The best summer bass lures from Monsterbass

Summer is heating up and the bass fishing is heating up right along with it. The start of summer is an unofficial signal of great post-spawn bass fishing. The change of season and rising temperatures will alter your fishing strategies, however. Topwater and shallows fishing will mostly be relegated to mornings and evenings, while the heat of the day fishing will focus on shade, cover and deep water.

When the season forces your tactics to change, your lure arsenal must change with it. You’ll need to attract hyper aggressive bass at different levels in the water column, skip lures under docks and focus on transition areas where shallows meet depths, or rocks meet weeds.

We had the pleasure of reviewing for ourselves some of the best lures on the market that can get all these feats done, and more, courtesy of our friends over at Monsterbass.

THE BEST CRANKBAIT FOR BASS

Rollo 6 Crankbait

When the sun and temperature are both high, you need your bait to get down into the cool water and the rollo does it well. The Rollo drops into the five foot range, which is more than enough to get into darker, cooler water that big fish feel safe in. We also like the flash added to the tail to help attract those big fish in those dark potholes. The side-to side motion of the Rollow disrupted the water well and, again, that tail caught the light perfectly.

The front set of treble hooks are a deadly shade of red which can spur even more strikes and the rear set were sharp as could be coming out of the box. When they bite, they don’t let go.

THE BEST JERKBAIT FOR BASS AND PIKE

Slick Stick 110 jerkbait

This jerkbait has a jet engine attached to the back of it and will cast for miles. All seriousness, though, the internal ball bearing system drops the weight into the tail, making the bait heavy exactly where it should be when you cast. When the bait lands back in the water, the bearings then reset, which keeps the lure suspended horizontally.

The Slick Stick looks fine and flashy on a constant retrieve with a tight line, but it really excels on snappy jerk retrieves with a little slack line. The side-to-side motions compel a bite as the lure looks like a dying, or wounded baitfish. It's very important, however, to remember to set your cadence of jerks to the water temps. Early mornings and cool water will require slow snaps depending on how cold the water is. Once you get the hang of your retrieve speed though, this makes for a fantastic bait year round.

Sidenote: This bait isnt just for bass, but has pike written all over it.

THE BEST BASS POPPER

Mad Max topwater popper

The grey of early morning and pink of sunset are perfect cruising times for large bass, looking up toward the water’s surface. Topwater fishing holds a special place in most angler’s hearts and while the topwater bite isnt on long into the day like in spring, the morning and evening action is just as good if not better.

When it comes to topwater baits, we want significant surface disruption and a great profile. The Mad Max provideth both. The aggressive mouth scoops plenty of water with each tug and the level of detail within it assures you this isn’t just some generic popper. The flash and dressing on the tail moves perfectly in the water, giving fish something to key in on, even when you let the bait rest for a moment. The front treble is bright red, which also gives fish another point to focus on and increases the chances that a fish will take the whole bait and not just tail it. We love running the Mad Max in shallower water two to three feet deep in early morning, but it also works great in deeper transition zones.

All in all this is a beautiful popper and its beauty is only rivaled by its affectiveness.

THE BEST PENCIL FOR SCHOOLING BASS

Patriot topwater pencil

With a name like this, we assume the Patriot will be your go to lure on the 4th of July. Pencils are particularly a fantastic way to target schooling bass in deep water. Large school of bass will key in on schools of shad and other bait fish, picking off any wounded stragglers. The side to side motion of the Patriot, when walking the dog, gives off the appearance of a seriously injured baitfish and the red treble hooks add to this realism.

The internal ball bearings weigh the Patriot perfectly for long distance casts, but they also provide a great rattle when retrieved, adding to the surface disturbance and attracting schools bass on the hunt.

We love the pencil’s ability to attract feeding schools in deeper water, but dont discount its prowess in shallows, or near structure, either. The dark profile will work wonders in the shadows of bridge pylons, overhanging trees and docks. The pencil is one of the first Monsterbass designs and could easily become one of your go to year round lures quickly.

THE BEST TOPWATER BAIT FOR BIG BASS

The Ragnar topwater

THis is the Patriot’s big brother, Whether its named for one of the most famous and fierce vikings of all time, or is short hand for the Norse mythologies end of the world, this bait is aptly named.

This walking bait’s body is massive and while it should be used for attracting larger fish, any smaller bass with eyes bigger than their stomach are bound to be caught as well because of the slightly undersized hooks. Dont worry, though, these hooks are’nt going to lose you any fish of size as the three Japanese BKK treble hooks are scary sharp righ tout of the package. The Ragnar is as loud as it is large too, giving off a great rattle with every jerk, pop, or dog walk.

Like all the baits from Monsterbass, the Ragnar comes ina variety of colors. We found the dark Sleepover pattern created a great profile for targeting shade cover.

With some of the most unique designs, intricate details and underwater performance, Monsterbass has something unique for every style of angling and every condition. You can check out these baits and more from Monsterbass, or you can even subscribe to their monthly boxes. The boxes are outfitted with unique lures like these and from other companies and are made to fit each seasonal fishing need.

Now let’s go fishing. We’ll bring the Monsterbass lures

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