This is a strange topic from what I see. I keep hearing about folks "hanging it up in the summer", but I can't say that I know more than maybe one or two that does this.
This is all just my impression of summer's fishing;
Wherever you were sucessful with your plugs shouldbe at least equally good with flies.
With the bright, hot days of summer with plenty of boating activity,,, I like to do most of my fishing at night or early mornings (depending on tides, wind and other variables). Next is "twilight" especially on overcast/rainy/foggy days. If I really feel the need to fish during the daytime when the sun is bright, I'll most likely concentrate on areas where bass can get shaded like piers, kelp beds and the such.
Again, generally speaking, big water seems to hold bigger fish where as the more shallow ponds and such seem to hold more of the schoolie population. Big water meaning deeper water like in the bay's channels etc. and for me that's a bit deep for flyfishing in the daytime. However, at night they seem to roam into the more shallow waters to feed as long as its not too terribly far from the deeper stuff.
For example, Ninigret Pond is mostly around 6 ft. deep. You can get plenty of action some nights with fish up to the 40" range,,, maybe, but mostly they'll be around 18-26". In the breach heading into the pond I could do a bit better at times. But for the really bigger bruisers I'll want to be outside the breach (beach). And be prepared for tying into the occasional Big Bertha.
I feel the bigger the fish, the lazier they are. Just like people in a way. 90 deg. in the summer you'll find the teenagers still playing basketball and other high activity games, while us older types may be content to sit under a shade tree, have a cocktail, and tell of tails of times gone by. The (teenager) stripers will thrill at chasing little 2-4" baitfish in skinny waters off and on all night, while momma strolls along looking for an easy 2-4 lb. prey for dinner. And usually she isn't in the mindset to work too hard for it either.
Scouting my fishing spots along this line of thinking has been pleasantly productive for me. The nicest part is when I'm concentrating on the biggies, I'll usually have the areas all to myself, or nearly so. Big fish don't usually hang with the schoolies and they are not as heavily numbered. Many folks want quantity and go to the more active places.
Looking for structure with feed is good. I say feed instead of bait fish for a very definate reason. Finding a flow of water that is ladened with debrie stirred up by boaters, clammers, etc. is a darn good start. If this flow is going to deeper water, or to water with the mentioned shade then I have 2 elements in my favor. If it's full or new moon, I've got 3 things in my favor. Getting as many variables as I can muster to work for me is a definate way to go.
Kenny likes to compare strippers with trout and I can see how this may work. I've never been much of a trout fisherman so I maybe missing some interesting points. I do however like large and small mouth bass fishing and have spent a lot of time at it. So I use the same tactics for stripers as I do for fresh water bass and it works for me. Big bucket mouths are lazy in the summer just like the stripers. They are also opertunist, and don't like to work hard for a meal. They use all sorts of structure, avoid bright sun, prefer high levels of oxygenated water, use ambush tactics, take residence in diff. areas than the juvenile, tend to avoid high levels of suspended silt and sand in the water colum, and want a decent sized meal for minimal effort.
Did I mention big baits for big fish and if I can put it into their mouths for them they'll be happier (very important issue with me)? Point being, besides big, cover the water with overkill. Plan a fine grid and cover it all with slower presentations. Try from different directions. If I think I'm working an area too fast, I'll try and convince myself to slow down. Cover with diff. depths, speeds, actions, etc.
As mentioned, this is a generalized plan of attack that I use, it is not cast in stone as there are certainly exceptions to any of the rules I try to follow. I'm not even saying this is the best way or a good way (or possibly even a right way), It's my way. Perhaps there is an idea or two that you may find useful in your search for areas to fish?
By-the-way, I find nothing wrong with scouting a suspected area for schoolies with spinning gear then changing to the fly.
Persistance is your best tool. Good luck & enjoy.
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