Get up wind, try doing everything we talked about in June, swear frequently and wait for the clouds.
The dam can really produce on those cloudy days. Fish the muddler, accept the awkward casting and you might just do something almost miraculous. Also consider the booby trick, remember small hot dries, and leaded lured and you have as much opportunity to catch fish as you are going to get.
Terrestrials are a large feature of the trout's diet in all summer months. However, in August it is possible for trout to feed on such flies to the exclusion of all else.
We are talking ants and hoverfly as the two big rise producers. These land-bred insects are blown onto the water, so get upwind.
This can be a very frustrating time, often it is the case that the trout can be seen to be rising in a berserk fashion some fifty yards or so in the distance, with not so much as a dimple within casting range. Under these circumstances the only option is to get afloat or miss the action.
You must carry ant imitations. If you don't you will age drastically.
Hoverfly rises are big slashing events and can be dealt with using greased up Invictas. But best is to carry a few copies. I find a hoverfly, on its day, can bring fish up when nothing is showing. A great fly when the trout are tuned in.
All in all, August can be the bank angler's nightmare. The banks can be devoid of fish for most if not all of the day. The only exception to this is in such areas where water is pumped in to fill up the lake. This sort of fishing shall be dealt with separately since I personally do not consider it to be 'proper' fishing.
