"A spotted bass will break your heart faster than anybody or anything," he summed up, "because they are here today and gone tomorrow."

For current fishing conditions on Claiborne Lake, visit Hall's Tackle Box on State Route 21 just south of U.S. 84 near Monroeville. Their telephone number is (251) 575-4354.

From the many public ramps maintained by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Shehan recommends launching at either Haines Island or Isaac Creek to fish the lower lake.

COFFEEVILLE LAKE
In some respects, Coffeeville Lake is similar to Claiborne. It's the last lock and dam on a large river that flows into the Delta; it's riverine, and the water supporting the fishery is fertile. The significant difference, though, is the 4,000-acre Choctaw National Refuge. Approximately one-half of the refuge is creeks, sloughs, lakes and backwaters.

Located near the community of Gilbertown and 43 miles west of Claiborne, Coffeeville Lock and Dam forms the second-largest reservoir on the Black Warrior/Tombigbee Waterway and covers 8,800 acres over a length of 97 miles.

With backwater available on the lower lake and the dingy to muddy water on the river-run main lake, anglers on Coffeeville target mostly largemouth bass.

"Typically," advised Charles Owen of Gilbertown, "when you fill your livewell here, you can't see the bottom of the tank -- that's during periods of clear water. Even in summer when the river is at its best, the water is dingy."

Owen lives 15 minutes from the river and fished Tombigbee's muddy water before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the lock. His experience serves him well while competing successfully in local tournaments.

"In south Alabama," he explained, "the patterns for largemouth bass are the same in May, June and July. The water warms quickly in May, so usually the bite for big fish is in deeper water of 12 to 15 feet."

In May, Owen begins his day by fishing refuge backwater, which has many small passageways leading into lakes full of cypress trees, grass, blown-down trees and swamps. Aquatic vegetation includes primrose, alligator weed and water hyacinth. Owen concentrates on the latter.

"On Coffeeville," he explained, "there are only five major creeks with sloughs, but Okattuppa Creek has a half-dozen sloughs with water as deep as 7 feet. Work grass and wood. If shad are present, you will find fish and probably catch a limit, but the bass may not be heavy enough to win."

Owen first fishes the edges of the hyacinth to pick up aggressive fish, and then he switches to pitching or flipping into holes in the dense vegetation.

"My first lure is always a spinnerbait," Owen offered. "It's flash and vibrations are important for fishing dingy water. If that doesn't draw a strike, try a shallow-running crankbait. Lastly, pitch a Texas-rigged lizard in the open water between the hyacinths. It's hard to fish, but anglers can pull some big fish from under the dense mats."

Owen is quick to abandon this early-morning pattern if his lures don't draw a bite.

"Your first stop on the way out of a creek is at its mouth," he instructed. "Whether it's at a creek mouth in the refuge or where a major creek joins the river, post-spawn fish stage at these junctions."