the odds of the fish throwing the bait are lower if hooked on the front treble hook. the weight of the bait is level. if you hook them on the back hook, they have the weight of the whole bait working in there favor when they come up and start whipping that head around.
a lof of guys use a red trebel hook up front. the theory behind this is that it gives the fish something to target in on. i tried it last year and noticed that they would hit that area of the bait and in turn i landed more fish.
heres a tip for ya for now. next time your out on kent lake, try throwing a suspending jerkbait also. i know the water temps are getting into the low 50s now, and the fish are getting very active, but some of those sow smallmouths are still hanging a little bit deeper and they love a good jerk jerk paused rogue that will just hang out in front of them for a few seconds.
i have only been out on kent 3 times this year. last year i was out there everyday. i am getting my boat back tonite, so i plan on fishing it all weekend. i have a lot of catching up to do.
madman himself