Sand pockets, isolated beaches, and shorelines with exposure to southern skies are major fish attractors as waters warm into the 50’s this month. These nearshore hot spots tend to be the most overlooked lake regions on any smallmouth fishery in spring because most lake charts and maps don’t reveal them. As a result, the smallmouths they attract are less pressured. Smallmouths using these shallow water locations will proceed to lie on bottom, absorbing every ray of the sun beating down on them. Sunlight makes this early spring sand pattern happen, and it takes place more often than you would think. Usually by Wisconsin’s walleye opener weekend, these shallow sand bites emerge, and they’re a blast when found. In our experiences, most sunbathing smallmouths and neutral behaved, or can be negatively uncatchable. But you’d be surprised by the number of desirable 3 to 4 pounders that can huddle together in large communities and lie on sand to absorb the sun’s rays. Even larger smallmouths will do the same. This unique early season bite came to form during Wisconsin walleye opener weekend 2024 with good clients and even better friends, Jim and Kara