The dog days of summer are upon us.

I’m sluggish, the fish are sluggish.

Is it nap time yet?

With a fish’s metabolism at the highest it will be all year, feed times are reduced in order to conserve what energy they have. Often this means feeding will occur at night or low-light times during the day.

Plan your trips accordingly. Fish the first couple of hours of the early morning and late afternoon. Take a break during the hottest parts of the day. Fish before, during or after rain showers. Fish at night.

People often relate this time of year to difficult fishing. But with a little change of plan, a hot day on the water can turn into a scorcher of a fishing trip.

Remember your sunscreen, stay hydrated and don’t be afraid to take a break and grab some shade for a little siesta.

Prindle’s picks

Bass—The main lake largemouth are still slow. Some fish are being taken early and late in the day on grass edges near deep water using soft plastics worms and hollow-body frogs fish slow. Afternoon thunderstorms are cooling the water down and providing small windows of top water excitement. Good catches of shoal bass are coming from up the Flint River using straight tail plastic worms and crankbaits. Look for areas of turbulent water near rock shoals.

Bream—Some nice bluegill beds are still being found. Look for areas with over hanging tree limbs that provide shade and the occasional buggy feast. Live crickets seem to be producing the best. The shellcracker have returned to there wintering areas. Some fish have been caught around bluegill beds. But for numbers with size, look for drops near the river channel edges with clam shell beds. Use red wigglers to entice that slab into biting.

Catfish—Catches are still good. Lots of fish are being caught Noodling on the flats of the Flint River and main lake areas. This technique can be mimicked with a rod and reel by using a bobber to suspend the bait off the bottom. Just cast it out and drift with the wind or trolling motor. Channel cats are being caught using a variety of cut, live and stink baits. Flathead and blue cats are being caught using live shiners or shad.

Crappie—Slow, slow, slow. Need I say more. A few fish are being caught around the standing timber in the Flint River and Spring Creek using live minnows. The fish are suspended off the bottom and don’t seem to be relating to any specific depth so good electronics are important.