[buzzbaiter]

Since I only fish form shore/wade, my summer options are limited by weeds The "mats" can extend out 100' or more from shore. Water Lily and Water Shield are the worst as they are quite dense with their leaves overlapping creating zero openings. Good news is that soon they be turning yellow and dying off. Between the time they die off and the first real cold spell(generally late October) can be the best time to target shallow water bass and my personal favorite - pickerel. No mystery for me how to fish - topwater. Most bass and pickerel are slamming schools of baitfish either just above submerged weeds or near structure. Basically I go topwater with buzzbait, surface popper and even a light spoon buzzer(not many types out there but they are effective and cast a mile) in that order. Buzzbait best in choppy water while the other two are best in calm waters. I go gold/black/silver and skip the fancy colors. Summer its early/late; fall its just like spring with mid-afternoon until dusk being best. If its in the 40's early morning, forget it. I don't leave the house until after noon. A cloudy night means less radiation cooling and warm mornings. Those can be the best days.