Summertime Bridge Fishing

As we approach the summer time bite bridges become an excellent target for the summertime bass; bridges can be as rewarding as any location on any large river impoundment. There are many reasons that this is the case and we will explore some of those reasons.


First; as the summertime weather forces us to look for water current bridges become a location that one can easily view some water movement; the reason is the narrowing down of the area around the bridge. Current moves around the corners of every bridge moving bass and bait to these areas. Bass don’t have a lot of choices to find oxygen in the summertime but areas that have some current is one place they can easily move too and feed as well. With a solid presence of food and oxygen to give them some energy, bridges become good locations to catch big summertime bass on more aggressive baits and get away from the summertime finesse fishing. Late day summertime rains also add to the oxygen source for bass around bridges; most bridge areas have drains that dump runoff water from the road into the water around the bridge. This flow allows for the creation of water movement and pushes bass to be active during any late day rain which are typical in the summertime. One thing I have found around bridges late in the day is that they are excellent top water locations right after a summertime shower.


The pilings around any bridge create sharp drops for the bass to suspend on; if you combine the sharp drops with the easily detectable current you have a great location for bass to hang on until the water flow gives them energy. Once this occurs the bass can easily move up to feed without the use of a lot of their energy during the current movement. Concentrating on sharp drops of pilings and corners of any river bridge can really be a game changer when you struggling to get a bite in the heat of the summer. Vertical baits dropping off the corners and around the pilings are easy prey for bass and can produce summertime bites; keep in contact with the corners as your bait drops and cross the corners of the pilings and you will have a successful summertime location.