"The long-term trend is relatively positive," he reported. "In 2007, our electrofishing catch rates for bass over 12 inches, over 14 inches and over 15 inches were at all-time highs. There are more fish over 12 and 14 inches in Demopolis Reservoir than we have ever seen before.

"We also did a creel survey, and catch rates were very satisfactory for bass anglers. Anglers routinely report catching 10 to 30 fish a day. Somewhere between a third and a half of those fish are over 14 inches."

According to Schoenrock, the primary pattern in July involves hitting the stumps and humps on the river ledges with crankbaits. However, the abundant weeds growing along the shoreline offer anglers a morning bite. "Flipping the thick grass mats growing out from shore is effective for big bass," he advised, "but anglers must be realistic when fishing in July. You aren't going to catch a limit; it's not for numbers of fish. You're looking for a few good bites.

"Any grass in 4 to 6 feet of water is worth fishing. Often it grows on bends and over flats in the creeks off the river."

Schoenrock's favorite lure for flipping grass is a Zoom Brush Hog creature bait.

The 16 public access areas guarantee that worthy fishing spots are never far from a boat ramp. The City Landing in Demopolis is a great place for launching into fish the lower lake.

WARRIOR LAKE
Upstream from Demopolis, Warrior Lake has a surface area of 8,580 acres and a shoreline running some 300 miles. In the lower third of its 77 riverine miles are plenty of creeks and backwater areas.

The Corps built the Warrior Lock and Dam six miles southeast of Eutaw, with the dam separated from the lock. The dam is just inside a turn in the river at the beginning of a horseshoe bend, while the lock is part of the cutoff canal.

Last spring, District III biologists sampled Warrior's bass fishery and obtained excellent results. "I was blown away by how good that stretch of river is looking right now," Jay Haffner reported. "I found plenty of young fish and medium fish in our collection. Fertility is moderately high at Warrior.

"Also, the quality of backwater habitat is good in Warrior Reservoir. We have plenty of laydown wood, stumpfields and some decent grass beds."

Speaking from an angler's perspective, Schoenrock corroborated Haffner's research, noting that the lake produces solid numbers of 2-pound bass.