On the Alabama River, Wilson recommended fishing Boatyard Lake and Holly Creek. On the Tombigbee, he said Bates, Three Rivers and Bilbo lakes are all good places to fish.

When high water degrades fishing above Mount Vernon, the Delta's mid-section is the next best place to land a heavy stringer of bass -- places like McReynolds, Mifflin and Tensaw lakes. Of these, McReynolds currently offers the best fishing. At tournaments held on this section, it's not unusual for a 6- to 7-pound bass to win the pot for big fish.

"For both numbers and size," Wilson offered, "McReynolds is one of the hottest places to fish in spring. I've caught more 7-pounders there than anywhere else. It's good because the large grass mats protect bass from fishing pressure, plus it holds plenty of bait."

For fishing McReynolds, Wilson's favorite lure is a 1/4-ounce black buzzbait. When the water recedes, he works it parallel to grasslines.

"Slightly low water pulls the fish out to the edge of the grassline where the water is deeper," he said.

"Another factor is temperature. For a buzzbait to work in April, you need a few days of warm weather."

In this situation, both Smith and Wilson use a 1/4- or 3/8-ounce buzzbait to fish grasslines.

When the water is more than a few inches above the submerged vegetation -- which is mostly coon-tail -- Wilson drifts across the large flats in the back of McReynolds. This gives him an edge over river fishermen who like to cast to visible structure.

"Use a shallow running crankbait," Wilson recommended, "and reel it as fast as you can across the grass. Don't let the fish get a good look at your lure. You want a reaction strike. When the lure ticks the grass, the bass strike. Often you think you have grass on the lure, but it's a bass swimming toward the boat."

If it's calm, fishing conditions on McReynolds are tough. Both anglers advise fishing Texas-rigged worms over the grass, letting your lure sink into holes in the vegetation.

Finally, if rain has inundated the watershed, the only fishing available is in the lower Delta. But that's not bad. This area has recovered from the recent droughts, with anglers catching high numbers of 1 1/2- to 2-pound fish, with an occasional fish weighing 3 to 4 pounds.

"Fishing the Causeway differs from fishing upstream," Smith said. "Bass in the rivers and middle lakes feed on crawfish and shad. In addition to shrimp and other bait, Causeway fish feed on crabs, so the best lure presentation has an up-and-down swimming motion."

Smith and Wilson use a Snagless Sally, which is an in-line spinnerbait, to mimic a crab. Smith prefers black and yellow, while Wilson likes purple, black and blue. Both say it's the most effective lure for fishing the lower Delta.

Wilson fishes the in-line spinner by dragging it through the grass as slowly as possible while keeping the blade turning. As in McReynolds Lake, he uses the wind to drift across the bays to fish the grass.