Was able to get out from 9AM til 1PM and managed 65: 50 whites, 14 keeper yellow bass and a short hybrid. It was the 1st time out since last Tuesday and wanted to check out various areas and spots. Started at the dam and found nothing at Greenhouse Ridge, Dam Ridge West of Pole, Dam Drop-off and Dam Ridge. Headed north but stopped at the A-Frame. Saw some there but only turned out to be yellow bass. Went from there to Iron Wall Hump and found em. Had a limit of whites in 20 fow in about 40 minutes. Caught a few on #4, but when I switched to #2 rig I started catching one every cast. Left em biting to check Spillway Hump. Mostly yellows there in 15 fow but caught some whites too. Then to the Rock Pile where I managed 5 more whites but too many yellows to mess with. So went to Merimac Point (nothing there) and finally Key ranch North, where I caught the last few whites and a few more keeper yellows. Every spot except Iron Wall Hump had too many pesky little yellow bass.

Thanks Dennis CC has really been good for us also.

very impressive - hit most of the same spots in the evening and nothing to report - lots of competition (must have read your post before me!!)

i went to a few of those places on Saturday didn't see much, so it was a good confirmation that I wasn't totally off. Still learning to read the hummingbird. Sometimes I see a lot of something, but don't really know what i'm seeing. I saw a lot of what looked like fish marks in about 39 foot of water just north of spillway hump. I fished for a few minutes but nothing was interested in what I was casting.

I would be interested to hear your opinion of structure fishing in August when it gets really hot. Is there any difference in when(time of day) you're fishing? Also do the fish remain on the 20 foot area or will they move deeper as the temperature rises?

Every August/September here I have to go to shallow (10 to 15fow) structures, and fish are usually right at the edge of points and humps where it drops off into deeper water. Key Ranch Drop-off, Key Ranch North, Saint Annes East, north finger of Spillway Hump, Dam Drop-off, West Dam Point, Merimac Point and Game Warden Hump are my best spots for this. Also, almost every year I have to switch to a #2 Mepps on 10lb fluorocarbon line with 3/16 mash-on weight about 15 inches up the line. Last year I was able to catch fish on #4 all year - an exception.

The technique when fishing the #2 on shallow structures is to position the boat a good cast away from where you marked fish (I always use a toss-over marker to mark them - usually just to the side of fish - not on top of them). Then cast beyond the fish, let the Mepps go to the bottom and then swim it sideways along the bottom - 4 to 6 turns on my 6:1 reel. Unlike fishing more vertically with a #4 I hold the medium action rod low and out to the side. In my minds eye I like to see the Mepps swimming up the slope a few feet at a time. When it gets to the fish, they hit it as I start another drag. Sometimes I take up the slack before each drag, but sometimes I leave a little slack in the line and start the drag with a jerk and keep reeling the 4 to 6 turns. This latter technique is the only way I can catch them some years in Aug/Sep. A sign that we're in this mode of fishing is when the guides have to troll with hell-pet rigs and seeing TFF complaints about when is the "slab bite" going to return. I dislike trolling and with the #2 Mepps technique above, I don't have to. Hope this helps.

What I've enjoyed most here lately is all the mid-day surface action we've been seeing. The mornings have been hit or miss, but middle of the day has been incredible!

Thanks for the details Dennis. I remember using the #2 while we were out last year. I just didn't remember us discussing when to start using it.