Lake Seminole Fishing Reports – July 2021

Seminole: Level: Full pool. Temp: 81 degrees. Clarity: Fully stained.

Bass: Guide Paul Tyre, of Lake Seminole Fishing Adventures, reports, “The bass fishing on Lake Seminole has been great through June, but July is also a great month to bass fish on Lake Seminole. The topwater action through June has been incredible. The great topwater action will continue through July, especially early and on cloudy days. As the grass gets thicker in July, the hollow belly frog becomes my go-to topwater bait in July. I prefer the Spro Bronzeye Popping Frog. It has a double heavyweight Gamakatsu hook that is extremely sharp and heavy enough to get the big bass out of the grass. I like to fish the frog over the grass and through holes in the grass. Rod, line and reel choices are very important with this technique. A high-speed reel is a must, at least 8:3.1, and a heavy braided line I prefer is 65-lb. Cortland Master Braid on a 7-foot, 3-inch XH Temple Fork Outfitters Tactical bass rod. This rod has a fast tip and has the backbone to get the biggest bass out of the grass. The flipping bite starts heating up in July as the grass is getting thicker. Rod choice is critical when flipping big bass out of the grass. My go-to rod is a TFO Tactical 8-foot extra heavy, moderate action rod that has the backbone to get the biggest bass out if the thick hydrilla. Line is critical, and braided line is a must. I prefer 65-lb. Cortland Silent Flip braid. It is a 16 strand that is very quiet going through the vegetation, which will get you more bites.”

Tournament angler and guide Matt Baty reports, “The grass is starting to top out all over the lake with some submerged grass still playing a factor. The topwater bite is good early in the morning using a Berkley Choppo 110 for some explosive strikes. During the day, be on the lookout for the little bream feeding on the surface on grass edges. For the bream pattern, there’s no better bait than a swimming worm. Berkley makes a worm called a Wind Up worm that works great on a 5/16-oz. tungsten and a 5/0 Berkley Fusion EWG hook. Use watermelon red in clear water and red shad in stained water. For the topwater and the worm bite, I like to use an Abu Garcia Revo Rocket SX, a 7-6 Veritas medium/heavy rod and 50-lb. Berkley X9 braid. As the weather continues to warm, look for the bass to get buried up in the hydrilla and the frog and flipping bite will pick up.”

Guide Chris Taylor reports, “June into July is some of your best times to catch a personal best largemouth. During these months, you can target resident grass fish with a Texas-rigged worm in junebug or watermelon red or use a flipping setup with bugs or craws in the same colors. You can target bass stalking bream beds with a frog or Senko. You can also crank deeper-water stump fields and current breaks in Spring Creek. I am seeing some quality fish stalking crappie schools, as well as bream schools on isolated grass spots. Unfortunately, the topwater bite this year is not as strong as in previous years but can still be done with Spooks, poppers or prop baits. Some good news is the grass is not as thick this year (with Ray’s Lake being the exception), making it easier to get to some backwater areas.”

Panfish To Stripers: Guide Aaron Crews reports, “There have been good numbers of bluegill, shellcracker and redbreasts on worms, red wigglers and crickets. The fly-rod fishermen are doing well by following the mayfly hatches. The crappie fishing has been good in 7 to 12 feet of water on minnows. I haven’t heard too much talk about stripers or hybrid fishing. I imagine that they have started to move to the springs, but I’m sure you can find some schooling on baitfish near the mayfly hatches. The schooling hybrids and stripers can be taken on Rat-L-Traps in blue chrome and shad-pattered crankbaits. The cat fisherman are doing well in 7 to 15 feet of water. They are using a variety of baits, like chicken gizzards, worms, stinkbait and cutbait. Jackfish are still hitting spinnerbaits and spoons. They will hit a jerkbait early in the morning. Share the day with someone or take a kid fishing, and you just might enjoy laughter.”