A spawning bass on a bed doesn't eat, and may spook easily. However, it might pick up distracting objects and remove them from the nest. It might strike reactively at annoying objects that repeatedly wobble, buzz or sputter past its nose. Frequently, anglers stand off as far as they can cast from cover to avoid spooking fish when working a bed.

"Without a doubt, fish that people can see are some of the hardest to catch," said Jimmy Houston, a professional bass fisherman and longtime host of his own national television fishing show. "If you can see the fish, they can see you. If a person spooks a fish off a bed, it's a hard fish to catch until it returns to that bed."

To add more cover to Caney Lake, the state created several artificial reefs made of plastic pallets scattered throughout the lake. The biologists actually established these structures, which somewhat resemble Christmas trees, to attract crappies. Minnows and shad gather in the "branches" of these trees. Crappies move in to feed on the minnows and other baitfish. Bass gather to feed on the minnows and bream that lurk near these reefs, but they also pick off a few crappies if they can catch them. The state has anchored buoys that mark the reefs, so that anglers can find them easily.

Besides fishing near artificial reefs or sight-casting at bedding bass, anglers primarily fish deep structure, such as creek channels, humps and dropoffs, especially in the winter or summer. Points also make good places to look for bass at Caney Lake. Sloping points frequently give bass access to both deep and shallow water. As the mood strikes them, bass rise and descend in the water column to find the depth that offers them the best combination of cover, forage, oxygen and temperature comfort.

To find big bass in creek channels or around other bottom contours, Chatham does what he calls "methodical fishing." First, he scans with electronics to find fish or bait in 20 to 24 feet of water; then he searches with large deep-diving shad-colored crankbaits. After finding fish, he slowly works over the area with soft plastics. He also fishes chunky 10-inch worms or 1/2-ounce jigs sweetened with craw worms or creature baits, barely moving them, as natural water movement causes claws and tentacles to quiver tantalizingly.

"In cold water, I fish bulky jigs, and work them slowly," Chatham said. "I use the biggest lizards, worms or creature baits I can find. My favorite colors for big soft plastics are junebug, redbug and any dark color. In cold water, I throw Texas rigs because I can work them slower, although sometimes I catch fish on Carolina rigs."

Topwater baits can also work well from April through early fall. Fish the major creek channels from where they meet the main lake to about halfway up the creek. Also, fish around the points early in the morning. Shelves often form near points to give bass some structure. If lucky, anglers might find a patch of grass near a point and, with a little effort, find a concentration of bass there as well.