I assume smallmouth bass respond better to some baits and presentations early in the year vs late or during the summer heat. Is this true? I feel like a one trick pony using dropshots so much.

 

Can you give some opinions by the month/by water temps on what you would use? This is for Mid Michigan waters mainly, but any estimates are good enough for me. What depths even to focus on?

 

Only thing Ive heard and haven't tried yet is jerkbaits early season.

 

Whats best for late may, early June?

A complete answer to your post would require a lot of text, but I'll describe spring, because it's relevant now, and it's the easiest time to catch fish.

 

The best spring search baits for me are 3/32 oz hair jigs, small jerk baits (like pointer 78's), and Keitech 2.8s on 1/16-1/8 oz heads. Once I find fish, I spot lock and catch as many as I can using the search bait; then I switch to a 2.5" tube. If there's a bunch of mossy crap growing on the rocks, I'll use a drop shot instead of a tube.

 

I mostly target 2-10'. For structure, look for boulders and rock/sand transitions on big flats with easy access to deep water. Always fish the warmest part of the bay (often it'll be wind blown shorelines).

 

This is pretty much all I do until the water consistently hits 60 degrees.

The above suggestions are very good.