Tyler Rivet is all smiles while showing the two largest bass from among the 20 he caught to win the four-day SiteOne Bassmaster Elite tournament held at Florida's Lake Okeechobee. Check out www.bargainssouth.com and check back often! Then another tournament was held there by FLW Outdoors. Largemouth Bass with a Strike King Standard Buzzbaits, 3 lb. The western portion of the lake is fed by tributaries like the Sipsey River along with Brushy and Clear creeks. A high quality largemouth and spotted bass fishery exists at Lay Reservoir. will help keep down the costs of major boat and motor repairs. FLW Outdoors Lake Eufaula It took an average weight of almost 20 pounds a day to make the top tenand it was won with a three day total of 64 pounds and 15 ounces by Josh Stracner from Vandiver, Al. Lewis Smith Lake offers more than 20,000 acres of prime bass fishing waters. The best fishing for largemouth bass occurs in creeks and shallow water sloughs. In terms of an excellent bass fishery, Lay lake easily rates as one of Alabamas top three best, big bass lakes. Paradise Point Boat Launch Ramp The shorelines of these cuts often have docks or piers, which provide structure for hungry lunkers to lurk beneath. South of Lake Martin, the tailwaters of the dam yield monster stripers that anglers can catch from the shore. Kaera Frog White / 2 1/4" 1 Fishing Report. But spotted bass and largemouth bass will! Lay Lake Bass Fishing- March 2021 - YouTube fishing lay lake on the coosa river after a cold front and lots of rain, the fishing was tough and lots of boat pressure but we did manage. Black Bass, Green Trout, Bigmouth Bass, Lineside Bass Smallmouth Bass Variant Names: Brown Bass, Brownie, Bronze Bass The upper end of the lake, Only one good three to four pounder that separated his winnings from a first place finish, tremendously. 205 669-0330, Information about fishing lakes in Alabama. * Note - For information on all Alabama Power Coosa River Impoundments Call 1-800-lakes-11. PART ONE / JUNE Lay Lake on Alabamas Lower Coosa River System. These deep water bass are actually resting bass, recuperating from the rigors of the past spring spawning season. Period. These prey find the security of Lay lakes thick aquatic weeds, a place that is literally, a matter of enjoying life or sudden death. SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. This Saturday, Feb. 25, 246talented high school and junior teams from a dozen states will converge onhistoric Lay Lakefor theStrike King Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoorsand Junior Series tournament. Fishing this Lake this summer, is not for the faint hearted. As mentioned first place had about 65 pounds. Trolling here is your best bet by boat, but anglers can shore fish for magnificent stripers with bottom rigs baited with live shad. All you need to bring is your fishing license and sack lunch. Swimbaits and soft plastics are a solid choice, but anglers can use their fish finder to locate submerged structures in the creek and jig over them. Overall, spinnerbaits cover more water, and with a 45,000-plus-acre footprint, anglers often do well selecting a bait that can reach more spots. Featuring prime locations such as Halawakee Creek and Mill Creek, the jagged lake footprint is riddled with undercut banks, points, and curves. It was my worst tournament finish in. Many deep water bass too! Lay Lake River Fishing For Spotted Bass And Striped Bass Joey Fishing 1.68K subscribers Subscribe 4.7K views 3 years ago From fishing a jig down the bank to throwing an Alabama Rig. (For those that still do not know when these six Coosa River Impoundments were built), these six Coosa River System Lakes, in order, from north Alabama to south Alabama are; Weiss Lake 1961, Neely Henry Lake 1966, Logan Martin Lake 1964, Lay Lake 1914, Mitchell Lake 1923 and Jordan Lake 1928. The back of the central fork boasts a large grass bed perfect for topwater frogs and weedless soft plastics. Tobannee Creek sits across on the Georgia side and is also known to produce some large lunkers. NOTE * This article includes info for fishing Lay Lake, including info on other Coosa River lakes, impounded from the early 1900s to 1966. 2023 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lay Lake. An excellent lake for both shallow water anglers, and those deep water anglers utilizing their boats electronics, while fishing with an assortment of lures with some very unique deep water presentations. Soft plastics fare another versatile approach to fishing the cuts off the main lake. Where the river branches around Ware Island, youll find some fair spotted and largemouth bass along forested shores. Just off the main river channel, this forked set of cuts offers plenty of marshy shoreline and dead ends into Cool Branch, which has recently yielded quite a few 3-pound-plus bass. You can do everything." Further downstream, Channahatchee Creek offers some excellent largemouth angling off the main body of water. Anglers will find the stripers around the dam and near Our Childrens Highway and Coven Abbett Highway, where deep water structures such as rock formations and pilings provide some buffer to the current. Anglers can try their luck around these piers when water levels are particularly low but should, for the most part, stick to the cuts in the western portion of the lake. This clarity means anglers should both downsize tackle and select life-like baits to avoid spooking the fish. Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Weiss Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Lay Lake, Lake Martin, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River, Lake Eufaula and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta The availability of food, lots of current and usually cooler water keep these big striped basshere almost daily, like said, year round.. The most prominent patches of water willows typically grow within the first 500 yards of major creeks. Their size ranges from a few ounces to nearly 70 pounds for the state-record striped bass. The lakes southern end is a favorite of spotted and largemouth bass during the spawning season, and April is a hotbed of activity in locations such as Canoe Creek and Ottery Creek. While the main lake can yield some decent results when angling for bass, its the offshoot creeks and coves that shine through at Wheeler Lake. LURES FOR FOOLING LAY LAKES BIG, LARGEMOUTH BASS. Locations such as Flint Creek, Piney Creek, and Brush Creek offer an out-of-the-current, secluded haven for bass looking to sit out of the heavily trafficked main reservoir and feast on the lakes substantial population of shad. You might also find out why this lake also is highly rated for catfish fishing. Fishing Alabama's Lakes for Big, Early Spring Season Pre spawn Bass. In fact it was so bad; only one angler from Florida made the final day top ten while fishing a frog in shallow water. A very weedy impoundment, very much like Lay Lake, known for its big, shallow water largemouth bass. | Site Maps, About Us, Advertising, Terms & Contact Us |, Site Maps, About Us, Advertising, Terms & Contact Us. Jig combos are popular lure choices for this technique. Spotted bass, some exceeding 8 pounds, have been taken in years past from Lay lake. There are still plenty of big bass (those weighing over five pounds) in this Lake, now over 100 years old! Lay Lake is an excellent year-round fishery. LIKE and SUBSCRIBE if you love spots!! Spotted Bass These Coose River breed of bass are just plain mean. So keep that figure in mind this summer season, you may not get many bites and every fish counts, meaning you have to boat them as well! The upper end of the lake, near the Logan Martin Dam tailwaters, is an extremely high-use fishery, very popular with local anglers. Great lake for night fishing too! Submerged structures such as log jams, weed beds, and lily pads make for easy targets, but the mouths of feeder creeks give you the most bang for your buck. Make plans to visit Alabamas Lay Lake. Lay Lake provides some of the best spotted and largemouth bass fishing in east-central Alabama. The southern portions of the lake include stump fields, gravel banks, and creek mouths that serve up some great largemouth action. Yes, (like weedy, Lake Eufaula on the Al. Shallow-to-mid diving crankbaits, both suspending and floating hard-bodied jerk baits, and rattling, lipless lures (like Bill Lewis rattle traps and Strike Kings red eye shad), all feature weed and wood grabbing treble hooks. Other hotspots are Elk River, Second Creek, and Spring Creek. Anglers will find that Lake Harding is unlike most other lakes on our list because it is devoid of submerged grass beds and lilies common to this part of the U.S. Below these, Otho Branch and Thomas Mill Creek offer some excellent largemouth fishing around docks out of the main river channel. The Kayak Bass Fishing members practice another CPR: Catch, Photo, and Release. The best spotted bass fishing is from Beeswax Creek north to the Logan Martin Dam, McCaig said. Just southwest of Leesburg, this small inlet includes shallow water sandbars, inlets, and drop-offs, with an extraordinary number of sizeable largemouths recorded caught in a single place. 205-458-8000 Places where some of Lay Lakes biggest bass are located all throughout the entire summer season! Anglers targeting spotted bass should fish riverine portions of the lake. Striped bass, spotted bass and largemouth bass all become very susceptible to a variety of lures and presentations, mostly when bass anglers are fishing in and around the lakes varied cover. At this point, anglers are . "There are a lot of good quality fish. Bass Species: Spotted, largemouth, striped. Largemouth Bass with a Gary Yamamoto Original Senko Worms, 4 lb. Resembling splattered paint on a canvas, the lakes sprawling acreage consists of massive branches connected by channels instead of centering around a main body of water. The upper region of the lake is the most fertile, especially around the Coley Creek and Elkahatchee Creek areas, while the Kowaliga Creek arm is the most infertile. But we also recognize thats a lot of information. This location is a favorite of spotted bass when the river is in flux, but the largemouth bite here is nearly year-round. Waxahatchee Creek offers a more diverse look into bass fishing here at Lay Lake, with largemouths and spotted bass recorded caught around the docks and islands of the system of channels. Though anglers may catch the occasional striped and white bass at Bartletts Ferry, it is a black bass haven, and for a good reason. These offshoot coves provide bush- and tree-lined banks and a handful of sand bars where bass retreat from the main lake in search of bait fish and other prey. Since B.A.S.S. This influx of water from all directions helps maintain a healthy population of baitfish. Scott Canterbury ended up in second place with 83 pounds and 9 ounces. 9 oz. When McCaig goes for Lay Lakes spotted bass in February, he opts for a 1/2-ounce All-Terrain Tackle Rattling A.T. Jig tipped with a 3-inch twin curly tailed grub. It stands knee high above the surface and has a thick, tough stem and a purplish flower. For each day, there is something new added to this unique website! Largemouth Bass with a swim jig, 6 lb. Fishing around Lay lake's aquatic weeds and targeting various types of wood cover such as stumps, logs, laying trees, brush piles and standing timber, calls for the use of topwater lures in May. Since being impounded in 1914 by the Alabama Power Company, Lay Lake is best known for its spotted bass and largemouth bass fishing. Additional locations include Shoal Creek and Bridge Creek, where anglers will find brush-lined shores, coves, and even a few small islands that are favorites of spotted bass. Both are just a short boat ride from Higgins Ferry Boat Ramp, which is an excellent launch site for boating anglers on Lake Mitchell. Upper Coosa River Lakes There three lakes above Lay lake on the Coosa River System. Only accessible by a feeder creek at the end of Mink Creek, this pond is a little-known gem on an already stellar bass lake. Spinnerbaits are a favorite here, but theres no denying the effectiveness of topwater frogs, especially amid the lily pads and weed beds in the feeder creeks, especially coming in from the west side. The small contingent of striped bass can be caught near the hydro dam, with shore anglers having access at Po Boys Landing. The northern portion of the lake is your best bet for black bass fishing featuring a myriad of channels, such as Madwin and Mannoy creeks, with a solid crop of largemouth and spotted bass recorded. Before heading out searching for your next trophy lunker, purchase your fishing license and check all local and state regulations. When daytime air temperatures can still hover in the low-to-mid nineties! Spotted bass can be found lake wide. Both bass species usually bed in April and both bass species can often be found mingling together, in select locations. During the spring spawning season some anglers those that are not familiar with the lay of Lay lake may struggle in really figuring out how to achieve this big bass bite. (* Read this; to relate to Lay Lakes very similar early summertime, deep water fishing conditions and mid to lower lake fishing suggestions.) Anglers can catch striped, white, largemouth, spotted, and smallmouth bass throughout this fertile system. Barbour Creek and Cheneyhatchee Creek boast catches of both white and striped bass. Instead, most anglers opt for the main dam or diversion, which yields plenty of striped and white bass, a handful of monster largemouth, and, perhaps surprisingly, paddlefish. Weiss is better known as a crappie fishing hotspot, and anglers too often overlook its bass fishing. Your big striper, white bass, and smallmouth will be closer to the dam, but the largemouths arent far off. Check out Paradise Point Marina (205) 669-1515 site of this years 2002 Bassmasters Classic launch, at mid-lake, for all your fishing needs and bass tournament info. As a result, anglers will start to see an uptick in black bass activity in locations such as Cove Branch and Clay Creek. While concentrating your fishing efforts both in and all around these many types of aquatic weeds, you increasingly better your chances of getting more quality-sized bass to bite. Bringing in 5 bass a day over a three day period, with all 15 bass weighing one ounce short of 65 pounds! Go to www.airportmarinetrails.com to see more info on Alabamas best paying bass tournaments! "Lay Lake offers some of the best bass fishing in the country, and hosting events like this reminds us how fortunate we are to have this resource in our backyard. #4.25.5. Since being impounded in 1914 by the Alabama Power Company, Lay Lake is best known for its spotted bass and largemouth bass fishing. Further downstream, the black bass angling picks up in locations such as Big Branch and Shoal Creek, but this location doesnt yield the same numbers as some of the lower-lake spots weve already discussed. The Highway 227 Bridge and the cove shoreline behind it is another bass hotspot popular with largemouth, and anglers can work along the bank to rip lips with big lunkers using soft plastics and crankbaits. Tree-line banks line this cove, which also is split by a small island. It is rewarding to see the community of support that has grown for fishing tournaments. The total was nearly 4 pounds more than their nearest competitors in the tournament, which attracted more than 200 teams from 12 states. Not-So-Weedless Topwater Lures Some topwater lures feature 2-3 dangling treble hooks. Convenience Store: NEARBY With various fishing holes within striking distance of two boat launches, anglers can head into creek mouths and coves like Fourmile Creek, Indian Spring, and Poplar Springs Creek to chase spotted bass. Many veteran anglers (some of a few dozen years or so years back), that know every spot on the lake, including many diverse, seasonal fishing tactics for big bass! Where a lot of these springtime bass will be spawning. Trouble is, most bass have a hard time remembering anything for a long period of time. Fishing Alabama's Lakes for Big, Early Spring Season Pre spawn Bass. The best largemouth fishing is from Beeswax Creek south to the Lay Lake Dam, McCaig said. View Map Bassmasters First Place Lake Eufaula June / Buddy Gross came from behind in tenth place with 15 bass 56 pounds on day three. Soft plastics like worms, lizards, crayfish, tube baits, sweet beavers and creature-style soft plastics all work well, while utilizing these springtime techniques too! 800-458-8085 Strictly for ease of use, weve bundled these half-dozen hotspots together under a separate heading, in the lower part of this article. Or you can always call on Reeds Guide Servicefirst! You can use a piece of PVC or just long needle nose pliers. If the main lake isnt yielding results, Jones Creek is an excellent spot to try weedless crankbaits, with imitation shad being a favorite among anglers. Crappie can be caught on minnows near brush piles and fallen trees in the shallows. (near Birmingham) or go online at www.marksoutdoors.com. Instead, some shore fishing is available off County Rd 794 near the dams tail waters, where bottom rigs with cut bait or minnows will yield both stripers and large catfish. One of the best fishing locations throughout the entire lake is North Sauty Creek, an offshoot of the main lake near the Sauta Cave National Wildlife Refuge near Scottsboro. Bass Species: Largemouth, spotted, striped. Spotted Bass with a Gary Yamamoto Original Senko Worms, 3 lb. They can usually be found bedding in a preferred habitat or along the lakes many rocky, bluff-type banks, small cuts and pockets found within these rock bluffs. Also keep in mind when your fishing along the lakes weedy bottom, striped bass rarely hit lures like worms, lizards, tube baits, creature baits, crayfish imitations, jig combos and small finesse lures. Additional locations include Miller Bottom, Lick Branch, Bates Branch, and Brushy Creek, where spotted and largemouth bass are commonplace. started the High School Series events in 2013, there has been an astounding 724% increase in the number of clubs and schools competing. 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