On
a nice fall day in October, I ventured to Lake Mitchell, Alabama with the
owners of B & M Baits, Inc. Wayne Bowman and Ronald Myers met me on Lake Mitchell for an Alabama fishing trip. B & M produces spinnerbaits called The Ace® and The Duce®.
Lake Mitchell is located south of Birmingham just off Interstate
65. The lake is a narrow body of water with plenty of structure and cover
that hold spotted and largemouth bass. Comparing the water to Louisiana’s bayous, the water was clear to lightly stained. Bluffs, ledges, points, and creek channels are common throughout the lake. Grass, treetops, stumps, and docks provided abundant cover.
The
trip began before daylight. B&M’s night spinnerbait started the search for bass. A big #6 black Colorado blade thumped out several nice spotted bass. A large ¾ ounce
head with a black skirt used a blue trailer as an attractor. The technique
was a simple slow rolling of the spinnerbait down a slope or drop off. A
slow steady retrieve let the bait match the curvature of the bottom while
producing maximum vibration from the big blade.
After a beautiful sunrise over the bluffs of the lake, the
night bait was changed to an Ace® or a Duce®. The Ace® is a single arm spinnerbait with a painted 3/8 ounce head. Dual willows completed the bait to mimic shad in the area. The Duce® is
a dual arm spinnerbait that packs dual Colorado blades or dual Colorado and
willow combinations. Within a short period, a pattern emerged. Banks with
no grass was the first area that yielded fish. Wood cover mostly tree tops
provided the better fish and was the second pattern to emerge.
The
Duce® is a patented bait with two arms. Its unique combination of blades
and arms make the bait roll through cover with no trouble. Do not hesitate
to pull the lure through a treetop or over a stump. The bait gives off plenty
of vibration, too.
With a few other lures like topwaters and Texas rigged worms,
the day on the water was fun and productive. The spinnerbait caught the biggest
fish of the day. Several other nice fish fell for the spinnerbaits. The best
pattern of the day was treetops and spinnerbaits. A fallen tree on
the edge of a bank free of grass was like money in the bank. A spinnerbait
bounced down the trunk or through the limbs drove the old bass crazy.
New water and new friends are a hard combination to beat.
Learning to fish a new lake and a new bait is another benefit of the day.
Lake Mitchell was a beautiful picture of the Alabama hills. B&M Baits
treated me to one great experience.
Contact info
1-866-YOUDUCE
www.theduce.com
Pictures, from top to bottom.
Wayne Bowman with a nice Kentucky Bass.
Jeff Bruhl shows off the big fish of the trip.
Ron Myers with a nice fish.
A nighttime duce with black blades.
Jeff Bruhl is a member of the Louisiana Outdoors Writer Association, pro angler, and a pharmacist. His website, www.marshbass.com, covers freshwater fishing across Louisiana and the gulf coast. Each Saturday morning between 5-7 am CST, a bass fishing report can be heard on the Outdoors with Don Dubuc Radio Show (www.dontheoutdoorsguy.com) on 870 AM from the New Orleans station. Jeff has made numerous television and radio appearances on shows like Paradise Louisiana, The Big Fish, and ABC26.com. From tips on youtube.com to weekly reports on his website, his articles and reports provide tips and tactics for bass anglers in the sportsman paradise. Jeff’s sponsors include Abu Garcia, Xpoint hooks, Bud Light, Louisiana Fish Fry Products, Power Pole, Stanley Jigs and Spinnerbaits, Skeeter, Dockside Marine, Rat-L-Trap, and Berkley. For more information about fishing in Louisiana, drop Jeff an email at jeff@marshbass.com.
