Stumpy points and banks can be fished with spinnerbaits, plastics, jigs and shallow-running crankbaits.

Both lakes have standing timber. At Jordan, New Hope Creek, Beaver Creek, Little Beaver Creek and the main body above the Highway 64 bridge harbor patches of standing timber. Falls, Newlight Creek and the Ledge Rock and Rolling View areas house standing timber and stumps.

Shad Spawn Pattern
One other April pattern in Olive's arsenal is what he calls the shad spawn pattern.

"In April, shad often spawn before largemouth bass at the backs of creeks, which draws bass to the same areas." he said. "That's the time to tie on shad-colored lipless crankbaits, shallow-running crankbaits or spinnerbaits."

April Areas
Since bass are on the move in April, pinpointing specific areas for fishing is difficult. The rule of thumb is to look for likely spawning grounds at the backs of creeks.

Nonetheless, Cable cites the waters he concentrates upon at Falls and Jordan during this month.

A Falls Lake, he fishes from Barton Creek up to Cheek Road near Redwood. At Jordan, he samples the waters from Farrington to the Ebenezer Church landing. He doesn't fish the river segments very much.

"I certainly don't cover all that territory on either lake in one day, but I'll gradually work most of it throughout the month," he said.

EQUIPMENT
While fishermen have their own preferences in tackle, Olive tells of the baitcasting gear that works for him.

For fishing a lipless crankbait, he likes a medium-action rod and reel with a 7.1:1 gear ratio that allows him "to burn" the bait back to the boat. The reel is spooled with 14-pound-test fluorocarbon line because Olive said it has less stretch, which enables him to feel the pulsations of the lure.

His crankbait rod is a 6 1/2-foot composite model with a fast tip used in conjunction with 8- to 10-pound-test monofilament line and a reel with a 4.3:1 gear ratio. That combination prevents the hook from tearing out of the fish.