Well the summer striper bite is in full swing. Somedays its great, somedays its a lil slower. Normal for late summer. Their patterns have been a little abnormal this summer due to the large amounts of rain we received in june and july. Most fish are 40-80 feet deep in the mouths of the creeks and on the main lake. There hasn't really been a productive area that his been any better than the next as far as open water, flats, points and such as they all seem to still be holding fish as certain times of day. As anyone that knows me personally knows well that I absolutely hate fishing open water and like to stay closer to the banks on shallower fish that I feel are usually easier to target and stay on top of but tons of fish are 100 yds or more off the banks right now and cruising the middle and open water. The open water fish seem to be a little more aggressive and a little better sized as well. Keep in mind that surface temperatures are anywhere from 84-88 degrees right now and the fish are stressed. Hot water and lower oxygen levels can cause in my opionon for the stripers who are a cold and oxygen rich thriving fish to go into "survival mode" somedays and create a slower bite. But stay moving around. Just because you hit one or two or sometimes three schools of stripes that don't bite well doesn't mean every fish in the lake has shut down at the same time. Its normal this time of year. Some schools are more worried about surviving...than eating at certain points and times of the day. Exerting as little energy as possible sometimes. What do you do when its hot, muggy and miserable outside? Even the best of us can get a little lazy from time to time, lol. That doesn't mean you going to quit eating, it just means your probably not going to eat as much and as often, conserve energy, stay cool, relax. The fish will do the same thing. But downrods fished anywhere from 45 to 55 feet early morning and 60-anywhere as deep as 90 come mid morning to mid day. It is strictly my opionon too but remember waters warm, oxygen levels are low and fish are deep. Not the time of year too release fish as most anything being released now may swim away but will more than likely die. Good luck and good fishing! Jared