Opportunities exist year-round. But the main thing for me during the heat of the summer is only fishing at night and fishing offshore structure. Bait selection is the same as the rest of the year, ya just have to figure out the bite. But, my main night baits are (in no particular order) jig, big worm, spinnerbait, big crankbait, and swimbait. As far as depth, Ive always found that the most active fish are on the shallow part of a structure (I fish structure that I know holds fish). Sure, they can be holding down deep or suspended on the sides but you can spend all night trying to get those fish to bite. So, what I normally do is just run through maybe 5-8 spots a night (maybe hitting each 3 times in a night), working the shallow active zone quickly, then moving on. Sooner or later, I pull up on a structure and the bass are shallow and active (shallow being a relative term based on the structure itself). I dont have enough patience to sit on one or two spots, the run and gun works best for me. But, if lots of fish are active on a spot, I may stay somewhat close, and just keep revisiting a spot every 30 minutes or so.

PS: at dirty water places like the Delta, night fishing is much less effective, and I fish them during the day. Deep clear water with lots of daytime activity (skiers, etc) equals awesome night fishing.