I would imagine that this water stays warm through out the year and that would be a plus...We fish A.C. minnows, And M.S. Slammers out here in the west like a topwater. I throw mine in the same places you would throw a buzzbait next to weedlines,brush etc.,etc.and I would not hesitate to do it all year long. We throw Optimum,Ospery or any other clones when the fish don't respond to the other presentation.The A.C. is fished super slow on top so that the back tail is just wagging and the swimbaits as we call them are cast out on then you reel them in ever so slowly as to maintain your depth and action. If I had to pick a size for your lake I'd go with the 7 inch in both cases as it is the most likely to get bit. You will catch fish down to a pound on these lures...Laremouth are truely awesome fish and thank god they don't live in the ocean and get to be 200+ pounds or we'd be fish food! I use a 7 1/2 foot Loomis rod that is rated from 1 to 6 ozs. and 20-25 pound maxima. Your reel has got to be worthwhile as you are going to need to make as long a cast as is posible....You might even want to check out a Tora Tube. This looks like a giant crappie jig and it might be easier to use in the shallows than the optimum as they are fairly heavy.....Kick some bass and let us know how it works out!