When working a flat, Jamison changes the length of his leader to 24 inches. The speed of the current, he notes, is what dictates the length of the leader. According to his formula, an 18-inch leader is for fast water, a 24-incher for slower

currents. He also substitutes a 3- or 4-ounce No-Roll sinker for the egg sinker on the flats.

But he regularly utters an important disclaimer about working flats during the heat of the spawn: “The flats are typically dead—no-fish zones—from June 15 to July 1, when most of the fish are spawning. Believe me, I’ve spent years and many, many fruitless nights figuring this out.”

During those spawning seasons when the river flows high and hard, Jamison moves to L ****s, also called trail ****s. Many of the blues have moved there, he says, taking refuge from current and debris that accompany the high water by moving inside the L-shaped wing dams. If the water stays high throughout June, the blues also spawn in the crevices and depressions of the riprap that line the inside of these ****s.

He fishes an L **** by anchoring his boat on top of it and then placing his baits at various spots along the inside edge, using a 24-inch leader and a 4-ounce flat sinker. In his experience, L ****s are productive both night and day at high-water times during the spawn.

Even though Jamison pigeonholed the spawning season as his most trying and least fruitful period of the year, he still manages during every spawn to enjoy a Donnybrook with some 30-pounders—during the spawn of 2002, he caught and released a 65-pounder.