Scott McGlinchey

Looks like we have another heat wave just like there was in August of 2025. Last year the August heat wave slowed down the progression of shad moving to the shallow flats and also slowed down the bass feeding in the shallow flat water. The 2025 heat wave turned the deep water ledge fishing back on. This year the shad and bass are feeding well in the shallow flats even with the heat wave. I have a few places where bass are feeding all day in super shallow water even with the sun up and high.

Some of the baits and techniques I like to use in shallow water during August and September are number one top water baits like the Zara Spook, a Sexy Dawg stickbait, many other stick baits work well. The whopper Plopper or the Berkley Choppo are really good and easy to use. Different styles of buzzbaits can be good. Its best to gage the bait for the conditions if you have extra wind and waves then adjust to a louder bait. You can also use a small white spinnerbait, a floating jerkbait, and inline spinner like a Roostertail, a rattle trapor whatever you might want to try.

I typically fish water that is 3 foot to 6 inches when I am going after the shallow bass that August 1st brings us. Sometimes I have caught them really well on topwater in 5 feet of water. The shallow water I am talking about is out on the main lake and back in the creek arms. Cover a lot of water until you find them. Shallow bars and ridges on the main lake and at the creek mouths, around the islands, and even shallow flat rocky banks. In the creek arms shallow protruding points and high spots, rocky banks, and sometimes the far back ends of the creek arms. The bigger fish tend to be on the main lake.

The summer largemouth ledge fishing on Kentucky Lake starts getting tougher during the end of July but there are still super deep ledge fish in August and shallow ledge fish. You can find deep ledge fish on the main lake and on ledges inside the creek arms. Of course there are the ledge fish that the Livescope anglers catch and sometimes those fish are not exactly like true summer ledge fish. The forward facing livescope fish and fishing is a different deal.  The forward facing sonar is awesome technology and its has already had an effect on Kentucky Lake as it has been coming back from hitting rock bottom in 2020 and 2021.

If you’re in town fishing for fun or here preparing for a tournament I am sure I can help you in either department. If you just want to enjoy a day of catching quality bass, panfish, catfish or are wanting to learn how to effectively fish offshore I am as good as it gets! I had excellent results in my career as a baseball and wrestling coach and use the same skills to help my clients learn bass fishing. I have over thirty  five years of ledge fishing experience and have spent 4000 hours diving underwater on various bodies of water observing fish in their home. If you want to book a trip with me please try to call me as the communication over the phone is much more effective and consumes less time than emails. I do respond to all forms of communication as quick as I can.

Please check out and like/follow my Shelldivers Guide Service Facebook page. I will have additional pictures posted there some are underwater photos of fish and shellbeds.