August month is here, and this is the Dog Days of Summer. August fishing can be difficult and challenging to many anglers due to heat, higher water temperatures, and weather, but I think it’s mostly due to so many patterns and fishing strategies potentially working any given day. With each of these variables affecting the bass bite, where does one begin? Here up north, both bass species are generally known to gravitate to shallow and deep cover (largemouths), and deeper structure (smallmouths). Under stable conditions or weather changes, both species fire up to provide greatly improved catch rates. And once water temperatures begin cooling, they could fire up even further. Anywhere you go this month, timing will be everything. Fish early and late. Take advantage of weather changes and observe clues that nature gives you. Fishing wise, we are now past summer peak, and things will remain the same until the first cooldowns of late summer. Conditions could be the best they’ll be and most predictable of the year. The same fishing patterns and strategies that have worked well for you throughout July will also carry over into August. Much of the fishing you’ll