June is a transition month for bass, and reading that transition is everything. "If you don't know what the bass are doing, then you're not going to understand what baits to throw," says the tournament angler behind Bass Fishing HQ. With most fish off the spawn and edging toward points, ledges and grass — while a few residents guard fry and raid bluegill beds — he keeps five baits tied on.
The first is a big Texas-rigged worm, fished shallow or offshore with small hops. He advises leaving the weight unpegged for more bites and choosing a floating-tail worm that stands up off the bottom. The second is a topwater, carried all summer; he rates the rattle-free JT Evergreen 115 for clear, calm days, a popper around bluegill, and a Whopper Plopper to tempt fish that snub everything else — always with a varied cadence.
Third is a slow-rolled deep swimbait along offshore structure, ideally with a hook that separates to keep big fish hooked. He warns that losing one fish from a school can shut the whole school down, so landing each one matters. Fourth is the bait he ties to June above all — a deep-diving crankbait — where the deciding factor is rattles, not colour. He fishes a noisy and a silent version together, and has watched a silent crankbait restart a bite minutes after a loud one killed it. Fifth is a drop-shot straight-tail worm for tough days and shallow bluegill beds. Unspectacular baits, maybe, but matched precisely to how June bass behave.