Five Great Early Summer Fishing Destinations

One of the benefits of traveling around the country and fishing for a living is getting to fish so many outstanding lakes. While any time and any place you get to go fishing is always a plus, there are some great fisheries around the country that can really make for a super Memorial Day getaway or an early summer fishing trip. Here are five lakes you should consider this time of year.

Lake Chickamauga, Tennessee

While “Chick” is best during the pre-spawn, it’s a fantastic fishery in the late spring/early summer as well. Focus on areas with current and drop offs. A Z-Man Fishing Chatterbait is a great starting point to cover some water and find the fish. A Z-Man CreatureZ bait is an excellent option for fishing the fish once you have found them. Use your electronics and find baitfish. A Megabass Vision 110+1 is an excellent option around baitfish. For topwater try a Megabass DogX bait.

Lake Conroe, Texas

Lake Conroe is located about an hour north of Houston, Texas and is home of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic in the late summer months. Conroe is loaded with big largemouths. Anytime you are fishing in Texas you have the chance to catch the fish of a lifetime, and Lake Conroe fits in that category. During the early summer, cover a lot of water with a Megabass Vibration-X lipless boat or Knuckle 60 square bill crankbait. If the fishing gets slow turn to a Z-Man ZinkerZ stick bait.

Lake Havasu, Arizona

The summer months can get extremely hot in the Lake Havasu area, but the fishing can be incredible. An early summer trip can be the perfect combination of not-so-hot and great fishing. Some of my favorite baits during this time of year are a topwater frog bait. Megabass has just released the new Megabass Pony Frog, which should be a perfect fit for Havasu. I’ll mix the frog up with a flipping bait like a Z-Man Fishing Flappin’ CrawZ. Havasu can get extremely busy during this time of year so be safe, but enjoy the great fishing and the views!

Banks Lake, Washington

Banks Lake is one of my favorite home waters. The smallmouth fishing can be incredible this time of year. The fish are usually up close to the bank and can be caught on topwater with the DogX or jerk baits like the Vision-110. If the fish are still out deep, target them with a big jig and a Z-Man Fishing trailer.

Potomac River, Virginia

There is something special about the Potomac River anytime of year. It’s one of my favorite fishing spots and I look forward to visiting it whenever I can. In the early summer fishing can be incredible. I have had 50-fish days on a Z-Man ZinkerZ. One of my go-to baits anywhere, but especially on the Potomac River, is the Z-Man Chatterbait. Use it to cover a lot of water and load the boat with quality largemouth bass. For topwater, the DogX in open water and the new Megabass Pony Frog in the slop are winners are the Potomac River.

Whether you are looking for a destination for a fishing getaway or just out to try a new body of water, these are five places you should look into. If you aren’t open for a fishing trip, just find somewhere close by and hook some fish. After all, any day fishing is better than a day not fishing!

Luke Clausen

Hometown Spokane, Washington

Birthdate 08/03/1978

Career Earnings Over $1 Million

Favorite Lake Clear Lake (CA) - "Big fish, and they're easy to catch. It's always fit my style and I've always done well there."

Least Favorite Lake Lake Mead (NV) - "There's about three bass in there."

Favorite Technique Sight-fishing

Primary Fishing Strength Clear-water natural lakes

Secondary Fishing Strength Finesse-fishing

Biggest Weakness Fishing offshore in off-colored water

Boat Ranger

Motor Yamaha

Fishing Team Chevy

Favorite Food Sushi or Mexican

Favorite Music "Alternative, but I listen to a little bit of everything."

Non-Angling Hero Father - "I have a lot of respect for him. He makes intelligent decisions."

When Not Fishing "I like to hunt everything -- bow-hunt, bird-hunt, a little bit of everything."

Why He Fishes "I fish to make a living, and I love to fish. I love the challenge each day. Every place we go to is different."