Morris chooses a 7-foot rod with 30-pound braided line to flip 3/8-ounce CHAMP jigs dressed with soft-plastic Paca Craw baits into the treetops.

If Morris is catching fish when the current arrives, he does not abandon the creeks to look for bass that may or may not bite. But on those other days, he moves into the main lake to fish treetops, rock piles, and river ledges. All those are places that redirect flowing water to offer bass predictable feeding stations.

Approaching from downstream, Morris fishes treetops with jigs, picking them apart until he develops a pattern. The only change from fishing the creeks is the weight of his jigs, which are commensurate with the force of the current.

Unfortunately, submerged rockpiles are not easily found, but for the same reason are productive. Morris said on sunny days you can sometimes see them in water five to six feet deep.

Because spaces in the rocks trap jigheads and sinkers, Morris recommended bumping this structure with a 1/2-ounce spinnerbait or a shallow-to-middepth crankbait.

River ledges abound at Claiborne. "If you can find a ledge with wood debris to break the current and that fish can stack up behind," Morris explained, "that's what I call a sweet spot. It may not be as big as your pickup truck bed."

Morris fishes these hotspots with either a middepth crankbait or a Carolina-rigged Baby Paca Craw on a 2 1/2-foot leader below a 1/2-ounce sinker.

On a good day, Morris said, these patterns may produce as many as 20 bass weighing between 1 1/2 to 2 pounds.

For current fishing conditions on Claiborne Lake, call Hall's Tackle Box on State Route 21 just south of U.S. Highway 84 near Monroeville. Their telephone number is (251) 575-4354.

From the many public ramps maintained by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Morris recommended launching at either Haines Island or Isaac Creek to fish the lower lake. Access to the upper lake is available from ramps at Cobbs Landing, Clifton or Holleys Ferry.

COFFEEVILLE LAKE
Located near the community of Coffeeville and 43 miles west of Claiborne, Coffeeville Lake is formed by the last lock and dam on the Tombigbee River. At 8,800 acres in area and 97 miles in length, it's the second-largest lake on the Black Warrior and Tombigbee River systems.

Coffeeville's habitat is similar to Claiborne's. It's mostly riverine, except for the lower section that includes 4,000 acres in the Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge. Approximately 1/2 of the refuge is composed of creeks, sloughs, lakes, and backwaters. Unlike Claiborne, Coffeeville experiences heavy yacht traffic in June, which makes fishing the main lake difficult.

Anthony Skinner of Silas has fished Coffeeville for 18 years and continues to fish there about three days a week. In this time, he has perfected June patterns for largemouth bass.