"The technique we use is very effective." Casey revealed. "When the lure is swimming down to the nest, it looks like the minnow is eating the eggs. You can sit on a bed within a length of your rod and eventually she will become agitated and inhale the minnow. Once it's in the bed, she cannot stand it. It's amazing to watch them."

Depending on the sow's mood, Casey said lizards and tube baits might draw strikes faster than the minnow. His biggest fish using this technique weighed 5 1/2 pounds.

Tides greatly affect finding and catching spawning bass on the lower Delta.

"When the water is at low tide and rising," Casey explained, "the fish hold in the grass not far from the beds. They return as soon as the water rises. On the other hand, the fish are sometimes difficult to see on the beds at high tide, so it's important to know the locations of the beds.

"There are times when they will not bite until the tide changes. We have waited six hours without a bite, and then when the tide changes, catch a limit of very nice fish in 30 minutes. But you must know from pre-fishing an area that they are going to bite during that time frame."

Casey says fishing is best 30 to 40 minutes before high tide and about 20 minutes after the tide changes. He reserves this time to target his biggest fish.

One environmental condition that kills bed fishing for the Casey brothers is rain. Fortunately, muddy water clears quickly from the creeks on the lower Delta due to the small areas they drain.

"Rain has drastic effects on the clear water," Casey cautioned. "If we can't see them, we can't catch them. The creeks remain clear most of the time, but if it rains on Thursday or Friday, water visibility decreases for the weekend and it hurts sight-fishing."

For current fishing conditions or information on their tournaments, visit Fish'n Fever Tackle in Saraland on U.S. Highway 43 South, or telephone (251) 675-6030.

CLAIBORNE LAKE
"I really enjoy fishing for spotted bass on Claiborne Lake," Greg Shehan of Uriah said "Fishing for largemouths is good, but you can catch spots nearly year 'round on Claiborne Lake."

Shehan's skill at catching spotted bass made the difference last year while fishing with the competitive Monroe County Bass Anglers, where he earned the top position to become their Angler of the Year.

Fortunately for Shehan, the club's home waters are mostly riverine and provide excellent habitat for spotted bass. When built, Claiborne's lock and dam did little to change to the appearance of the Alabama River, as it failed to flood the river's steep banks. It did, however, raise water levels enough to create more miles of underwater ledges than an angler could fish in a lifetime.

Additionally, the river-run nature of Claiborne contributes to current flow, which triggers spots to feed. The Claiborne dam does not generate electricity, but upstream the Millers Ferry Dam does, so it controls routine water flows though the Claiborne.