Launch the boat and immediately study your temperature gauge as the boat is idling out. Does the water seem unusually cold? If so, observe your wind and see what it’s doing across the lake. If one end of the lake is windier than the other and if water blows into one section of the lake, head there immediately. That's what we do on most spring trips, regardless of wind direction yet being mindful of what types of spots are located in the wind blown areas of the lake.  And that's what Barry Humiston and I had to do on a recent early May trip. Out of the launch and all the way down to the far end of the lake we observed a massive 12 degree surface temperature difference. Wind direction that day was straight north, and its speed was a consistent 15 to 20 mph blow. If the lake is large enough where blowing wind makes a substantial difference in water temperature between calm side versus wind blown side, you could find massive water temperature swings just like this.  In combination with wind speed and direction, sunlight is the catalyst of most smallmouth movements this time of year. Its radiance warms the fishery, further dictating smallmouth locat