

Although I begin with the same lure that I was using in the larger pools, often with success, I eventually downsize to a presentation that is more effective for panfish. Just about any small lure will suffice. But I usually resort to an in-line spinner or chugger.

Our local rivers usually sport their fair share of vegetation during the summer months, providing a perfect habitat for an array of fish to thrive. And there are more than enough submerged boulders to produce ample cover during the brightest times of the day.

I am not fluent with a fly rod. In fact, it has been suggested that my casting closely resembles a crazed angler trying to kill a snake. But I still occasionally carry a fly rod along and resort to this particular style of fishing while wading and dragging my kayak behind. In fact, I can’t think of anything more enjoyable than watching the water’s surface boil when a fish suddenly bolts from the shadows and attacks the small lure.

Yep, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m ready for the sultry days of summer to be behind us. But thanks to streams and rivers, I can enjoy stints in the outdoors until we finally reach that anticipated season when the daytime highs sink to a tolerable zone.