Like Grandquest, Zellers said boat traffic can disrupt fishing.

"Boats maneuvering in and out of the lakes near where the shad are running will cause them to scatter," he noted. "Try to find areas where boaters must idle due to stumps and trees. Sometimes, though, the shad don't cooperate, and you'll just have to deal with the traffic."

Zellers employs an assortment of lures in the lakes. His favorite is a 1/4-ounce spinnerbait, followed by a white Devil's Horse. Secondary lures in Zellers' arsenal include white buzzbaits, silver Bang-O-Lures and trick worms in white or chartreuse.

"The shad running here are about 3 inches long," Zellers advised. "Most anglers use too big a spinnerbait. I modify all my spinnerbaits by cutting the length of the skirts and changing the blades. Silicone skirts offer more realistic colors, while Colorado blades keep the bait compact. Another important feature is a light wire, so the blades can pulse as they rotate through the water. Try to make the lure resemble a shad as much as possible.

"If the bass are busting shad, the best presentation is to run the spinnerbait into cover and let it flutter down like a dying baitfish."

Even though the spinnerbait is his favorite because of the numbers it produces, Zellers said it is not necessarily best for big fish. While he has caught 7-pound bass on the spinnerbait, he has caught more big fish on the Devil's Horse.

"Often, topwater lures produce bigger fish," he argued. "The fish are aggressive because they are post-spawn and feeding on the shad. They hear a disturbance on the surface and run up to see what looks like a big shad floating on top of the water. What angler doesn't like to see a big bass bust a topwater lure? It's enough to make your day."

To call up the big ones, Zellers works the Devil's Horse up to where he thinks the fish are holding and then uses long pauses and short jerks to keep the bait in the strike zone as long as possible. He may work the same spot three times before moving. His favorite fishing spots for the Devil's Horse are at the ends of boat docks or where a group of cypress trees form a point -- places close to deeper water.

If the bass are passive, Zellers switches to a jerkbait or a 7-inch floating worm. The floating worm does double duty as the follow-up lure if a bass misses his spinnerbait or Devil's Horse.

During periods in May when the water is receding, Grandquest and Zellers find excellent fishing at the mouths of ditches and cuts draining into the lakes. The water must have receded enough, however, to restrict the water draining from the bottoms to the cuts and ditches. This unique situation attracts bass that lie in wait for their next meal.

"When the water is falling," Grandquest said, "all the drains are exceptionally hot."

Since crawfish frequently wash from the drains, both anglers recommend small crawfish-colored crankbaits or soft-plastic imitations.

Once the early morning bite has ended, Grandquest and Zellers leave the lakes and move into the river. The key to successful river fishing is current.

"The tide means everything," Grandquest acknowledged, "if you are fishing the Middle Delta, which is from McReynold's Lake to Tensaw Lake. If you don't have a falling tide in that part of the Delta, you can forget it. But if you are fishing in the Alabama River above where it splits with the Tombigbee, you will have current all day long. The Alabama is constantly flowing."