C&B GUIDE SERVICE AT LAKE GUNTERSVILLE - OFTEN CALLED
AMERICA'S BEST BIG BASS LAKE
Secrets to Fishing Riprap
 EDITOR'S
NOTE: Bobby Bright and Charley Slaten of Boaz, Alabama,
own C&B Guide Service and specialize in fishing
Alabama's Lake Guntersville, Lake Logan Martin and Lake
Neely Henry. These two fishing guides make their living
helping their customers catch fish, and they depend
on their equipment every day they're on the water. This
week Bright and Slaten will tell us how they fish and
how they consistently catch more fish than other anglers
do.
Question: Of the lakes you guide on, Guntersville,
Logan Martin and Neely Henry, why is Neely Henry Lake
your favorite?
Bright: This lake is a river-run lake and not nearly
as big as the other two lakes. It doesn't get as much
publicity as the other lakes do, and I can produce more
bass on a day of fishing in this lake than on the other
two. Now, you may catch bigger fish at Guntersville
and Logan Martin, but you'll catch more bass at Neely
Henry.
Question: What's one of your favorite ways to fish
Neely Henry?
Bright: At this time of the year, I like to fish jigs
around grass on 12- to 20-pound-test line. I'll usually
be fishing 1/2- to 3/8-ounce jigs, and if I have to
pick one line with which to fish, I'll choose Mossy
Oak's 18-pound-test Fishing Line. I like this line so
much is because of its small diameter, its abrasion
resistance and most importantly the way it transfers
what the jig is doing on the bottom, up the line and
to the rod. Then I can feel and see what's going on
with my jig.
Question: How are you fishing these jigs?
 Bright:
My favorite place is to fish jigs on grass beds and
points. I'll let the jigs lay on the bottom for several
seconds before I move it, and then I'll just twitch
it slightly. One of the biggest mistakes that I think
jig fishermen make is not letting their jigs lay on
the bottom once the jigs reach the bottom. If your jig
lands close to a bass, and the bass doesn't attack on
the fall, many times that bass will retreat a foot or
two away from the jig, look at it and attack, as soon
as the jig moves. I've caught quite a few bass when
the jig is laying still on the bottom. One thing that
we often forget is when the jig is laying on the bottom,
if you're using a split tail trailer, often the tail
will move even though the jig is sitting still. So many
times I've caught bass by letting the jig sit still
on the bottom, and the bass will attack before I ever
start moving the jig. The tail of the jig is moving,
even though the head of the jig's not. The tail action
will many times cause a bass to bite. I think that if
you'll let your jig sit on the bottom when you cast
it out and wait on a strike, many times you'll catch
more fish than when you move it on the bottom. Most
of the time, I'll be fishing a black-and-blue jig.
Question: When you move the jig, how are you moving
it?
Bright: I move my jig with my rod tip. By using the
rod tip instead of the reel to move the jig, you can
see exactly how far the jig is moving on the bottom.
I only move my jig 6 or 8 inches at a time, and I like
to drag that jig on the bottom rather than hop it. Now
if the bass aren't taking the jig using this dragging
tactic, then I'll start hopping it off the bottom.
Question: Why do you like the 18-pound-test line when
you're fishing the jig?
Bright: Many times I'll be fishing that jig in some
really-rough cover and need a line that's got a good
deal of abrasion resistance without giving up sensitivity
to get it. Mossy Oak Fishing Line gives me that abrasion
resistance and still maintains its resistance and strength.
I fish a lot of underwater trees and riprap this time
of year. So, my line is constantly contacting rocks
and wood. To keep a good connection between me and the
bass, I need the abrasion resistance of Mossy Oak Fishing
Line.
 Question:
Why are you fishing riprap this time of the year?
Bright: If you'll notice, there's a lot of baitfish
on the riprap. So, if the baitfish are on the riprap,
then the bass will be there too, and that's where I'm
going to fish.
Question: If the bass aren't taking the jig on the
riprap, what will be your next lure of choice?
Bright:I'll be fishing the plastic worm. I like V&M's
5- and 6-inch worms in either the watermelon-seed or
the Junebug colors, depending on the water and weather
conditions. When I'm worm fishing, I like to use a No.
3 worm hook and really prefer the 5- and 6-inch worms.
I like to use a 1/8-ounce bullet sinker up the line,
and I'll usually be fishing 12- to 15-pound-test Mossy
Oak Fishing Line. I prefer the lighter line because
I believe that it's more sensitive. When you're fishing
a plastic worm, you've got to feel or see the bottom.
Therefore, you really need a sensitive line like Mossy
Oak's, if you want to catch more bass.
Question: How are you working the worm?
Bright: I drag the worm down the rocks with my rod
tip, just like I will if I'm fishing a jig. I can tell
how far the worm's moving when I use my rod tip and
also feel the bottom and feel the worm crawl over and
fall off the rocks. Most of the time the bass will take
the worm either when it's fallen from the surface to
the bottom or when it's fallen off one rock down the
riprap to the next rock. Many of the fish that we're
catching are spotted bass. Therefore, we have to watch
our lines. Often a spotted bass will pick up a worm
and swim straight to the boat with it. You may not feel
the strike, but you'll see the line move to the left
or the right and can watch your line move toward the
boat. That's when you set the hook.
Question: How big are the spots you're catching at
Neely Henry this time of year?
 Bright:
Our spotted bass will weigh from 2- to 4-pounds each.
Question: Since many anglers aren't fishing plastic
worms on riprap, why have you and Charley Slaten started
fishing worms?
Question: Since many anglers aren't fishing plastic
worms on riprap, why have you and Charley Slaten started
fishing worms?
Bright: Most of the fishermen are fishing fast at this
time of the year (early summer), and we've learned that
we can catch more bass by fishing slowly. We've also
learned that when we're fishing riprap, the bass aren't
holding on the riprap. Instead they're swimming into
the riprap to feed and then swimming away from the riprap
when they're through feeding. You must fish slowly to
give the bass time to see the worm, identify it and
take it. Most people are fishing crankbaits and spinnerbaits
on the riprap, and we've learned by fishing jigs and
worms and fishing slower that we can catch more fish
than the people who are going down the riprap fishing
fast. I believe the bass get conditioned to those spinnerbaits
and crankbaits and won't take them as readily as they
will the jigs and worms.
For more information about fishing with C&B Guide
Service, you can call (256) 593-7830, (256) 738-4293
(Bobby Bright) and/or (256) 572-6217 (Charley).
To learn more about Mossy Oak Fishing Line's top-quality
lines, go to www.mossyoakfishing.com.
TOMORROW: SPINNER BAIT SECRETS
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