Rick Clunn’s Dog Days Bass Strategy: Find Flow, Go Shallow and Start Cranking
The dog days of summer have always carried a reputation for difficult bass fishing. Water temperatures are high, oxygen levels can fall, and large numbers of fish often suspend beneath roaming schools of baitfish.
Modern forward-facing sonar has changed how anglers approach those suspended bass. Fish that were nearly impossible to target consistently in the past can now be located beneath schools of shad, even when they are holding high in the water column over extremely deep water.
Legendary professional angler Rick Clunn still sees another highly effective option—one that does not require chasing suspended fish across the main lake.
His strategy is straightforward: eliminate the bass’s ability to go deep.
Take the Deep-Water Option Away
During July, August and September, Clunn frequently turns his attention toward major creek arms, tributaries and river sections where the available water is considerably shallower than the main lake.
Rather than searching over 50, 80 or even 100 feet of water, he moves into areas where the deepest channel may only reach 15 to 25 feet.
“If I was going to fish right now without electronics, I’m going into these big creeks that you can run a long way up,” Clunn explained. “I’m fishing for those resident fish that never really go deep or play the game that the main-lake fish do.”
These resident bass are generally not following enormous schools of shad through open water. They are opportunistic feeders that may consume crawfish, bluegill, frogs, small baitfish and nearly anything else available in the river or creek environment.
There may be fewer bass in these areas, but the pattern can produce quality fish that are easier to reach with traditional casting techniques.
Look for Flow, Springs and Cooler Water
Water temperature alone does not determine which creek or river section Clunn selects. The size and productivity of the tributary are also important.
Larger creeks generally carry more nutrients and support stronger food chains. They may also maintain some current when water is being pulled through the lake’s dam.
Even a small amount of moving water can improve oxygen levels and keep bass more active during extreme summer conditions.
Springs can make certain tributaries especially productive. Some creeks remain noticeably cooler than surrounding areas because of spring influence. Instead of warming as an angler travels farther upstream, the water may stay stable or even become cooler.
That temperature difference can create a concentrated zone of active fish.
Clunn recommends paying close attention to the temperature gauge when entering different creeks. A tributary that remains cooler than the main lake—or cools progressively farther upstream—deserves serious attention.
Summer Is Square-Bill Time
Once Clunn reaches the upper sections of a productive creek or river, crankbaits become a primary part of his approach.
“That’s square-bill time up there for me,” he said.
A square-bill crankbait allows an angler to cover water quickly while probing several important depth zones. Although the center of a creek channel might be 20 or 25 feet deep, summer bass are often positioned considerably shallower.
The most productive zone may be a channel ledge in seven to 10 feet of water. Fish can also move into two or three feet of water when vegetation, lily pads, laydowns or other shallow cover is available.
The crankbait becomes both a fish-catching tool and a search tool. It can locate isolated stumps, submerged logs, brush piles and other cover that cannot be seen from the surface.
Visible cover receives constant fishing pressure. The highest-value targets are often the objects that most anglers never find.
Deflection Is the Key
Although Clunn likes to maintain some speed with his crankbaits, speed alone is not the foundation of the presentation.
The most important factor is deflection.
The bait needs to contact stumps, logs, rocks, brush or the edge of a drop. That sudden change in direction can make a following bass react before it has time to closely examine the lure.
“The bottom line is deflecting,” Clunn said. “Finding those stumps on the edge of the channel, finding brush piles or logs that have washed in.”
This is where an efficient casting approach becomes valuable. Clunn describes it as “cast and blast”—covering water until the crankbait reveals a productive piece of structure.
Traditional sonar, side imaging and forward-facing sonar can all help anglers identify hidden targets. However, the crankbait itself remains one of the most effective tools for searching an unfamiliar bank or channel edge.
Add the Power of Livingston Lures EBS™ Technology
Action, speed and deflection are all critical parts of effective crankbait fishing, but Livingston Lures adds another element to every cast: sound.
Livingston Lures’ proprietary EBS™ Technology—Electronic Baitfish Sound—uses electronically generated biological sounds designed to mimic the natural sounds produced by baitfish. The system activates when the lure enters the water, adding a realistic acoustic signal to the crankbait’s movement, profile and vibration.
That additional sound component can be especially valuable when fishing stained water, current, heavy cover or areas with limited visibility. A bass may not immediately see the lure on the opposite side of a stump, laydown or channel break, but sound can help alert the fish to its presence.
EBS™ Technology also continues working during changes in the retrieve. When the crankbait deflects, slows down or pauses after contacting cover, the lure does not become completely inactive. It continues producing a natural baitfish sound that can help hold a bass’s attention during the exact moment when many strikes occur.
In Clunn’s shallow summer approach, that creates a complete presentation. The crankbait searches the water, the bill finds the cover, the deflection triggers the reaction, and EBS™ Technology adds another layer of attraction throughout the cast.
It is not a substitute for accurate casting or proper lure selection. It is an additional tool designed to make an already effective crankbait presentation more lifelike.
Match the Crankbait to the Depth
Traditional square bills are excellent around shallow cover, but many important summer targets sit slightly deeper on channel ledges.
That need helped drive the development of the Livingston Lures RC Kicker Series.
The RC Kicker’s extended bill allows the lure to reach the eight- and nine-foot zones where bass frequently position along creek and river channel edges. This gives anglers the deflecting action of a cover-oriented crankbait while expanding the depth range they can efficiently search.
Clunn does not believe there is one perfect crankbait size for every summer situation.
Some days, bass respond to a larger profile. During other trips, downsizing is necessary to generate strikes. The productive size can also change from one summer to the next because resident creek fish are not always focused on one specific baitfish forage.
“You think you’ve figured it out and next summer you’ll know what size,” Clunn said. “No. Next summer it may be different.”
That is why carrying several sizes is critical.
Start Big When Quality Matters
Clunn’s starting point is influenced by his objective.
In tournament competition, he is normally looking for the largest available bites rather than simply trying to catch numbers. Although river and creek bass may not gather in large schools, these areas can hold individual quality fish.
For that reason, Clunn generally begins with the RC Kicker 3, the largest bait in the series.
“I’m going to start with the Kicker 3 because that’s what I’m looking for,” he explained. “Normally, I start with the bigger one because I’m trying to get the bigger bites.”
If conditions become difficult and the priority changes from targeting quality to simply generating bites, he begins downsizing.
The RC Kicker 2 provides an intermediate option, while the smaller RC Kicker 1 can produce when bass become less aggressive. Anglers can apply the same progression with Livingston Lures’ other square-bill offerings, moving between 2.5- and 1.5-size profiles as conditions dictate.
The important point is not to become permanently committed to one lure size. Start with a bait that matches the quality of fish you are targeting, then allow the bass to determine whether an adjustment is required.
A Different Way to Beat the Dog Days
Forward-facing sonar has revealed how many summer bass suspend around open-water baitfish. That pattern is real, and modern technology has made those fish much more accessible.
Clunn’s river-and-creek approach provides an alternative.
Instead of following nomadic bass through deep water, find resident fish that have remained near cover. Look for larger tributaries with current, spring influence, abundant forage and productive shallow structure.
Then pick up an EBS™ Technology-powered Livingston Lures crankbait, cover water and make repeated contact with the cover.
The fish may not be grouped together, but the next isolated stump, submerged log or creek-channel turn could hold exactly the quality of bass you are looking for.
