In my neck of the woods, Northeast Texas, the blue cats are harder to catch during the hot summer months in both the lakes and the reservoirs that I like to fish. It makes for a long summer. September is the transition month when fishing starts getting better.
By September I begin to have more success finding the blues as they start chasing shad. I like to look for large concentrations of shad. I tie on a Santee Cooper type dragging rig and pull it through the active swimming shad.
September is also a month of anticipation. The larger, trophy size blues really start turning on as the temperatures start to drop in October and November and that stronger bite continues through March and April.
Those expectations motivate me to use some time in September to get my gear ready for the upcoming Winter months. It is time for equipment maintenance and things like cleaning reels, making sure they are working properly, and putting on fresh fishing line. I want to be ready when the larger cats start turning on!
