DERRICK SNAVELY
V&M J-Mag Worm on a BOSS Shakey Jig Head
V&M Pork Pin on a BOSS
Screw Cap Head
Zoom UV
Speed Craw
V&M Drop
Shad
Zoom Super
Fluke
OTT DEFOE
Bass Pro Shops Stik-O
on a VMC Rugby Head
Rapala BX
Waking Minnow
According to FLW pro Derrick Snavely, the biggest
smallies start to move up when the water
temperature reaches 57 degrees.
Bass Pro Shops
Speed Shad
Creek arms are obvious starting
points, and from there, both pros will
start trying to dial in on the type of rock.
“A mix of pea gravel and golf-ball-
sized rock is usually ideal,” says
Snavely. “Maybe it has some clay and
sand mixed in, but that smaller chunk
rock is usually on the best spots.
“Some of the lakes I fish have a
black shell rock that, when you can
find it, is always a great spot for a
spawning smallmouth, especially if it
has a large boulder or piece of cover
near it. Whether it’s on a giant flat or
on a small 45-degree bank, if there is a
larger piece of cover nearby, you’re
almost guaranteed to have a small-
mouth on it.”
Both pros will often pick a prime-
looking pocket and, starting out on the
point, fish their way in with various
baits. Snavely likes a Carolina rig with
a Zoom UV Speed Craw or a Zoom Super Fluke, while DeFoe is partial to a
Rapala BX Balsa Waking Minnow or a
Bass Pro Shops 3.8-inch Speed Shad
swimbait on a 1/4-ounce jighead.
Ultimately, the goal is to simply cover
water, relying on the moving lures to
illicit bites from aggressive small-
mouths on beds, thus giving away their
hidden locations.
Try not to focus too much on the
bank’s topography, as doing so may
cause you to miss some opportunities.
“Many guys are used to looking for
those flatter banks, but smallmouth
don’t really care about that as much,”
says Snavely. “There are some vertical
banks on Dale Hollow that have small
stairsteps. They’ll often spawn on those
tiny, vertical stairs if they have the right
ingredients, and those are fish most
guys will miss. Even fishing their way
into a pocket, they’ll just skip over cast-
ing there.”
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM 55
“THE BIG GIRLS WILL ALL
BE OUT SUSPENDED,
WAITING FOR THE
TEMPERATURE TO GET
RIGHT, WHICH IS WHERE
THAT PRESPAWN SWIM-
BAIT AND JERKBAIT BITE
CAN BE SO GOOD.”
— Derrick Snavely