Our area lake is said to be more productive during the cooler months (Kerr Scott in Wilkesboro, NC) with not much action during the summer.  I have some free time and would like to fish it. How would you approach it from shore?

Be confident, make precision casts, do not cast TOO much, use Senko or Trick worm (green pumkin/green) weightless or with 1/16 oz lead weight fished slow.

Somedays the bigger 2+ pound fish will not bite, even when using the best live bait (large minnow on a cork)

Walk the bank and cast parallel to shore, out 5 - 15 yards. Although you are really looking for structure and/or cover, unless you already know the water, fish the entire bank.  If the water is relatively shallow (<12'), I suggest fishing a Fat Ika and 5" Senkos, weightless. If you are able to find deeper water, particularly a ledge, pool or steeply sloped point, try a tube, T-rigged.

What Sparky and Roadwarrior said. Use weightless plastics and walk around the lake casting parallel to shore. That's what I do. I walk around the entire lake first just fishing near the shore. Usually I'll catch several bass. Then I'll start fishing deeper and repeat the process in order to catch the fish that hang out deep, which are usually bigger fish. I've tried topwaters and they work, but usually in the evening or during the day if it rains.

Walk the bank and cast parallel to shore, out 5 - 15 yards. Although you are really looking for structure and/or cover, unless you already know the water, fish the entire bank. If the water is relatively shallow (<12'), I suggest fishing a Fat Ika and 5" Senkos, weightless. If you are able to find deeper water, particularly a ledge, pool or steeply sloped point, try a tube, T-rigged.

Hey Roadwarrior: how do you keep the "dinks" off the line in this situation? I've tried these things that you have mentioned, in very similar situations, and I catch fish, only small fish. Perhaps it is the particular water that I'm on.

YankeesWin,

Nope...You can't keep the dinks off. With the Fat Ika it's just good luck getting past the smaller fish. I don't fish 5" Senkos, they catch too many fish, I only recommend them to guys that are having a problem catching any bass. For me, it's 6" Senkos only.

I catch big bass near the shore. Locate structure or deep water areas and fish big plastics slowly.

the way I like to handle this situation is; Open portable sports chair,open can of DrPepper, unwrap Italian Hero sandwich/place butt in chair and sandwich in mouth,alternating sandwich with Dr Pepper and play with the ducks

muddy, you've either been in the sun too long or have sniffed too much powerbait.

Brad

Actually a lttle too much fun in the 60's Its sad but true

I hit a local lake via wading all year long ( except during the hard water period) and have found all the fish to relate to grass lines, isolated weed patches, and the edge of deeper lilly pads... all in slightly offshore depths. The problem I have is getting to these spots or casting out far enough to reach them from shore.  I will "look" for isolated weds by starting with a crank bait until I "find" patches and then switch to worms, senko, or french fries. Many bass seem to be just below the surface in these weeds, or under the outermost edges of lilly pads...but SOMETIMES the do relate to burying themselves in the weeds so I will peg a worm with a slightly heavier weight. Nightime is great with scum frogs, jitterbugs and soft jerkbaits. Deeper edges along shore edges are tough to fish because you are wading...try wading a cliff drop off sometime! Rocky points or just a line of chunk rocks on a smooth bank also works well, as do any humps on the bottom. I also find the fish scattered all over the place in the summer, so keep moving.

Andy