From the many public ramps maintained by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kelly recommends 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.

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

COFFEEVILLE LAKE
"Last October," Jerry Roberts of Gilbertown reported, "the Share the Gospel Tournament Trail had an event on Coffeeville and the winner caught five fish weighing 18 pounds. That's an extremely good catch and occurred after a rain during a period of high water. Usually, 14 pounds will win -- that's what mine weighed, but I finished in third place."

Located near the community of Coffeeville and 43 miles west of Claiborne, Coffeeville is the last lock and dam on the Tombigbee. At 8,800 acres and 97 miles long, the reservoir is the second-largest lake on the Black Warrior and Tombigbee River systems.

Coffeeville's habitat is similar to Claiborne's. It is mostly riverine, except for the lower section that includes 4,000 acres in the Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge. Unlike Claiborne, Coffeeville experiences heavy boating traffic in October. According to Roberts, many owners move their boats south for winter and their wakes make the water too muddy for fishing.

Since Roberts is unable to catch bass on the main lake, he fishes the protected backwaters of the lower part of the impoundment.

"If the water is still warm," Roberts advised, "fish the water hyacinth in Okatuppa Creek by pitching jigs and lizards. The bass hold on the inside edge waiting to attack baitfish as they swim by. Pitch to the open holes in the hyacinth with a 1/4-ounce jig or a Texas-rigged, 6-inch lizard.

"That's the pattern we fished in the tournament last October, but it had only produced one fish, so we moved to a slough that was about 4 feet deep and had shad showing on the depthfinder. As soon as we saw the shad, we began casting away from the hyacinth to scattered stickups and stumps. The bass were stacked under the shad. Normally, this pattern works later in the month after the water has cooled, but occurred early due to the rains."

Instead of switching overnight from a late summer pattern to a fully developed fall pattern, as the water first cools, Roberts expects to find the shad and bass at the mouths of creeks coming off the river. Then as temperatures decline farther, follow the fish to the entrance to the sloughs and finally into shallow backwaters.

"Just keep going in deeper and deeper into the backwater as the water cools," Roberts said. "We don't fish any shallower than 2 feet. And the cooler the weather, the more aggressive the bite."

Roberts targets aggressive fall fish using crankbaits that run 6 to 10 feet deep or Rat-L-Traps.

For current fishing or tournament information on Coffeeville, call Jerry Roberts at the Gilbertown Bass Club at (251) 843-5531, or the Rev. Howard Gaston at the Share the Gospel Tournament Trail at (251) 847-3502.

BIG CREEK LAKE
While Claiborne and Coffeeville are very similar, Big Creek is entirely different. Clear and deep, it's fed by six springs and two feeder creeks, which bear very little sediment. Located in Mobile County, it is not unusual to see the bottom in 10 to 15 feet of water. The Mobile Water Service says it's the easiest water in the state to treat for drinking.

Unfortunately, local anglers accustomed to fishing the Delta find the 3,600 acres of clear water difficult to fish. Many only fish the lake once, never to return. Fortunately, though, some anglers have persevered to unlock Big Creek's secrets.