Spotted bass can be found lake wide. Two jigging tactics dupe largemouth for McCaig when he fishes Lay Lakes water willows. 225 teams fished for a $10,000 first place price and $37,400 for the remaining 40 . Before heading out searching for your next trophy lunker, purchase your fishing license and check all local and state regulations. Even if they have just been caught and recently released these bass have got to eat. They all practiced for a few days and some anglers fished shallow and some fished deep water. Ornery Coosa River spots weighing 3 to 4 pounds are common, and its not unusual to see five-bass tournament limits of spots that tip the scales at 18 to 20 pounds. Lay lakes largemouth basssee a lot of lures. 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. Yes, they still actually exist in Lay Lake, despite extreme fishing pressure, now found almost daily, every weekend, in all seasons and year round! Bass Species: Spotted, largemouth, striped. Included in Part Two will be more deep water lure applications, for targeting both big largemouth bass and those trophy-sized, Coosa River breed of spotted bass. The perfect bedding water temperature of 72 degrees, coupled with the seasons next full moon, is all it takes to trigger a mass wave of both male and female largemouth bass and spotted bass to head towards the lakes shallow, spawning grounds. Not only should Lay Lake be heralded in terms of producing some rather big, largemouth bass (some weighing in excess of ten pounds have been taken in years past), but it should also be recognized for its excessive population of supreme-sized, Alabama Coosa River spotted bass. Lake Eufaula Al. The total was nearly 4 pounds more than their nearest competitors in the tournament, which attracted more than 200 teams from 12 states. We look forward to having new families discover Shelby and all we have to offer.. To even hope of making the top ten payout spots in many one day bass tournaments, multi day major bass tournaments trails and annual events held on Lay Lake. You can use a piece of PVC or just long needle nose pliers. Like Lay Lake (Impounded 1914), Lake Eufaula is a weedy, flatland impoundment. That is, unless that is all they have to choose from! Alabama has a wide variety of excellent fishing lakes, and with many bass species, the opportunities here seem endless. Guiding on Lay Lake and all other Alabama Lakes For Over 40 Years!. This winding creek system has a few docks on the front end, but the deeper you go, the better the bass fishing gets. Topwater lures, either walked, jerked or popped along the waters surface can be attacked by any of these bass throughout the lake, at any time. 205-458-8000 This addition raised Lay Lake dam another 15 feet. Chewalla Creek Marina offers a boat launch and a shore-angling location for fishermen to keep their feet on solid ground while catching big bass. 2023 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lay Lake. There are lures all three of these bass species willhit during the fall season. At its southernmost point, Lay Lake offers some excellent spotted bass fishing in the offshoots of Paint Creek and Little Tom Creek in a large backwater on the lower east side of the reservoir. Lay Lake covers 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) and has a shoreline about 289 miles (465 km) long. All taking place in early summer on Alabamas Lake Eufaula, known as Walter F. George Reservoir. Flooding many major feeder creeks, farm lands, flats, railroads, old houses and churches, standing timber, stump rows, and even old cemeteries. Because of this, anglers should target their bait selection to each species. . The most active fishing spots in Alabama Lake Purdy Full lakeside bait/tackle shop, boat rental, rod rental. Almost every week over 100 boats with bass bound anglers, pound the weedy waters of Lay Lake. This Tallapoosa River reservoir is one of the most popular bass fishing locations throughout the entire state. This 12,000-acre reservoir in east central Alabama offers excellent striped, largemouth, and spotted bass fishing. Here, anglers want to target the grass and points where docks jut out into the lake, providing structure for big bass that win tournaments. Though anglers may catch the occasional striped and white bass at Bartletts Ferry, it is a black bass haven, and for a good reason. (The last lake to be built in 1966 was Neely Henry Lake). Seven public access areas o. Spinnerbaits are a hot commodity here, but soft plastics rigged weedless will get you into those hard-to-reach backs of creeks and coves where lunkers lay up waiting to ambush shad and minnows. If you are searching for the best location to run a shallow diving crank bait or top water, the tail end of North Sauty Creek is your best bet. This time so shallow water bass anglers, take heed! If youre a fan of crankbaits, you can cover plenty of water in the channel system off of Hatchet Creek and likely pull in a limit of spotted and largemouth bass. 9 oz. Scott Canterbury and Buddy Gross from Ga. were battling it out for first and second place, with about 20 pounds each (for one/half day) by 12 p.m. running neck and neck at about 80 pounds each, by almost weigh in time! And it was a tremendous bass tournament with many deeper bass caught on a variety of lures such as; 10 inch worms, jig combos, finesse worms, swim baits, bladed jigs and jigging spoons, just to name a few, besides many bass caught on a variety of deep diving crankbaits. Now, due to the popularity of modern day electronics, some anglers are beginning to probe Lay Lake's deeper water. The upper portions of the lake near Wilson Dam and 7 Mile Island make for prime smallmouth habitat. The main dam is a great opportunity to troll with imitation shad swim baits or deep diving crankbaits. Hatchet Creek and Bird Creek are on opposite sides of the river. I recommend giving Barren Fork Creek a look as it connects to Swan Pond. Tough on fishing tackle, tough on fishing line, rods and reels and often these little, balls of fighting fury are tough on themselves, often ripping theirmouths with your lures sharp hooks, in their attempt to escape capture. Full of shad, minnows, and other small bait fish to feed hungry bass, Lake Martin also is loaded with piers, drop-offs, undercut banks, and brush piles that make it a bass anglers dream. 205 669-1515. LURES FOR FISHING AWAY FROM LAY LAKES WEEDS. Jones Creek is another secluded cove just off the main lake that has shelter from the current by a series of small islands and boasts miles of grass beds and several significant drop-offs. Farther south, White Oak Creek and Sandy Creek both yield a solid crop of largemouth and stripers. The northern shoreline features sandbars and heavily brushed banks, while the southern bank offers several easy-to-access coves and a handful of drop-offs. Bass Species: Spotted, largemouth, striped, smallmouth. But we also recognize thats a lot of information. Or try Pitchin a jig combo along Lay lakes weedy edges, and around wood and rock cover. Since it was impounded in 1914 a lake, over one hundred years old to date Alabamas Lay lake just keeps on getting better! Or you can always call on Reeds Guide Servicefirst! While fishing and competing against some of Alabamas best bass anglers in major bass tournaments. Including info that can be applied to fishing deep water on other Alabama lakes during this hot, summer season! This long tributary of the Alabama River starts in Georgia and snakes its way through Alabama. Lay Lake Impounded in 1914. Columbiana, AL 35051 They may even be discovered bedding on a hard, red clay bottoms like those void of weeds featuring scattered rocks, stumps, or a sandy bottom. Lacoosa Marina Boat Launch Ramp The duo from Century High School in the small town of Ullin, Ill., caught 19 pounds, 5 ounces to win the second stop on the 2023 Bassmaster High School Series circuit. 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. Gold spoons are a popular lure here, with spinnerbaits and crankbaits tying as a close second. All just having fun this summer or fishing for fish species such as white bass, bream, catfish, crappie and striped bass. Either way, buckle up. This shallow but fertile lake in northeastern Alabama headwaters in Georgia and works its way down to just above Neely Lake. Also a summer hot spot for stripers and hybrids, the main lake near the dam is a feeding ground for the non-black bass species during the warmer months. Boat Rental: YES Lay Lake regulars, weekend anglers of all kinds, visitors in ski boats and pontoon parties with lake residents. This small cove is virtually uninhabited, besides campers and hikers. Even Texas-rigged weightless lures like a Gary Yamamotos Senko or Zooms air- injected Trick Worms are very weedless soft plastics and they are great lures for this type of application. Frogs, minnows, crayfish, worms, snakes, eels, lizards, insects (such as dragonflies) and a variety of smaller bait fish such as bream, threadfin shad, gizzard shad, small catfish, bream, minnows and crappie, all inhibit these weeds and any one (or all), of these hapless prey can easily become the days next meal! It does talk a while to learn the entire lake. The small contingent of striped bass can be caught near the hydro dam, with shore anglers having access at Po Boys Landing. Bass fishing with weedless lures, targeting the many varieties of aquatic weeds found on Alabama's Lay Lake, can generate some heart-stopping strikes. It is rewarding to see the community of support that has grown for fishing tournaments. Lay Lake is known for quality spotted and largemouth bass. These types of lures are most anglers favorite lure choices. Other hotspots are Elk River, Second Creek, and Spring Creek. Locations like Town Creek and Douglass Branch are small cuts off the river with a heavily forested shoreline and a few docks for good measure. Lay lake is a rather long lake, at about 50 nautical miles from dam to dam in length. Rig up with a soft plastic lizard or worm and cover more water while slowly motoring along the forested shoreline. Boats also can go deeper into Pinkston Creek, where the spotted bass are a dime a dozen. Anglers often catch largemouth bass off the main lake inside channels, including the ones previously listed. PART TWO JULY will be more in depth (pardon the pun), with more Lay Lake deep water techniques and lure suggestions, including tips on how to use an assortment of some, very tempting offerings for some big, summertime bass! Including, its an impoundment that can be known for providing anglers with sheer numbers of bass on any outing. 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. The most prominent patches of water willows typically grow within the first 500 yards of major creeks. A series of small overflow ponds near Lick Branch has an excellent track record for producing sizeable largemouths, which prefer to stay just out of the current and hammer the schools of shad that shelter here. There have been three largemouth over 10 pounds weighed in at Lay Lake in the past three years, McCaig said. Great lake for night fishing too! Marinas, fish camps, bait stores, boat rentals, camping and other amenities enhance a stay at Lay Lake. By most standards of that time this was big! New growing aquatic weeds are found all throughout Lay lake and they enhance the spring spawn as well. Many of the last days top ten were fishing from mid lake below the main lake bridge crossing, to the lower lake dam.). With a tremendous frog bite for all. Although they will choose to bed in a sandy bottom or a small pebble bottom, right along with their cousins the largemouth bass, a lot of spotted bass would prefer to mingle and bed with their own kind. When it comes to choosing top water lures for Lay lakes bass you have two types of lures to choose from. With a highly diverse ecosystem hosting crawfish, shad, snails, and even freshwater mussels, there is no shortage of prey for bass. The Kayak Bass Fishing members practice another CPR: Catch, Photo, and Release. The best black bass spots are creeks and cuts, including Haw Branch, Bluff Creek, and Slate Rock Creek. 205 917-0801, Paradise Point Marina & RV 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! All Rights Reserved. Michigans Kevin Van Dam won that world-renowned fishing event. Convenience Store: NEARBY Stripes do not inhibit aquatic weeds so lures like fake frogs are usually meals for the largemouth bass. 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. I havent seen bass like that in any Coosa River lake in 10 or 15 years.. Available Fish Species Amenities Today's Weather & Forecast Rental Boats Marinas Boat Launch Ramps In addition to containing a decent population of rainbow trout, anglers will find a modest number of monster striped bass, medium-sized spotted bass, and of course, a substantial population of largemouth bass over 16 inches. Check out the new Ranger bass boats at Airport Marine in Clanton, Al. A piece of PVC or just long needle nose pliers seem endless for smallmouth! 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