This day, my first of the season on Quabbin, the weather was agreeable and I was thinking the smallies might be too. The game plan was to work deep edges of flats and steep drops off rock humps. The bait was a jig that has risen in my early season go-to selection: a 3/32 oz. black/purple marabou pattern, palmered on  a mushroom jighead. 

 

In the course of my eight hour day, I spotted very few cruisers and had only one smallmouth inhale the jig I was working just fast enough to keep it out of the rocks. But hey, if you're only gonna hook up once, let it be a 4.21 lb. smallmouth!

 

Rod: 7' or 7' 6" ML power, fast action.  Reel: 2500 size.  Line: a full spool of 6 lb. fluorocarbon.

 

Surface water temps ranged from 49.9º to 54.6º.

I love to see tenacity rewarded. Heck, I love to see tenacity period. 

That’s a great start to the new season. 

Nice one! Love marabou 

That's a nice smallie.

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