"When June arrives," Skinner explained, "the spawn is over, and the bass are in transition as they move out of the shallows into a little deeper water. The fish are aggressive, and you can catch them using your favorite lures.

"During the first part of the month, you find the best fishing in the lakes, and the fishing will last all day. Mid-month, fish the lakes early and then move to the creeks. Toward the end of the month if it's overcast, fishing the lakes is possible, but the best fishing occurs in the creeks."

Skinner said that anglers can expect to catch between 15 to 20 bass a day in June. "You will not catch any 8-pound monsters," he added, "but the possibility of catching a 5-pounder is pretty good."

In early June, Skinner works a 1/2-ounce Hydrilla Gorilla buzzbait along the edge of the floating mats of hyacinth in the backwater lakes. He said on overcast days, the bait draws strikes from aggressive fish throughout the day. His baits are black when it's sunny and white when it's cloudy.

"Usually, the fish are chasing shad on the outskirts of the grass," he pointed out. "The strikes are ferocious; it's very exciting."

Skinner also uses a 3/8-ounce spinnerbait to fish hyacinth.

"My biggest fish last June weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces," he recalled. "It hit a War Eagle spinnerbait early in the morning next to the grass. You can always catch fish on Coffeeville with a spinnerbait."

When he's using buzzbaits or spinnerbaits, Skinner bumps them on any wood near the floating weeds. The strikes occur when the lure stops.

If a fish swirls on his buzzbait, Skinner follows by casting a spinnerbait to the spot. If a fish strikes either lure and misses, then he casts a Texas-rigged, 6-inch lizard.

"In the middle of June," Skinner resumed, "go to the lake early and fish buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. Then move into the creeks to fish the deeper holes. The creeks are narrow and the holes are easy to find by watching your depthfinder. Stop and fish any wood in the area where the bottom drops from 6 to 12 or 14 feet.

"Also, when there's a current moving through the creeks, fish any eddy or current break. Once, my father and I fished a current break and caught 22 fish in 45 minutes. The biggest weighed 3 1/2 pounds."

Skinner added that the creeks hold a number of blow-downs that catch hyacinth as it floats in the current. The drift piles enhance the treetop by creating shade, and attract big fish.

"Work the edges first," he explained, "then move up and flip into it. Flip the back of the drift pile and get down inside the tree where the big fish hold. It's where I caught the 6-pounder."

For creek fishing, Skinner's lures are a Series 200 Bandit crankbait or a Texas-rigged lizard. To fish drift piles, he also uses a Texas-rigged lizard, but with a 1/2-ounce sinker pegged to bust through the vegetation.