FLY-FISHING THE SHORE
Naturally, these shallow-water smallies can be caught with a variety of tackle, but I have to admit, working a bassy shoreline with a fly rod is the ultimate in angling enjoyment.

Once you get a handle on fly-casting, you can quickly and almost effortlessly lay a fly rod popper next to shoreline cover. You drop it lightly next to the log, rock or weed, then pop the fly several times. If there are no takers, you can pick up the fly and quickly deliver it to another spot with only a single fluid backcast. And when a brawny bronzeback engulfs the fly you'll be amazed at how hard it fights on the long rod.

One easy way to learn all the in and outs of fly-rodding is by reading the new book Smallmouth Fly-Fishing available from Smallmouth Angler at www.smallmouthangler.com.

FISHING THE MOUTHS
Another shallow-water location that can hold plenty of summer smallies is river and stream mouths.

Especially in oligotrophic or infertile lakes, incoming streams bring in the nutrients that attract smallmouth forage. If the incoming flow is substantial and the river mouth is at least 4 feet deep, some fish will be present all day long, provided the area isn't heavily disturbed by anglers. And while smaller stream mouths seldom hold fish during midday, in the mornings they, too, can be excellent. But stream-mouth smallies tend to be spooky, so it's best to stay as far away from the mouth as you can get and still make accurate casts. In-line spinners cast well and are sure-fire producers at these hotspots.

STAINED-LAKE SMALLMOUTHS
Actually there's also a type of lake where smallmouths can be found shallow even during bright, sunny conditions.

In heavily stained lakes, where natural tannins reduce the water visibility to only 3 or 4 feet, some summer fish will stay shallow all day long. While "classic" smallmouth lakes are deep and clear, there are some bodies of water that are relatively shallow with a lot of marsh drainage. This creates a low-visibility, dark-stained lake. It also means low-alkalinity water, and lower overall numbers of smallmouths than what a more fertile lake would hold. However, the predator fish in stained lakes are also hungrier than those in other waters, so when you find fish, they're easy to catch.

Covering water quickly with a very noticeable lure is the best way to catch stained-lake smallmouths. Target shorelines with plenty of cover and work the water with a fast-moving lure or fly. The spinnerbait's powerful flash and acoustic signature makes it an excellent subsurface choice. For topwater fishing, a 1/4-ounce buzzbait is hard to beat. If you're fly-fishing, try a Buzz Bomb on top, or a Lefty's Deceiver subsurface.

OFFSHORE SMALMOUTHING
Of course, to consistently catch midday fish on a typical smallmouth lake during July and August, you'll need to head offshore.

In the mid- and late-summer periods, the majority of larger fish on clearwater lakes spend their days on deep-water points, reefs and humps. Points are easy to target, but offshore structure is trickier to figure out. Both reefs and humps are rises in the bottom surrounded by deeper water, but reefs can be quite large, several acres in size and extending hundreds of yards. Humps, on the other hand, are generally much smaller, sort of tiny underwater islands, sometimes barely 15 feet across. But finding and fishing this offshore habitat is well worth it, since a single large reef can hold dozens good-sized fish.

Naturally, accurately targeting this fish-holding structure requires a good map and depthfinder. Often the general outlines of larger reefs and humps can be identified by studying a lake map, and increasingly, maps mark some lake features with Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates. In theory, this means a GPS-owning angler can simply motor out to a reef's coordinates. However, being able to precisely identify a reef's edges, various depths and different bottom substrates still requires a depthfinder. So learn to get the most out of your electronics. This is one situation where using it well will definitely pay off with more fish on the line.