Top 5 Baits to Fish in July!

Summer bass fishing can be tough, but the right baits can help you catch more fish. In this video, we break down the top 5 bass fishing baits for summer, including topwater walking baits, deep crankbaits, Neko rigs, frogs, and different Texas rig setups. Whether you’re fishing shallow grass, offshore structure, deep ledges, or thick cover, these summer bass fishing techniques will help you get more bites and put bigger bass in the boat.

Here are the links to all the baits and gear talked about in today's episode: Use "SERIOUS10" at the links to Omnia Fishing for 10% off your whole order:
📌 Frogs
SPRO Frog: https://omnia.direct/db
Bladed SPRO Frog: https://omnia.direct/bfx

📌  Topwater Walking Baits
Megabass DogX: https://omnia.direct/dsgb
Rapala Jowler: https://omnia.direct/sdfb
Heddon Spook: https://omnia.direct/df

📌  Deep Crankbaits
Rapala DT12-16: https://omnia.direct/fbd
Strike King 6XD: https://omnia.direct/tatd
6th Sense Cloud 9: https://omnia.direct/sdv

📌  Neko Rig
Rapala Janitor: https://omnia.direct/qe
XZone Deception Worm: https://omnia.direct/sdb
Strike King Finesse Worm: https://omnia.direct/wefw

📌  Texas Rigs
Ryugi Black Bean Tungsten Weight: https://omnia.direct/dbn
VMC Ringed Wide Gap: https://omnia.direct/ssfnn

Thanks for watching! Please comment, like and subscribe! 

Check out Serious Angler Network lifestyle and podcast apparel here: https://seriousanglernetwork.com/

Click here to start your FREE trial of Omnia Fishing Premium PRO: https://omniafishing.onelink.me/gZRj/8aezqhjx

Follow the Lure Lab on Social Media:
📱Instagram: @lurelabpodcast 
Facebook: Lure Lab Media

Want to get on some BIG Lake Erie Smallmouth Bass? Get in touch with Andrew and book a trip: fullfishingguideservice@gmail.com

Don't miss out on the latest insights, interviews, and techniques from the world of bass fishing. Subscribe now, leave us a review, and stay hooked on the Serious Angler Network Fishing Podcasts! 🎣🎙️

#fishingtips #fishingpodcast #fishingtackle

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Can you guys believe that already half of 2026 is over with? It is now July. It feels like yesterday, we were just starting the year. Fish were in ditches, they were pre-spawn, and all was right in the world. Well, sort of. But now it is July. Fish are in full summer mode around the country. They're eating grass, we're frogging, we're flipping, we're doing all sorts of things for the summer patterns. And on today's episode of the lure lab, we're gonna talk about our top baits for the month of July. And we're not gonna just give you just the standard baits, we're gonna put a different bit of a twist on this one and show you guys some classics, but also some new spins on classics to help you guys catch more fish. So let's get into it. So as we go forward with the lure lab, we're gonna try to put everything we talk about into universal terms that'll work around the country. We're gonna be giving nods, obviously, to certain regions of the country, whether it be the southeast, the west, southwest, central, northeast, midwest, whatever have you. We're gonna try to give nods to each and hopefully the stuff we talk about applies to you and your fishery. And the first one where we talk about for the month of July is a deep crank. Now, crankbaits catch them all times of year, but this is that time of year where fish will get offshore, whether they're on deep grass lines, you know, points in that deep grass or on ledges or on deep rock piles. And even when it's time that you think you need to slow down, a deep crankbait can be just the thing you need to fire that school up and get some bites and especially get some pretty big bites. So, like I said, we'll be talking about the deep crankbait number one. And right here we have tied on is a Rappola DT12. And deep for you in your fishery can be very loose in regards to how deep you need to go. It could be 10 foot, it could be 12 foot, it could be 20 foot, and so on, so forth. So we'll give you a couple examples of some baits to throw with links down below of where to grab them and ways to fish these. And to be entirely transparent with you guys, when you have videos from me, Bailey I Brett, your host for today, you're gonna be seeing a couple faces here in the lure lab. I mentioned that on the previous video. If you haven't heard about the new changes to the lure lab, click the episode before and you'll see all that's happening new with the lure lab. I work with 13 fishing and Rapala and VMC. So you might be seeing a lot of that, but you are going to see a couple different other brand suggestions for everything that I talk about, so that you're not gonna be hearing just 13 and Rappaula and VMC, things like that. You're gonna be hearing a multitude of different brands so that you have options when you want to go and buy and make your own opinions on what baits work best for you. So I just want to put that out there, be transparent with you guys versus hide it and you guys just know, oh, he works with that brand. Of course he's gonna say that. Well, I work with him because I believe in all the stuff because they all freaking catch fish. I'm not gonna sit here and say other brands don't because they certainly do. And so the DT this time of year, anything from a DT10 all the way up to the DT16, DT20, they all catch fish. I have this on a 7-3, it's a 13 fishing crankbait rod, it's a moderate action. You always want to look for that moderate action for all your cranking rods so there's more of a parabolic bend when you're anytime you're using treble hooks, not even just with deep crankbaits, and you want a slower gear ratio reel for the most part. Uh so I have this on a Shimano Karato K. It's a 62 to 1, 12 pound fluorocarbon, and I'm always swapping the hooks out on these two VMC finesse trebles, owner ST36s, Ichikawa makes an incredible uh treble hook, Ryugi. There's so many great brands now when it comes to hardware of your baits. But for the most part, a lot of brands I always swap out the treble hooks. And for this show, two other brands that make incredible crankbait rods that I would love to highlight is one Abu Garcia. They make the Winch series. I don't believe this specific series is actually made anymore. I think that the actions are incorporated into the new Veritas series. But this is a winch, it's a 7-6 medium heavy mod, and this is an incredible, especially a mid-depth cranking rod. Anything from kind of like that 8-foot to you know your 15, 16 foot, that's gonna be a great rod for it. You can throw square bells on it if you want to, uh, but I thought I personally throw a shorter rod, and then your deep deep plugs talk in like Strike King 6 XDs, 8 XDs, 10 XDs, so on and so forth. The Dobbins Champion XP, this is an 806 CB, it's an eight-foot cranking rod designed for those big, big plugs that get super deep. And that one is cool because it's got the long cork handle and again the parabolic action that you need for treble hook baits. So this is gonna be really your ultimate 8 XD, 10 XD rod, though for those plugs that get super deep in the summertime. And so if you're looking to get some deep cranking, I typically keep line from 10 to 12 pound fluorocarbon, but the baits, Rapla makes an incredible one with the DT series, strike king makes a great one with the 5XD, 6XD, 8XD, 10XD, so on and so forth. That's a tried and true. I think a lot of people know about that one, but also SixthSense makes some great deep plugs as well. There are a lot of great brands out there, but I'll say some like Luckycraft, OSP, all make some incredible deep diving crankbaits, and that is number one for July. And number two is going to be a topwater walking bait. Now, every morning, every evening you can go and throw this sucker, but there are times of year when there's a lot of overcast, you have a little bit of wind. You might not even need the wind, but the a little bit of chop does help, especially with the topwater walking bait. You can almost when you have those conditions, you can throw it all day long. But during that prime hours, early morning, late evening, chasing shade lines throughout the day as well. A topwater walking bait can be awesome. This is a Megabass dog X, kind of in that bluegill pattern, which is great to be throwing if you're in a Mayfly hatch, bluegill spawn, which is kind of right now. Some of you guys might be past that bluegill spawn. You might be getting into the Mayfly hatch. That is a great one to walk and actually actually comes perfect with stock treble hooks. Now I'm throwing my topwater walking baits. This is a 13 fishing myth, a 7-2 medium heavy mod fast, something that's got a little bit more backbone to throw some of these bigger topwater plugs, but also has again that modern action treble hooks, something that's more parabolic that's going to bend throughout the rod. Now, personally, I like to throw it on braid, like a 30-pound to 40-pound braid, something where the braids are thin enough so that you can launch that sucker, get extra casting distance, but also basically with the rod compared with the braid and the hooks that you have on the bait, these fish for the most part will hook themselves. So all you really need to do is kind of a sweep once they eat that kind of reel and lean into them, and those hooks should be pinned. And I like a fast gear ratio. This is a Shimano SLX. This is an eight, two to one, really anything over seven. I like anything over eight. Abu Garcia makes a rebo rocket that's up to 10. I know a lot of people throw that one, a fast gear ratio to be able to work that bait quick, but also pick up line fast when that fish does eat it. Again, going back into the hook set, reeling in and leaning into that fish. That is going to help you with your topwater walking baits. If you couldn't tell, I like to throw them in the summer. So, a couple other options for you. We have the tried and true classic, the Headden Super Spook. It's a great option. If you've not tried the Saltwater Super Spook, especially in that straight chartreuse color, highly encourage you to. As well as the Vixen is a very popular one. I think this is the newer line of Vixens, whereas the OGs, if you can find them, it's hard to get your hands on them, but they're even better than the newer Vixen. As well as the Berkeley Jaywalker, Strike King makes the sexy dog. All great options for a topwater walking bait. And if you want something with a little bit more splash to it, you have the Rapola Jowler as well as the Evergreen Shower Blows, which are great options that have more of a lip to the front of it, which will add some splash to the water as you walk that bait. At the end of the day, for throwing this compared to a normal walking bait, I'm gonna let the fish tell me what they want. And number three is one that is a again talking about the classics here, and we'll put different spins on them is the frog. A lot of grass is up already by now. Hopefully, you're you're part of the country. Vegetation has grown up, you have mats, you have shade lines. Great. Again, talking about the Mayfly hatch, bluegill spawn is the frog. We got a spro popping frog here in my favorite color, which is the killer gill. I have this on a 7-4 heavy fast, something that you can give them the beans. I like this one. This heavy fast has a little bit more tip, which personally I like for being able to skip under trees, skip under docks. Different places you can be a little more accurate with. Whereas broomsticks are great for when you're fishing mats and trying to get them out of that heavy vegetation. I got it on 65 pound braid. This is Suffolk's 832. Love Seagar Smackdown, and I have it on a fast gear ratio, but not too fast. There's a perfect medium when it comes to frog fishing. Where I had this on a Shimano Corrado, it's a 7-4 to 1. I like the 7 because you can have more reel into your when you're fighting that fish, where if you're too fast above that 8 into 10 range, you have almost too much torque, whereas you can barely move that reel handle, where this will allow me to move the reel handle even when those fish are getting buried, and use not only the rod and the force of me pulling on the fish, but also use the reel handle to torque that fish out of there, use the line, and get that fish out of the thick stuff. And in talking about something different with the frogs, there's one bait I'll show you guys that is a little bit different. Now, this is also a spro frog. There's a couple of great ones we'll be coming out with a video of our favorite frogs to throw in the summertime. But this is a spro frog that has blades for the legs. And that is gonna make some different noise. So if you got some fish that are being finicky, they see frogs a lot, especially in your popular fisheries, like if you're down in the TVA anywhere on like Chickamauga, Gunnersville, etc., or if you're down in Florida. Now, if you got some very sloppy mats type stuff, it could get hung up in some of the hardware in there and kind of get chopped up in there. But if you have a little bit of open water mixed in, uh very just strictly vegetation mats without a lot of gunk on it, these blades can be the trick to get a little bit more noise and get some of those fish at seafrogs every single day to come up and eat your frog and eat it well. All right, number four. Again, works all times of the year, but a little bit of a different twist on it is a stick bait, a Senko. But instead, I'm gonna be talking about it in different terms of you can kind of throw like a big ribbon tail, a big finesse swarm on this. Uh, but I like to throw just a strict senko. I got a yum dinger on the back of this right now. This is a 7-3 heavy fast 20-pound fluoro Shimano Banham MGL. And what we have on here is you can throw the Texas rig Senko and drag it around some fish. What I did is added a little different peanut style weight on the end to give that that bait just a little bit of a different presentation when you're dragging it around some fish. Now you can extend that as far as you want, kind of have more of a finesse Carolina rig presentation, but this weight is going to change up how you are dragging that worm there on the bottom. Let's have it on a 4-A EWG. VMC makes a great one with the new Red Line series. Owner makes a great one with the soft bait hook as well as Ryugi makes one. Ryugi and Ichikawa make a great offset EWG. I know Ichikawa's is called the muscle gap, which has a much more defined offset, you know, difference between the hook point and the eyelet. So you get better hook into these fish and also won't flex out. Especially when we're talking about bigger line, bigger rod, being able to put a bigger gaff into these fish with a more subtle application. Now you can throw that on the Morphanesse application too, lighter line, things like that, lighter weight, thinner uh worm, like an axone deception worm, and be able to catch fish that way. Which leads us into our last one, our last top bait for July. And that is the Nico rig. The Niko is great, especially in the summer. Now, for folks, if a Niko rig is new to you, I have it rigged up on a seven-foot medium or seven one excuse me, medium heavy spinning rod, 14-pound braid to 10-pound fluoro. You can adjust as needed, but essentially it is a hook. You got a weight at the bottom of your worm. We got a rapple crushity janitor on here. But we got a little Nico weight on the bottom so that keeps this fit uh this bait on the bottom, floating up, and you have you can use either a G crack keeper or a VMC crossover. And I got a Ryugi talisman hook there on the back, so that when you're moving that bait, it's coming this way. These fish are coming down and trying to eat it this way. Hook gets them on the top of the mouth every single time. And the Niko is great for fishing deep grass lines, rock piles. If you're fishing specific fish that you see sight fishing up shallow, or you're scoping out deep for individual fish. There's so many different ways you can fish the Niko to get bites, fishing around the edge of Thule lines. There's so many different environments and where the Nico rig can shine. And my favorite ones to cap off this show for you guys, again, the Rappula Crush City Janitor is a great one. You have one that is won the classic last year. East and Fathergill throwing the Strike King finesse worm, as well as the Xone Deception Worm, which is actually a floating worm, which makes for a great drop shot worm, but also a great Nico rig worm. And there's nothing too fancy about it other than it's a very, very, very soft plastic, a very buoyant plastic, kind of your standard finesse worm, but with a little bit of a different twist. And that is also a great one that fits perfect for the Nico rig. One little tidbit you can do with that too is before you put the Nico weight in, this is a little bit of juice, add a little bit of a shaker, like a rattling insert. Z-Man grip makes a great insert tool, but you put a rattling insert in a little bit farther so that when you put the Nico weight in, keeps that in there. And now you have a sound element to your Niko rig to get a little bit more bites when those fish are being kind of pressured so that as you're shaking it, it's rattled out, it's rattling as you're shaking that worm on the bottom. And with that, if you want one more suggestion of a great bait for the month of July, let's kick it over to pro angler Wes Logan on his favorite bait and setup for the month of July. So, again, all classics, but with a little bit of a twist on them. Hopefully, you guys gain some knowledge from this one, kind of a different look at what the lure lab is now and what it's going to be going forward. If you guys liked it, please like and subscribe if you're watching here on YouTube. Comment your favorite baits for July. All the baits we talked about in this video will be linked down below, especially to Omnia Fishing. If there's Omni A Fishing links, you can use code series 10 to save 10% off. We have much more content coming your guys' way. We're kind of just going to start firing at will. So you're going to see a lot of new uh uploads here soon until we kind of hit a stride here, and then we'll have a consistent days that we'll be uploading. But for MP3 folks, hopefully this works well for you guys on audio as well. Obviously, there's not a visual component uh unless the platforms allow video. We will try to upload videos to Spotify or Apple so that if you want to watch while you're listening, but if you have a lot of you guys are probably driving and hopefully you still gain some knowledge from this one. But folks, appreciate y'all, and we'll see you guys on the next episode of Lua Lab. Here soon.