During late summer and fall, largemouth and smallmouth bass feed on open-water preyfish in many natural lakes and reservoirs. Since bass themselves rarely maintain a pelagic (open-water) existence, they tend to feed along structures that intersect with deep open water.

As extensions of land masses, points are the most obvious of such structures, and they can be productive throughout this period. Point-hopping is a tried and true tactic that still scores tournament wins for pros and weekend warriors alike.

Farther from shore and out of sight lie humps; call them sunken islands, bars, ridges, or rises. Today’s sophisticated mapping chips reveal spots long held secret by guides and local experts, but fishing them effectively remains an art.

Brett Richardson is a avid bass angler who has fished all over the U.S. and Canada. He typically searches for bass on deep, offshore structure, where comparatively few anglers focus. With roots in the Northeast, he now lives in Las Vegas. Both these regions and most others he’s visited offer offshore opportunities for summer bass.

“Each hump has its own personality,” he says, “with key elements and specific areas that hold fish. Slopes and tapered areas, rises on top of the hump, sharp-breaking drops, finger extensions, and secondary breaks are high-percentage areas for midlake bass.

“Humps are at their most productive from the Postspawn Period in June through September in northern waters. The hump-fishing season is longer in southern states and out West. Humps produce during the day, but if you don’t night-fish, you’re missing great opportunities for big bass.”

Richardson emphasizes the need to learn a hump’s contours and characteristics before fishing it. “Explore during daylight before considering night-fishing,” he says. Over the years, he’s found trolling around a hump the fastest way to chart its features, and you may catch a big bass or two in the process. He slowly trolls breaklines, moving the boat in an S-pattern to determine how steep the break is and to pinpoint cover on the hump.

“If there’s current, pay particular attention to the upstream and downstream ends of the structure,” he adds, “but try to cover the sides as well, if you have time. Place marker buoys near any key elements you find. Avoid placing them on objects you want to fish, as you’ll tangle up the cord and foul the spot. Drop the buoy 20 or more feet away as a reference.

“Some spots are best fished from an anchored position. That’s particularly true at night,” he says. “You can easily get disoriented in the dark and waste time relocating your spot. Moreover, anchoring gives bass spooked by the boat a chance to return, unconcerned. It also makes you slow down and cover all angles with a variety of lures.”

Bass Positioning

Richardson feels that weather conditions affect positioning of largemouth and smallmouth bass on humps, just as they do along shoreline spots. “During stable conditions in summer, such as 3 to 5 days of consistent weather, both bass species feed on boulder areas or clean flats with access to deep water, particularly early in the morning and toward dusk. They occupy gradual slopes that taper into deep water as feeding lanes.

“At night, schools of open-water baitfish move closer to vertical structures. Bass have the option of cruising along the slope to pick off baitfish as they approach, or feeding atop the hump. With water temperatures warm, abundant crawfish also occupy these slopes, whether vegetated or rocky, and bass follow.

“At times,” Richardson continues, “smallmouth and largemouth bass herd baitfish onto the peak of humps, especially during prime night feeds and early mornings on overcast days. Again, smallmouths typically hold along the steeper sides of humps. Look for larger smallmouths on secondary breaks and shelves off the hump in 10 to 18 feet of water. Check stair-step ledges with hard bottom or rocky areas for giants.”

During post-frontal conditions, he reports that both bass species tend to suspend off midlake structure or hold deeper along gently sloping areas. In those conditions, fishing slower and deeper is the key. Bass that held in 6 to 8 feet of water may shift to the deepest edges of the slope, 12 to 18 feet down. Slow dredging with deep-diving cranks, using a crank-and-pause retrieve, works best. Make contact with the structure to trigger inactive bass.