The afternoon sun burned a hole in the clouds as another classic fishing truism was about to be re-enacted.

I pitched my jig to the end of the rock jetty as the sky brightened. It sank only a couple of feet before I felt the “tick” of the bite. The fuse was lit, so I set the hook and a three-pound smallmouth bass rocketed to the surface and cartwheeled across Lake Erie.

It was exactly the aerial show I’d envisioned as I planned a visit to Erie last week with fishing buddy Ted Suffolk of Canfield. Experiences over the decades painted vivid pictures of what we might expect as we set out to unlock another day on the greatness that is Erie.

Though our anticipation was high, our day on the lake started slow. It was a good hour before the first fish bit. But once we took the lid off, the action was steady for the balance of our hours on the water.

Along the way, we added proof to four of the truisms anglers often recite as we work to find and catch fish.

The first truism was one that lurked in the back of my mind as we drove up Ohio 11 to Erie. The forecast was for overcast conditions and we arrived under a gray blanket. The temperature was mild and the breeze was fishable, but the clouds apparently had our favorite smallmouth bass in a funky mood.

Several hours into the morning, however, the clouds parted and the smallmouth started eating – but only for a few minutes, as the clouds again obscured the sun and the smallies stopped eating. The on-and-off bite continued for several hours, with action resuming like somebody had flipped a switch whenever the sky brightened. So we proved that smallmouth bass do bite best when the sun is shining.

We also found good fish willing to bite at locations where two different watercolors mixed. The harbor waters had become a bit of a chalky green due to recent winds, but the main lake was a nice Caribbean blue. We caught big sheepshead, spunky largemouth bass and some dandy smallies in areas where the harbor water sloshed near the Erie blue.

The mixing of colors also occurred at places where currents hit corners and washed over drops that created invisible eddies. All of the fish we caught last week are known to chow down on round gobies, young-of-the-year perch and other small baitfish that are buffeted by currents into the nooks and crannies.

Gamefish like sheepshead (yes, I think they are gamefish) and bass set up where currents swirl and that’s exactly where Ted and I found them last week.

Truism number four is one I have believed for as long as I’ve driven to lakes and rivers with smallmouth bass on my mind; it is that smallies love lures with a splash of chartreuse. Most of those we caught last week, as well as the largemouth and sheepshead, bit baits with chartreuse highlights.

All in all, our Erie trip was packed with action. We boated smallies, largemouths, white bass, rock bass and an estimated 100 pounds of sheepshead, also known as freshwater drum. Some would call that an Erie slam. On a day to affirm our smallmouth fishing truisms, we certainly did bang the drum.

Jack Wollitz’s book, “The Common Angler,” is a collection of stories that explain why anglers are passionate about fishing. Send a note to jackbbaass@gmail.com.