For reasons beyond my control, I find myself making summer vacation
arrangements far in advance of my usual last-minute planning system. One
advantage, I suppose, is that I get to think more about where I might find
any opportunity to escape the family & wet a line. Adding to the
anticipation is knowing I'll be staying on a fairly decent pond for wild
smallmouth (& stocked brookies).

I've probably asked this before; but I have a short memory, so I'll start
over. I'm okay at reading streams and moving water; but I suck at flat
water. Hell, that's probably the main reason I gave up bass fishing. I
don't have a clue about where to fish, when to fish, or how to fish a still
body of water.

So if I'm fishing for smallies in a northern Maine pond of about 400 acres
in July, what's a reasonable course of action? What are the clues? Yes, I
realize there's no magic bullet here and the right answer differs on any
given day or set of conditions; but given my overall cluelessness about
lakes and smallies, I'm looking for general discussion for what bottom
structure, water depths, shoreline conditions I should be looking for to
make good decisions once I get there. Do I fish deep, or shallow? Early or
late? Edges of weedbeds or around deep boulder fields?

I have six months to tie up flies too, so a few suggestions for locally
effective flies would be nice.

Joe F.