Looking for help in how and where  to locate smallmouth in the heat of the summer.  I primarily fish Dale Hollow Lake on th TN/KY border.  It is a clear water TVA reservoir that is well known for its smallmouth fishing (world record was caught there) but they get very difficult to find in the summer.  Water in Dale Hollow is 80-83 degrees now.

Can anyone out there share with me their methods for finding smallmouth in summer?  What techniques and baits do you use?

Any help will be appreciated.  Also, have any suggestions on how to make jet skiers disappear?    

 

Welcome aboard!

You might want to hire a guide. Dale Hollow can be VERY challenging in the summer. I have often heard that your best bet is fishing at night. If that's an option you are interested in, you might give it a try.

My summer tactics are:

Mainlake structure like humps and points, docks, laydowns, and over-hanging trees during the day.  I use tubes (1/4 oz jig stuffed inside with hook exposed), grubs (1/4 oz jig), spinnerbaits (3/8 oz in white/yellow), and X-Raps (XR10s in perch or rainbow trout).

In the early morning and night (sunset really) I stick to mainlake humps with surface lures such as poppers and walkers.

Good luck!

Chad

In the heat of the summer go with a deeper lure,all my catchs today were in shaded trees.Jigs work exceptional well when the fish go deep.