The dog days of summer

We’ve talked about moon phases and how they affect smallmouth bass. Now, let’s talk about the dog days of summer and how the heat affects smallies. It’s very different.

Basically, here’s the deal: Smallmouth bass are more heat sensitive than largemouth. Even during the hottest days of summer you can catch a few good green fish shallow up in weeds, wood and under other forms of cover. They’ll tolerate high water temperatures. That’s not likely to happen with smallmouth.