‘Graduate’ Student

It takes a ‘woman’s touch’ to get the most out of summertime bass fishing on North Carolina’s Falls of Neuse Lake.

Max Altman, a retired high-school phys ed teacher from Angier, knows that the greatest reward an educator can experience occurs when the student surpasses the teacher.

Altman employed his teaching skills out on the water when he took his wife Monica under his wing to impart to her the intricacies of largemouth bass fishing after they were married in 1991.

As a youngster, Monica fished casually with her father, but her competitive fire was kindled when Max introduced her to cast-for-cash bass fishing by way of local team tournaments.

When BASS began its short-lived Women’s Bassmaster Tour in 2005, Monica put her fishing skills to the test at her husband’s urging, fishing as a co-angler. In that capacity, she was confined to the back of the boat and subject to the whims of her pro partners who ran the boats, selected fishing places and employed techniques to their favor.

These disadvantages never phased Monica. In just 3½ years, she became the all-time WBT money leader on the co-angler side, amassing $131,255 in cash and boats — four boats.

“She didn’t give me any of them,” Max said.

Only professional angler Pam Martin-Wells won more boats: six.

Monica’s success even astounded Max, who graciously stepped aside as the top fisherman in the family.

“Monica’s become a really good fisherman; she’s really improved,” Max said. “She’s better than me.”

Monica attributes her accomplishments to her fishing tutors, including Max, a members of the Carolina Bassers, whom she met through Powers-Swain tournament competition, Powers-Swain team members and acquaintances on the defunct WBT Tour.

“I discovered if an angler has ‘TEXAS’ behind his or her name, that person can really fish,” she said.

Monica said her tournament experiences before fishing the WBT Tour took her to another level.

“Beforehand, I fished only under the best conditions,” she said. “With tournament fishing, I have to fish under a variety of conditions, including some of the worse. I don’t get to pick and choose which days to fish.”

Max said those difficult times on the water worked to Monica’s benefit.

“When the fishing is tough, that’s when Monica does better,” Max said.

Besides handling tough situations, Monica learned the importance of physical conditioning, because tournaments can be physically demanding, with long hours under the sun.

“I suffered from physical exhaustion twice,” Monica said. “I learned to take care of myself, stay hydrated, and get the proper rest — things I never thought of before.”

Monica also strictly adheres to co-angler protocol, a trait which has helped her gain the respect and trust of WBT pros.

Monica obeys the rules of the road for co-anglers. She never casts ahead of her pro partner. She envisions an imaginary line near the console of the boat and never crosses it. Nor does she reveal the places and tactics of the pros to others.

“She doesn’t even tell me where she fishes,” Max said.

“The pros aren’t your guides for the day, like some co-anglers think,” she said. “They’re trying to put bread on their tables for their families. Co-anglers pay for the privilege of fishing with them and learning from them, not for their guide services.”

As a result of her co-angler etiquette, Monica has been invited to fish practice rounds with some WBT professionals, a rare invitation extended only to those anglers whom the pros trust with their secrets.

Monica herself doesn’t have any earth-shattering secrets behind her meteoric rise as a co-angler phenom, although she’s gained a reputation for fishing slowly, thoroughly and with attention to detail.

“I observe what lure the pro is fishing and try to fish with a bait that’s a little bit different,” she said.

At one event, she and her pro partner were into schooling fish. The pro used a large topwater lure and was getting bites, but Monica noticed the small size of the forage. She tied on a small topwater lure and increased her number of strikes.

At the July 2006 WBT event at Lake Norman, while the pro fished slightly deeper water, Monica tossed a Senko in shallow water to win the co-angler division.

During the 2009 WBT championship at Louisiana’s Cypress Black Bayou Lake, Monica’s confidence was boosted when she saw her boater, Diana Clark of Tenn., was employing the same approach she had foreseen. Monica wound up winning the co-angler side of the event by more than 10 pounds.

Monica applies her lessons from the back of the boat to local waters, even when she fishes in the front of the boat.

She considers Falls of the Neuse Reservoir in the Raleigh-Durham area her home lake. The best fishing there takes place from February through May, but as Monica learned, anglers can’t always fish the ideal times but must fish what’s given to them.

What’s given now are the dog days of summer. With some patience, Monica said fishermen can score at Falls, especially if the fish congregate on offshore structure.

“A 20-pound bag off deep places is possible during the summer months,” Monica said. “Most of the fish will weigh three to four pounds, with an occasional 6- or 7-pound bass.”

Monica prefers to fish the area around Upper Barton Creek, which like most of the lake is largely undeveloped and unlike the area around I-85, is safe to navigate.

“You better know what you’re doing if you venture near the I-85 bridge,” Max Altman said. “That part of the lake is dangerous, and if you stray from the narrow channel, you can damage a lower unit in a heart beat.”

Monica uses her depthfinder and maps to find humps, channel bends, and points in 15 to 25 feet of water, the most-likely zone for summer bass at Falls of the Neuse. She consorts with Max as well since he began fishing there soon after it was impounded in the mid-80s and knows much of its structure.

To reach deep targets, Monica chooses from among Carolina rigs, deep-diving Lucky Craft or Bill Norman crankbaits and drop-shot rigs.

In clear water, she selects natural, watermelon and red/grape colors for her plastic trailers; in stained water, she prefers junebug, deep red and other dark colors. For crankbait fishing, she uses “Sexy Shad” in clear water and blue/chartreuse in stained water.

Her Carolina rigs feature a 2- to 3-foot leader adjoined to 17- to 20-pound line with a 10-inch Zoom Ol’ Monster or Deep Creek worm at the business end.

“I don’t like long leaders for summer fishing,” said Monica.

Considering variables such as wind, water clarity, water level and current, Monica deems wind the most important.

“I like a gentle ripple on the water because the baitfish become more active, which, in turn, triggers the bass bite,” she said. “I don’t fish the river area that often, but when I do, the presence of current becomes an important factor.”

As for water clarity, she likes it clear or slightly stained but not muddy. Rising or muddy water usually slows the bite. Fortunately, the lake’s water level historically has remained fairly stable, though under drought situations, it has dropped eight to 10 feet.

Falls also gives the casual angler an opportunity for fun fishing. On one summer outing, Monica and Max found largemouth bass and white bass busting into shad near the bridge when they launched their boat at the Upper Barton Creek ramp.

Although the fish weighed less than two pounds, they provided some exciting topwater action for an hour or so.

Though the Altmans have enjoyed the monetary gains from fishing, they agree that their greatest reward comes from the friendships they’ve made throughout the Southeast since Monica began participating in co-angler competition.