Basically, some bass can be found in shallow water in the backs of coves, still on the nest or guarding fry. At the same time, bass can be found sticking to a textbook post-spawn pattern, with fish staging in deeper water at the mouths of coves or on deep-water ledges.

"It's really an exciting time to be on the water, and the bass fishing can be explosive," Hipsher explained. "You can consistently catch bass on a variety of patterns, lures, and strategies during June. The topwater action can be hot at times. Crankbaits, flipping jigs, Texas-rigged 10-inch worms, and shaky-head jigs can put a lot of fish in the boat on Kentucky Lake during this period.

"However, knowing when, where, and how to fish these baits can be the difference in an unbelievable day and a mediocre outing. Having a productive game plan in place along with the correct fishing strategy can pay off big at this time of year."

Strategy #1:
FISHING KENTUCKY DAM
One excellent fishing strategy that Hipsher implements during June is targeting bass around the Kentucky Dam portion of the lake. His plan consists of launching from the Kentucky Dam Marina and focuses on structure such as main-lake drops, rock ledges, and riprap.

What makes this strategy so productive is that a number of tournaments are held on this end of the lake and at the conclusions of the weigh-ins, a ton of bass are routinely released. During the summer months, anglers can usually find large numbers of newly released bass hanging around this section of the lake.

According to Hipsher, keying in with a buzzbait on riprap and shallow-water cover in the backs of coves can be deadly during the early morning and late evening hours or on an overcast day.

"A buzzbait allows you to cover a great deal of water in a short period of time and catch aggressive or feeding bass. Basically, you can still catch a lot of bass in the backs of the bays. These bass may be guarding fry or are fish that have spawned late. These areas can be very productive in June during the early morning hours when fishing topwater baits like the Spook or chuggers.

"Usually, I will pick up several fish using this technique early in the morning until the sun is up, which causes the bass to shut off," said Hipsher. "When this happens, I will switch gears and concentrate more on the mouths of the bays and hit the ledges and dropoffs. It's important to use your fish finder to locate this type of structure and determine to where the bass are staging. I like to throw crankbaits if the fish are positioned or holding on top of the ledges. Once again, I can cover a great deal of water and catch a lot of bass in a short amount of time."

For bass staging on ledges, another high-impact strategy that Hipsher likes to use involves slowing down a bit and hitting the fish with a football head jig, 10-inch Texas-rigged worm or Carolina jig. Typically he'll turn to these baits if the bass are holding in water deeper than 12 feet or holding off to the sides of ledges. Favorite lure colors range from green pumpkin, plum, and June bug.

"One important step in making this plan work is taking the time to pinpoint the baitfish. A lot of bass are coming off beds and are holding or staging around these areas to rest and feed. I will idle around with my fish finder until I find large schools of baitfish before picking an area to fish," commented Hipsher.