Slow down for early-season smallmouths. Where you might use a 3/32- to 1/8-ounce jig with plastics in summer, back off to a 1/16th. Choose jigs with a long shank, to accommodate 4- to 5-inch grubs and worms. Some of the best light jigs for bass are provided by TC Tackle, Northland Tackle, Owner and Gamakatsu. Lighter heads allow for a slower drop and a slower retrieve in shallow water, where most of the bass will be until they spawn.
Spawning begins as surface temperatures broach 58°F in many northern fisheries—60°F down South. Slow rolling action-tail plastics on a horizontal plane is a key tactic prior to the spawn. Keep it in the middle of the water column. If the water is 6 feet deep, slowly reel it along 3 to 4 feet down. Keep the rod tip low. Don’t jig, snap, or vibrate it. Just reel it slowly in. Bites are light, but 4- to 6-pound monofilament works best. Braid allows jigs to fall too fast this time of year.