Ken Covington cast a jig near a stump and let the current carry it by, but it didn’t get far.

Wham!

A feisty spotted bass smashed his jig and headed downstream. Covington was having none of that, however, and quickly drove the steel hook deep into the jaws of the bass and turned him around like a calf on a calf rope.

Covington was fishing Okatibbee Creek and having pretty good success that day.

During the warmer months bass in streams are aggressive and they will hit almost anything on top at the break of day and last light. Early and late Covington likes to fish top water lures for the excitement and action that it provides.

“Dad always liked to throw a top water bait with a prop and he caught a lot of bass on the old Dalton Special, a top water that had a propeller on the rear,” said Ken Covington. “He caught a lot of bass on that bait early and late in the day, too.”

Jerry Covington liked fishing those top water prop baits by stumps and logs and especially beside logs laying near a sandbar. Cast that top water by a log and hold on.

“If the bass are active on top water, I’ll throw a black popping frog sometimes too,” Covington said. “You can throw that frog in the brush, over logs, and retrieve it back through the brush and not get hung up, but you might get a bone crushing strike, too!”

Bang-O-Lures, Baby Torpedo’s, Tiny Torpedoes, Ratlin’ Chug Bugs, Rapalas and Rattlin’ Rogues are all good top water lures for creek bass and they will catch fish when they’re looking for that top water bite.

“When it gets hot during the summer you need to slow down a little and work the holes and good spots a little bit slower,” said Covington. “When the bite got tough dad always seemed to catch more than me as he was patient and fished slower. I wanted to fish fast and that’s not always the best way to fish.”

Covington has learned to vary his retrieve when things are tough.

“Sometimes we’ll use a shaky head with a trick worm or with a crawfish,” Covington said. “We can fish that shaky head around stumps, brush and still make it work above and below swift water shoals or narrows. And we may also use a Texas rigged worm, too.”

“When they’re really active they almost take the rod out of your hand,” Covington said. “But when they’re finicky you’ll barely feel them and that’s when you must better pay attention or you’ll never know you had a bite. Don’t be afraid to jack his jaw.”

Fish current breaks

“We always do better after a slight rise in the water during the summer,“ Covington said. “A shower might give it a slight rise and the fish really seem to turn on and feed. When that happens fish above and below stumps, logs, brush tops and anything that causing a current break. The bass will feed on anything that swims by.”

Mixing water tributaries

“If the creek is muddy then look for any small streams or runoffs that have clear water coming into the muddy,” Covington said. “The bass lay in the muddy portion and hit anything that comes into that mixing area.”

Shoals or narrows

Almost every stream in East Mississippi and West Alabama has areas where the creek narrows and the current speeds up or shoals or rocky areas where the water flows faster. Covington targets the area just upstream of the shoals and narrows and the area just below as bas will stage at either place looking for an easy meal.

While many anglers put their boat in at one location and fish down to a take-out point, Covington prefers putting in at one spot and then fishes upstream first then fishes back to the boat.

“In some of the creeks you’ll need a trolling motor with a lot of thrust,” Covington said. “We have a 70-pound thrust that we use on some of the creeks so that we can make it back to the ramp.”

If you’re looking for hot bass action then grab a few lures, a couple rods and a friend and head to the nearest stream or creek. You’ll be glad you did!