The point where the water quickly breaks into deeper pools is a situation in which a tube fished on an insert-style leadhead jig is ideal. The leadhead is pushed up through the hollow body of the bait. When completely inserted, the line tie is pushed through the body of the bait. The head of the insert-style jighead is narrow and tapered so it may be slid into the bait without ripping it up. Wetting the jighead for a bit of lubrication aids this process.

The tube may also be rigged the opposite direction, by inserting the point of the hook at the spot where the line tie will be. Work the hook and then the leadhead into the tube until the line tie is at the original point of entry. Leadheads that feature weed guards must be rigged in this direction.

One-eighth-ounce jigheads are about right in most flowing water situations.

For the boat angler, it is usually best to allow the boat to drift with the current while pitching casts to the pockets of quiet water next to shore. I like to slow the drift of my boat just a bit, making occasional steering corrections and just enough thrust to slow the boat's downriver drift.

Early spring is one of the best times for the shore or wading angler to score well on spring smallies. It's a simple matter to locate slow-moving pools on large creeks and small rivers, places where bass will congregate until the water warms. Hop a tube jig along the bottom of the deeper pools. In the area toward the tail of the hole, where actively feeding smallies often lie, pick up the pace a bit and swim the tube just over the bottom.

When Texas-rigged, a tube body also excels when targeting largemouths on lakes and reservoirs during spring. It can be fished in the same areas as skirted jigs. The tube presents a different profile, which can make a big difference to bass some days. Use a wide-gap hook on a 3- or 4-inch bait. Use a bullet sinker to keep the sinker from sliding on the line, or use a screw-in style bullet sinker to keep it in place.

JERKBAITS
Jerkbaits, both the hard- and soft-bodied varieties, have a definite place on the end of the rod of the early-season bass angler.

Suspending hard jerkbaits are effective early-season baits for both smallmouth and largemouth bass. The key to success with hard jerkbaits is clear water.

During the early season, soon after ice-out, forage species such as shad and shiners are drawn to the rapidly warming water. While this is commonly associated with dark-bottomed bays that quickly warm, the surfaces of main-lake areas also rise rapidly in temperature during spring's warming trends.