I was talking to a guy on myspace the other day and he asked for some tips when it came to spawning smallmouth.
So I sent him this. 
When it comes to big spawning smallmouth is that you can fish for them a little bit deeper and you will catch a few big smallmouth. But the big ones do spawn up shallow. You just have to find the right areas. You find these right areas and yo will find multiple big smallmouth spawning in that same area. They will spawn in the same depth as those other 2lb fish. I take a map of the lake/river I am going to fish and then find the best looking spawning areas in the lake. Thats where the bigger ones are going to be. Look for bays that are are closer to deep water, with a nice firm bottom. AKA gravel or sand with some rocks. I like gravel the best it has a firm bottom, yet the smallies can fan a nice looking bed out.
OO and one of the best tips that I can give you is as you go around a body of water. You can find the bigger ones real easy actually. The bigger ones are going to make their beds bigger than the smaller fish. So you can put your trolling motor on high and just look for the bigger beds. When I say bigger beds I mean like 2 foot wide beds. A bigger one might even have one a little bit bigger. But 95% of the time you can look at a bed and however wide it is, is how long the fish is going to be.
Also if the lake is a highly pressured lake, I would advise looking for spots that other people might look by. Like smaller bays, that people might drive right by. Just cuz the bay is small does not mean the big ones are not in there. It just has to have a good bottom. Sometimes they are even the best.
Also fish them really slow with soft plastics. It does not matter when it comes to the bait. It is always the spot that will.
I could keep going. Or if you would like more of a specific question asked I could try answering it for you.
Dave Pechacek