"Vary your retrieve. Then pause and shake your rod tip. Often, bass strike when your sinker hangs on the grass and you jerk to get free."

If Dean is fishing with his sons, he positions his boat about 25 yards from shore and casts perpendicular to the bank. If alone, he fishes parallel to the bank, but moves in closer.

"When possible," Dean advised, "always cast your lures parallel to the banks. If you find the fish holding at a certain depth, this allows you to keep the lure in the strike zone longer. Regardless of whether you are fishing parallel or not, always thoroughly work an area before moving.

"Without question, the biggest mistake I see most often on the lake is anglers who crowd the banks as if they were fishing the river. Usually, their boat is over the fish. They should move away from the banks."

On his reels, Dean spools 12-pound-test monofilament and completes his Carolina rig using a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce sinker with a 3- or 4-foot leader and 2/0 wire hook. The long leader keeps his lure near the top of the grass. A 6-inch Zoom Brush Hog in green pumpkin or pumpkin red completes Dean's rig.

"If there's a wind or it's early in the morning," he added, "move closer to the bank and use a spinnerbait. Recently, the lure has worked well for me. Retrieve it close to the grass, letting the blades tick the submerged vegetation occasionally. Also, if you see any isolated wood, cast past it and bring the spinnerbait to the wood."

Dean uses a 1/4-ounce white spinnerbait with silver tandem willow-leaf blades, and he adds a straight twin-tail grub to the single hook.

To catch numbers of fish, Dean recommended fishing between the lake's boat ramp and Bayou Branch.

"Where the lake narrows," he said, "look for deeper water on the edge of the grass line. This area is great for numbers, so it holds my interest more. There are so many fish in Big Creek, it's really just about learning how to fish the lake."

Big Creek's only boat ramp is located at the end of Howell's Ferry Road, and daily permits cost $5 at the ramp.

For current fishing information on Big Creek or the Mobile Delta, visit Quint's Hardware & Sporting Goods in Saraland, or call them at (251) 679-1300.