I went to northern Michigan for some bass fishing.  I fished Hamlin Lake and Pere Marquette lake near Ludington.  I couldn't buy a bass! The water temp ranged 68-71 degrees...shouldn't the bass still be shallow and relatively active?  I found no bass in the shallows what so ever.  On a small lake I did catch a few on topwater the last hour of light, but it was tough and slow to say the least.  I was looking for smallies mostly, but largemouths were welcome.  I always struggle this time of year once the bass move out of the shallows.  I hit the outside weed lines, dropoffs and even tried dropshotting in 16-20 feet for a while...nothing!   Conditions weren't perfect...cold front on Thursday and bright high sun the rest of the days.  I fished mostly mornings.  I did catch a master angler Pike and Dogfish on the same day so that was cool!  Thanks for the help.

At what temps do you generally figure the fish will hold deeper?  

I love to fish for smallies, and as you know, smallies don't hold much to anything in a lake or pond, but travel around looking for food or follow schools of bait. The best way I use to locate the bait is by looking for loons that are actively diving in the same area over and over again, and try to see what they are eating. It may be young of the year perch or deeper for crayfish. This will give you an idea of "what" to use and "where" to look. Hope this helps you out,

                                                                                        David