Early Spring Smallmouth Techniques

[WallStreetAmigo]

Hey Guys, Long time no see!!!!!

I have my first tournament coming up on Sat April 5th fishing exclusively for smallies. Since I have limited smallmouth opportunities in my area, I have not had a chance to really fish for them.

I'll give you some details and maybe you can give me some ideas of what might work.

We will be fishing in the west arm of the lake as we have the slowest boat in the tournament and want to stay relatively close to the weigh boat and the boat launch to maximize our fishing time. There are some docks there and I have included the map for you guys to look at.

It typically takes a five fish limit of 21 pounds or better to win (last year was 27.5 lbs)

The weather is supposed to be realtively clear with water temps in the low to mid 40's. We will only have an Eagle portable depthfinder.

Most of the guys will be fishing tubes and drop shots, and we will too. Since we will likely have last choice on good spots in this area, any advice on things to look for and advice on other techniques that might work based on the conditions would be appreciated.

I'm looking forward to my first tournament!