It’s been another hot week on Lake Seminole. High temperatures have been hovering around 94° F for the past two weeks with no end in sight.

Fishing has been extremely slow in the main lake, but the river fish are picking up the slack.

The upper Chattahoochee and Flint rivers have been producing good numbers of shoal, spotted and largemouth bass, along with monster bluegill and bream.

Anglers who take advantage of the cooler waters will find fish more active and willing to chase down baits like toads, buzzbaits or spinnerbaits.

And it doesn’t hurt that they are nice places to take a dip and excape the heat every now and then.

Bass: Buzz baits and top water poppers are still producing good bites. Start looking for areas with plentiful shad near the deeper channels. The shell cracker pattern from the last few weeks is still producing, but look for the fish to start moving around a little more. The shoal bass are still biting good, but look for the bite to really pick-up in the next couple of weeks. Straight tail worms and crank baits are still producing consistent bites.

Bream: The shell cracker just will not stop this year. I went and checked on some beds and I swear there are more. The fish seem to be concentrated in four to eight feet of water. Wigglers are producing best. The bluegill have finally succumb to the heat. They seem to be coming up a little earlier and taking a break during the hotter times of the day. We are still finding plenty, and they are eager feed on a slow falling cricket.

Catfish: The active cats can still be caught in shallow water. Both channels and blues are being caught in water less than 10 feet in and around patches of hydrilla. Look for shad signs on the surface of the water. Moving around is still the key to success. Noodling tops the list as the best way to catch a couple good ones, but bobber fishing is still a great option. The bait doesn’t seem to matter, but my preference this time of year is fresh-cut shad. The extremely oil fish puts out a good strong scent trail like a stink or blood bait, but you can wash the fish smell off.

Crappie: A few more crappie are being caught each week, but the heat still has them suspended around the tree patches. Use jigs to locate them, then let a crappie minnow soak for a little bit. If they are there, they will bite.