Actually, I've been doing better on the smaller lakes this year. The fish just seem to be more active in the small water and river fishing has been great. I was fishing river smallmouth earlier in August and was getting follows and a few strikes from muskies. The rivers are low this year and everybody and their brother seems to be stacked in the same holes. Also, sometimes when they seem scarce I try to go with smaller surface baits in shallower water, or deeper with big crankbaits around rocky humps and points. Sometimes you just have to mix it up.