If you examine what the baitfish are doing you will see that most are moving out of the shallows except for a few warmer days and just a few hours of those days, and moving out to the deeper points and ledges. As any other time of year, if you follow the baitfish you can find the bass. The ideal baits for this time are small and worked with finesse over the 10 to 15 feet deep areas.
My favorites for catching numbers are small shaky head baits with small worms like finesse worms or 6.5 inch, thin bodied Mister Twister worms rigged shaky head style. My favorite shaky head jig is made by Punisher Lures. The reason I like their version is the coiled wire worm attachment. The coiled version allows you to rig the worm and get a pure vertical drop when rigged correctly. There is also less wear and tear on the worm and your bait last longer. If you examine the Punisher version their coil is solid and welded into the hook so you don't have to deal with the coil coming loose or breaking off. The solid coil also gives you a better feel during a very light strike by a bass. Since it attached solid to the hook you sense a bite much easier.
Something to consider when fishing a shaky head is line size and whether or not to use a spinning rig. In order to get the light versions of the shaky head down to the bottom, a thin line of 12 pounds or less needs to be used. The colder it gets the thinner the line gets on my rods, down all the way to 8 pound test sometimes. The spinning reel decision is tough for me. I don't like fishing spinning rods but this rig allows for a better vertical drop than a bait cast rig does.
Lastly, a shaky head allows you to rig a worm Texas style and avoid getting marred up in the deeper grass points. Go small, go shaky head. It's a great time for it!
