On a retrieve so slow that the worm is barely moving forward, a 1/16-ounce head almost perfectly counterbalances the resistance of the worm and the line, creating a presentation that practically hovers in the water column like a suspending jerkbait, especially with the Heavy Metal Jig, which is slightly fluted underneath. Water striking this head pushes it up slightly, allowing an ultraslow presentation. The worm moves forward so slowly, in fact, that the tail has to be designed perfectly to create action. The right sickletails look more natural and work more efficiently at a tedious pace.

Small worms are much harder to cast for distance than tubes and grubs. The perfect rod for zipping these light, small packages way out there is about 8 feet long, with a fast tip and medium power. A 7 1/2-foot rod is adequate, but a 7-footer is too short. The perfect reel is moderate in size. It takes a larger spool to do this right. Small spools create too many coils and therefore too much resistance to reach maximum casting distance. Great reels are the Daiwa SS II 1600 and the Shimano Symetre 4000, filled to the brim with a limp, tough, castable 6-pound line like Stren Magna Flex or Sufix DNA.

The most active smallmouths at this time of year tend to be cruising flats in relatively shallow water, from 2 to 6 feet deep. In calm water, get a boat within 80 feet of them on Lake Michigan and they become acutely aware of it. Their attitude changes. Make long casts with a breeze behind you. Reaching the 100-foot range helps score lots more fish on a calm day. In fact, the flatter the water, the more critical it becomes.

In windy weather with stained water up on some remote lake of the Canadian Shield, you could get away with stiff 10-pound line and a 6-foot rod. But if your buddy has an 8-foot rod and 6-pound line, prepare to get waxed to a high, luminous sheen no matter the weather and water conditions. Long casts and light jigs rule in shallow water.

Light jigs rule in open water, too. "Strolling" a 1/16-ounce jigworm is one of the most effective and consistent open-water techniques we know about. When smallmouths target open-water baitfish like shad, ciscoes, smelt, or alewives and wander off structure, holding around 10 to 20 feet down over 30 to 70 feet of water, using the trolling motor to pull or "stroll" a 1/16-ounce jigworm can win tournaments. (Just ask Jimmy and Billy Lindner.) During summer, a white worm rules in open water. The key is placing the worm back there 80 to 120 feet behind the boat, so it wafts around, slowly rising and falling in the sine wave created by a zig-zagging boat.

Sometimes a heavier 3/32- to 1/4-ounce jig is better for strolling, when bass are deeper. And when casting to shallow smallmouths during summer, a 1/16-ounce head is almost always too slow. Swimming a jigworm continues to be a prime tactic right through summer. Active shallow smallmouths often relate to rock fields, boulders, and piles of broken granite that eat up jigs.

Fishing right on bottom in these cover types can be frustrating, inefficient, and far less effective than simply retrieving a jigworm by reeling it in slowly with a steady, horizontal retrieve. The best jig for summer is a little heavier, and my favorites remain Gopher Tackle Mushroom Heads and Inhaler Legacy Locs from 3/32 to 1/4 ounce. Over a pure rock field, the

Mushroom Head with the VMC Vanadium-series hook excels. The hook is light and thin, so it doesn't add much weight to the package while delivering sure hooksets with 6-pound line.