I will be going on a trip up to one of the best bass lakes in Canada the last week of August. It's called Rice lake. Very weedy, max depth is like 21 feet. Last year the hot bait was a small crankbait in a red craw colour, but I caught some more on a frog and a spinnerbait. So my question to you is: what are your best producing baits and techniques for the last part of summer.

Thank you!

I've been having luck with senkos and senko style baits wacky rigged.  I've also been catching a few on chatterbaits with fluke trailers.

These questions are hard. I have the best "luck" when I am able to match my lure to the situation. Locate the fish, use a lure that best reaches those fish, and match your color based on conditions. I'm catching good numbers on Carolina rigs because I'm fishing deeper points and ledges.

Last year, my best lure for keeper fish, later in the summer into the fall was a half ounce or so jika rig, fished within 2 or 3 feet of clearer area adjacent to the deep weed line.  A green pumpkin brush hog with orange glitter was the number one bait, but there were many other creature baits that worked and lizards worked good too.

Senkos, flukes, frogs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, jigs, creatures, centipedes, poppers, walkers, worms.

Spinnerbaits when transitioning to fall

you're fishing Smallmouth right or do they have some LM in there as well?  

you're fishing Smallmouth right or do they have some LM in there as well?

Mostly LM

If there is lots of grass, I would def have a frog and some punch jigs. Also I would include a couple of umbrella rigs.  Those three are my top producers and with buzz and spinnerbaits as well as both senkos and Ika's you should be pretty much covered.

Before throwing an umbrella rig, check the regulations in Canada reguarding multiple baits. 

If there are submergent weeds, I'd rip a lipless crank over the tops or maybe burn a double willow spinnerbait over them.  Don't forget the inside weed edge as that seems to be a good area for big, shallow fish on top water up north. A toad buzzed over that area and allowed to sink down to the weed tops and then down the outside weed edge can get you on a pattern quickly as you'll be covering the water column on one cast.

Maximum 4 hooks, trebles=1 hook. So I guess I could put a blade or a hookless bait on the middle wire. And on this lake, weed edges are difficult to fish because the boat I will be fishing out of doesn't have a trolling motor. I could try using the anchor, but I don't think I would cover as much water with it.