In case you’ve been living in a cave, you should know that getting up early and fishing as the sun rises, plus the next few hours, is often the best fishing of the day. Even though it’s hot in summer, there will be plenty of active fish shallow.

When I’m fishing in shallow water, I like to make long casts so as not to spook the bigger fish cruising around. For bass, I focus on two presentations: a pre-rigged, soft plastic worm and a Chatterbait with my favorite trailer.

I use an Original Chatterbait to cover water quickly while looking for aggressive fish. I’ll team it up with a BFishn Tackle Ribb-Finn plastic tail. This is a perfect combo. The Chatterbait has a nice wiggle, and the Ribb-Finn follows right along, undulating and shimmying without impairing the action of the Chatterbait blade.

While any medium-action spinning rod will do, I’m after a long, accurate cast, so I need a longer, ultra-sensitive rod like a St. Croix Eyecon EYS71MF. While this is considered a walleye rod, I also like it for casting 1/4-ounce Chatterbaits as well as The Worm—which, by the way, catches walleyes, too. Team it with a 2000 series St. Croix Seviin reel with six ball bearings, a smooth drag and a large spool that holds plenty of 10-pound-test Power Pro Green braided line for a monster cast.

You can cover ground quickly with the Chatterbait; launch a cast and start reeling. The faster you reel, the shallower it will run because of the blade on the front. You can snake it over weed tops, fallen trees and over underwater habitat.

The worm I like is actually called “The Worm” and is pretty awesome. If you’ve ever tossed a nightcrawler in the water, you will see that it flutters and almost spins as it swims. A live ‘crawler doesn’t swim along in a straight line like a Texas-rigged worm. A live ‘crawler doesn’t have a curly tail. A live worm is a wiggling, struggling creature that doesn’t much like being in the water,

As you check out The Worm, you’ll notice that it has two sharp Mustad hooks molded right into the body and tied to premium Trilene 14-pound XT line. The Worm is molded into a “C” shape, so when it’s in the water and slowly reeled, it undulates just like a live ‘crawler. All you need do is tie on a ball bearing snap swivel, snap on The Worm, add a split shot or two, and you’re ready to fish!

When fishing shallow water in early morning with The Worm, gamefish won’t be as tight to cover as they are as the water warms up and the sun sends them into shady, cooler water—like under piers The areas between piers that you normally pass by will hold cruising fish that are active and ready to strike. Make a cast, let The Worm sink for a few seconds, and then slowly reel. The slower, the better. Reel it slow, give it a pause and an ever-so-slight of a twitch once in a while. Any fish that sucks it in is instantly hooked!

I’m never afraid to make a few casts for bluegills when I’m up in skinny water. I use a St. Croix Panfish Series rod PNS73MLXF—a 7’3”, medium-light, extra-fast rod that will launch a tungsten Custom Jigs & Spins tungsten Majmün jig and Rocket Bobber a country mile! This combo is seriously effective on big summer ‘gills! Tip the Majmün with a redworm and pitch it near weed beds, fallen trees, piers and anyplace that looks fishy.

Remember, there are lots of fish to be caught in the summer shallows. Get up early and get out there quickly before the crowds and heat arrive.