My early-season bass tackle box doesn't have much variety. All I carry are the sure-fire baits that produce time after time, regardless of where I'm fishing or how.

As a youngster, I became a fan of the then-Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League because of their defensive front -- a group known as the "Fearsome Foursome." When bass-fishing time finally rolls around, I rely on another Fearsome Foursome to generate on-the-water excitement not unlike that generated when one of those Rams (Roosevelt Greer, David "Deacon" Jones, Lamar Lundy and Merlin Olsen) went crashing through an opponent's line with a bead on the quarterback.

My bass Fearsome Foursome includes weighted stick baits, safety-pin-style spinnerbaits, Carolina-rigged lizards and Hula Grub-style soft plastics on stand-up jigheads. Talk about having the tools necessary to "sack" big bass!

Each of these lures is included for specific reasons. Most important, however, they will help anyone effectively fish bass during a time of the fishing year that can be more dynamic than any other. At least one of the Fearsome Foursome baits will trigger strikes in any situation.

Here are some other reasons I've included these particular baits over myriad of other lures available today.

WEIGHTED STICK BAITS
You can use these wonderful lures to cover a lot of water quickly. Moreover, their very nature makes it possible for you to vary your presentation, as necessary, to match prevailing conditions and the fishes' collective mood.

In the early season, you're liable to fish back-to-back days that can be (1) blustery and cold, then (2) bright, comfortable and even shirtsleeve warm in nature. Conditions change now, and they can do so very quickly.

What makes weighted stick baits so attractive is that you can change them just as quickly . . . simply by how you fish them.

In general terms, you'll be using this bait when bass are still relatively deep. As they start to move up into more shallow water, they are going to feed fairly heavily and water temperatures will affect how relatively active they will be on a given day.

If a morning dawns bright, cloudless and sunny, bass generally are going to be more active. As water warms, however, an overcast day might keep them more active longer because there won't be so much light penetration. The time alluded to here comes after the initial period of warming in the early season, when temperatures have reached levels conducive to active fish. They don't need the warmth of the sun so much to trigger their feeding and movement, so more muted light levels will work to your advantage.

Bass now are going to be using cover and structure breaks at depth levels between their deepest winter haunts and the shallows they'll use later. You'll do best by positioning your boat over what you believe to be the deepest water they'll be using, and making casts as long as possible toward the shore. Doing so lets you cover various depths.