"As the water continues to warm, waves of bass move into the pockets to spawn. By the middle of April, so many fish have spawned they will strike just about anything."

Chandler does not target spawning fish. Instead, he works the shallows with either a spinnerbait or a Cotton Cordell Spot to attract strikes from aggressive fish.

From his long experience of sampling the lake with electro-fishing gear in spring, Dan Catchings recommends fishing Brown, Short and Town creeks.

Spotted bass fishing is available on the upper section of the lake, but it's not a significant component of the fishery.

For a guided trip with Tim Chandler, call him at (256) 655-8292 or e-mail culnby8@netzero.com. His Web site is MilldrillaFishing.com

JORDAN LAKE
"Jordan is like other Coosa River impoundments," reported Chris Greene, District IV fisheries supervisor. "The Coosa River has many forage species, good fertility and good growth rates, and therefore fish reach those bigger sizes.

"We find that growth rates are absolutely astonishing for black bass. It is far and above the statewide average. It's even approaching some of the maximum growth rates that we have seen statewide when compared to historical data."

As the last downstream reservoir on the Coosa, Jordan often tops the other lakes in its drainage in the annual Bass Angler Information Team report.

"I don't have a good explanation for why Jordan seems to lead the other impoundments on the Coosa," Greene said. "It's a little smaller, maybe not quite as well-known, and it's not as close to some of the metropolitan areas."

Located a few miles northwest of Wetumpka, Jordan stretches for 18.4 miles and consists of 6,800 acres with 188 miles of shoreline. The lake offers excellent fishing for both largemouth and spotted bass, but it's the latter species that reaches maximum potential.

"In the last six years," said Chris Rutland of Wetumpka, "my partner and I have probably caught 100 spots weighing 5 to 6 pounds. Every March and April, we usually catch eight to 10 of those. I've caught several weighing more than 6 pounds, but a bunch just short of 6. Busting 6 pounds is hard!

"March is mostly pre-spawn, and then they spawn in April. When you catch them, that's the biggest they are going to be all year. They are so fat."

Nearly everyone who fishes for spots knows some of the best fishing is in the current below a dam. But you will not find Rutland there.