Bass, smallmouth in particular, will follow these forage fish to the upper layer of the water column. Typically, this happens over large points and flats that extend well into the lake. A hard jerkbait is ideal for such spots. Fan-cast over flats using a stop-and- go retrieve to work the lure in. Don't be afraid to leave the bait hanging motionless for extended periods of time. Hits often occur a half-minute after the bait has been "killed."

On large natural lakes, smallmouth bass will concentrate off creek mouths when the proper rocky habitat is present. Use a hard jerkbait over rocky shallows to trigger fish holding there.

Rivers are an ideal setting to use a hard jerkbait. As was previously mentioned, river smallies often hold in eddies out of the main river flow at this time. When the water is clear, which it can be if snow or rain conditions were light over the winter, the hard jerkbait is often the number one producer.

Hold the boat close to quiet pockets of water and slowly work the suspending jerkbait from the bank back to the boat, even in depths of 10 to 15 feet of water. If the water is clear, the bass will find the bait if they want it.

It takes a bit of patience to work a hard jerkbait slowly enough during the early season. The tendency is to fish them too fast. I prefer a medium-action, medium-power 7-foot spinning rod for throwing hard jerkbaits. An outfit that includes 30-pound-test braided line and a fluorocarbon leader telegraphs strikes extremely well.

During the post-spawn, when largemouths scatter and begin leaving the shallows, a soft-bodied jerkbait is effective for working the flats when searching for fish. The bait may be worked through wood, as well as over newly emerging weeds. It may be fished quickly on or near the surface for aggressive fish or when attempting to trigger a reactionary strike. It may also be hopped along the bottom more like a jig or worm.

I like to rig a 4-inch soft jerkbait on a 3/0 weighted hook in the 1/8- or 1/16-ounce sizes.

I also use a soft jerkbait on river smallies with great success during the early season. Rigged with the 1/8-ounce weighted hook, I'll fish the bait more like a tube than a jerkbait, dead-sticking it in the current as the boat drifts along. I prefer the same rod-reel setup for soft jerkbaits that I use for hard baits.

Some anglers may opt for similar outfits in casting versions.

SPINNERBAITS
Last spring, I joined Deron Eck, a frequent fishing partner, for a day of early-season largemouth bass fishing on a local reservoir that covers nearly 2,000 acres. I mention it now because it occurs to me that on a day where we boated a dozen bass in the 3- to 5-pound range, many of the presentations I've described were productive -- plus one more: a spinnerbait worked over stumps and through weeds.