I've been fishing the east basin of the lake. The water temperatures are up. The lake is approaching 75 degrees on the surface. The fish are deep. We're catching them early in the morning. The bite fades quickly. I've been working recreation area 1 on the peninsula along with most everyone else. I'm pulling worms slow and deep and trying to capitalize on some fish to the boat as early as possible. We did catch and release an 8.5 pound German Brown a couple of days ago on the west side near the red banks. Unfortunately, the bait that I was marking in there seems to have moved out. There are a lot of weeds to contend with and the lake is beginning to drop. This is straining what is otherwise an already shallow basin. The combination of hot weather, weed growth, and dropping lake levels does not have me optimistic about the remainder of the summer for the west side.
I suggest sticking to the East side. Wherever there is deep water is opportunity. Big Springs in 50' of water, Rec 1 to big cove, the Dorado all the way south towards the dam in deep water. The fish are in there. The window to catch them is just small.
If you get frustrated trolling slow, there are some smaller fish to be had about 30'. Pulling speedy shiners will bring some smaller fish to the boat. During these hot days of summer, sometimes a few fish to the boat is better than nothing.
please practice catch and release whenever possible. With these temperatures simply tossing fish off the back of the boat is leaving a few dead fish on the surface every morning. take the time to care for your fish. Don't hang it from a scale. Weight it in a net. And hold it off the side of the boat for a while for it to catch its breath before losing control of it. It's the right thing to do. Teaching our kids, our friends, and practicing good catch and release ethics ourselves helps all of us enjoy a great day fishing.
Thank you and good luck.