Period. Marinas, fish camps, bait stores, boat rentals, camping and other amenities enhance a stay at Lay Lake. The lake also has healthy populations of crappie, sunfish striped bass and hybrid stripers. The Yates Dam is another popular location with anglers who can shorefish off the dead end of County Rd 30, where youll also find Yates Lake Ramp. 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. Just watch your lure selection and look where your casting! 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Bird Creek, on the west side, offers docks and overhanging trees for anglers to try their luck with spinnerbaits. Bass Species: Largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, striped. Often they are found as far up any creek as their travels in search of food will take them, to the far ends of even small feeder creeks too! While it is undoubtedly an aesthetic bonus, anglers will find the downside of this lake is that it tends to be very clear due to the influx of freshwater. Many of the last days top ten were fishing from mid lake below the main lake bridge crossing, to the lower lake dam.). But only, by those very determined anglers with some of todays very unique electronics. An, up-and-coming bunch of much younger anglers as well, with all of the latest in fishing gear, lures, rods and reels, plus many utilizing their boats electronics, finding schools of deeper bass, that many anglers dont! In terms of an excellent bass fishery, Lay lake easily rates as one of Alabama's top three best, big bass lakes. Located in the northeast section of the lake, off County Road 31, this is a two-lane, concrete ramp with docks and gravel parking. Many deep water bass too! 9 oz. The best largemouth fishing is from Beeswax Creek south to the Lay Lake Dam, McCaig said. A deep-diving crankbait is your best bet, but check the water clarity before deciding on a color. The best fishing for largemouth bass occurs in creeks and shallow water sloughs. A strong weather system was predicted to move through the area on Saturday with high winds, tornados and possible hail. Lay Lake supports an abundance of this vegetation because it stays at full pool all year, points out McCaig. The Ohatchee Spillway is a popular location for anglers after both stripers and catfish in large numbers, feeding off the incoming bait pushed in by the current. The diversion tells a slightly different tail. Our local restaurants, stores and other businesses are ready to welcome student anglers and their families! In the early years of B.A.S.S., Lake Eufaula was rightfully known as the "Bass Fishing Capital of the World." In the late 1960s and early 1970s, winning weights exceeded 100 pounds for four events, keeping in mind the rules were based on 15-bass daily limits. Located mid lake, west side, off County Road 400, this is a one-lane, concrete ramp with a dock and paved parking. The creek has a heavily forested shoreline with plenty of downed trees for structure, and the pond is a known hideout for bass during the warmer part of the day in the winter. Here youll find detailed information about fishing locations, productive fishing patterns, local guides, campgrounds, where to stay and current river data. (The last lake to be built in 1966 was Neely Henry Lake). However, the offshoot creeks and spring-fed channels are more likely to hold these large silvery fighters during the cooler months. Bass fishing onlyon Lay lake year round. 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! Below these, Otho Branch and Thomas Mill Creek offer some excellent largemouth fishing around docks out of the main river channel. These six major impoundments they can target are filled with bass, crappie, catfish, and more. Their size ranges from a few ounces to nearly 70 pounds for the state-record striped bass. 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! Rentals: Pontoon boats 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. "Over the last two or three years, it has taken over 20 pounds to win every [one-day] tournament at Lay Lake," McCaig said. Spotted bass, some exceeding 8 pounds, have been taken in years past from Lay lake. Trouble is, most bass have a hard time remembering anything for a long period of time. Doing battle alongside Birmingham-area fishing powerhouse schools like Briarwood Christian Schoolwhich won three consecutive national championships from 2018-2020are teams from as far away as South Dakota. The tournament is being hosted byDiscoverShelby.com. Please call (205) 663-1504 for more information. This breakdown includes 40 Winter waypoints on Lay Lake, Alabama focused on December - January. 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. Dirty Jigs. Almost every week over 100 boats with bass bound anglers, pound the weedy waters of Lay Lake. When daytime air temperatures can still hover in the low-to-mid nineties! Weed less and not-so-weed less lures. Lay lake is close to 50 miles in length from dam to dam. Anglers will find small sandbars, an island, and a handful of coves lined with docks, making it a prime location to angle from just a short boat ride from the docks at Bozo Fishing Camp. Coosa River Spotted Bass are found lake wide. Elite winner. Shelby, AL 35143 The Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series is a team fishing tournament located on 13 premier bass fishing lakes throughout Alabama. 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. But his bass played out and he lost some good bass on day three, bringing in only 11 pounds and fell to fourth place. Crappie can be caught on minnows near brush piles and fallen trees in the shallows. The miles of forested shoreline and undercut banks in this arm of the lake provide excellent cover for largemouth bass. I pitch it behind rocks that break the current where the waters 5 to 6 feet deep, McCaig said. Trolling these waters or casting out a drop shot or Carolina rig with live shad or minnows will yield you a big striper or big blue cat. Topwater frogs are a great way to find whats lurking in the back of cuts you cant access in your boat, but spinnerbaits let you cover more water. But knowing how to navigate your boat up the cover-filled waters of Alabamas Lay lake (a lake that still displays both visible stumps and standing timber, including some wood cover hidden just beneath the waters surface), requires a little knowledge and knowing the entire lay of Lay lake. Because of this, anglers should target their bait selection to each species. When compared with other, much bigger, Alabama Lakes (like Alabamas largest, man made impoundment, Guntersville Lake on the Tennessee River System at a length of over 80 miles, from dam to dam), Lay Lake is still comparatively small. Lay Lake Public Boat Launch Ramp When upstream reservoir Logan Martin Lake was impounded in 1964, they also added two turbines to Lay Lake dam downstream. The Kayak Bass Fishing members practice another CPR: Catch, Photo, and Release. Fishing Alabama's Lakes for Big, Early Spring Season Pre spawn Bass. Lay Lake was the third stop for the Alabama Bass Trail South Division, and once again, Mother Nature wasn't providing favorable fishing conditions. Talk to an Expert. Now, due to the popularity of modern day electronics, some anglers are beginning to probe Lay Lakes deeper water. Both of these lower Coosa River System Lakes are only about 20 miles in length. (Even shallow water anglers fool some bass in the summer! Anglers in boats launching out of Lighthouse Marina have access to some of the best fishing just a short boat ride from the dock. Because of this feast, anglers need to take stock of what forage inhabits whichever lake they are fishing on the Coosa River. With many anglers visiting Lake Eufaula many weeks prior to this early summer season, major league bass tournament. But we also recognize thats a lot of information. Written by Reed Montgomery / Owner of Alabamas oldest, professional bass fishing only guide service. and Shimanos Helen Sevier Pioneer Scholarships for female anglers. 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. Thats quite a testament to a heavily fished, 12,000-acre reservoir that was impounded 100 years ago. Lewis Smith Lake offers more than 20,000 acres of prime bass fishing waters. Launch & Weigh In March 11, 2023 Beeswax Landing 245 Beeswax Park Road Columbiana, AL 35051 That dam spills water into a canal that rejoins the Coosa downriver to form the Alabama River. 9 oz. To help organize this section, well start in the north where the Coosa River flows into Alabama and work our way through the reservoirs heading south. Fishing Hot Spots near Lay Lake McCaig fishes bass tournaments 42 weekends a year. The explosive antics of Lay Lake's largemouth bass, create some very memorable scenes, many never . The spots are focused on 4 areas of the lake. Featuring prime locations such as Halawakee Creek and Mill Creek, the jagged lake footprint is riddled with undercut banks, points, and curves. Guided fishing trip with pro bass angler Joey Nania We will fish from my new Nitro Z-20 powered by a Mercury 250 Pro XS. And during winter, next spring and the hot summer season too! But when FLW Outdoors was on Lake Eufaula the shallow water late springtime bite had fizzled into about nothing. Just north of the dam, the Alabama side of the impoundment is lined with lakeside homes, most with small docks that provide structure for hungry bass. The best fishing for largem. Honestly, it went really bad. You can do everything." 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. View Map This 12,000-acre reservoir in east central Alabama offers excellent striped, largemouth, and spotted bass fishing. The main lake backs up from Jordan Dam on the Coosa. 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. Yes, (like weedy, Lake Eufaula on the Al. He won, with his own 3 day prediction of an average of 22 pounds a day! Fishing for largemouth bass, spotted bass, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, striped bass and hybrid striped bass at Lay Lake in Alabama. (near Birmingham) or go online at www.marksoutdoors.com. Visitors can get away from it all at the nearby Talladega or Tuskegee National Forests, with their camping and other recreational opportunities, or head for the city comforts of nearby Birmingham or Montgomery. Restaurant: YES, Trident Marine Lay Lake There are plenty to go around! This huge impoundment of the Tennessee River in northwestern Alabama is home to white, smallmouth, and largemouth bass. Weeds are places of which both predator and prey alike will call home, for at least nine months out of the year. Or any Alabama Lake, year round. 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. The breakdown also includes detailed descriptions of each area, recommend conditions for when you should fish each area and bait recommendations for each spot Boat Rental: YES Most of both the largemouth bass and spotted bass species will avoid bedding in lake bottoms that have a muddy composition. And largemouth bass love weeds! Bass anglers, almost on a daily basis, have shown these weed-dweeling largemouth bass a variety of lures fished in and around the lakes weeds, from top to bottom. Where the top ten anglers on the last day of three days of competition (all but one angler from Florida), came from all over Alabama and throughout the U.S. Like most multi-day bass tournaments, this near 100 plus field of anglers was narrowed down to the top 22 anglers in the field on the last of two days then a top ten competed on day three. This Tallapoosa River reservoir is one of the most popular bass fishing locations throughout the entire state. Even when fishing with small, finesse-type plastics, coupled with light line and light tackle outfits, some anglers successfully fool and land some big, bass on Lay lake. Choosing a list of lures that are needed for each fishing situation can be mind-boggling, especially with the selection of todays never-ending lure choices. I havent seen bass like that in any Coosa River lake in 10 or 15 years.. 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. ]. 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. Including another invasive weed species Hydrilla. But you hardly ever seen a striped bass hit a buzz bait. 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. With a highly diverse ecosystem hosting crawfish, shad, snails, and even freshwater mussels, there is no shortage of prey for bass. Those lures that everybody collects of every shape, size, color and action they can in, all types and models. Best Fishing Times: 12:00AM to 12:00AM, and 12:00AM to 12:00AM Alternate Fishing Times: 12:00AM to 12:00AM Fishing Lay Lake, AL on 2/6/2023 will be best from 12:00AM through 12:00AM, and from 12:00AM to 12:00AM. 231 Paradise Point Drive 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. Since being impounded in 1914 by the Alabama Power Company, Lay Lake is best known for its spotted and largemouth bass fishing. Steep Creek, Willow Stump Branch, and Shoal Creek are all within striking distance, having recorded solid numbers of largemouths in recent years. A high quality largemouth bass and spotted bass fishery exists at Lay Reservoir. Along the way, dams have created excellent fishing reservoirs in Lake Weiss, Neely Henry, Logan Martin Lake, Lay Lake, and Lake Mitchell. Bass Species: Largemouth, spotted, striped, hybrid striped. 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. 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. this lake also is highly rated for catfish fishing, better known as a crappie fishing hotspot, our complete guide to bass fishing techniques and tips. The key to fishing Wheeler Lake isnt targeting the popular fishing holes but looking for secluded offshoots a short boat ride from the launch. Over the last two or three years, it has taken over 20 pounds to win every [one-day] tournament at Lay Lake, McCaig said. 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 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. Located in the northwest section of the lake, off Beeswax Park Road, this is a four-lane, concrete ramp with docks and paved parking. Weiss Lake, Neely Henry Lake and Logan Martin Lake. Other solid options here include swimbaits in the form of imitation shad and crankbaits that run at a variety of depths. Thespotted basscan usually be found in the upper reservoir and up into the narrower river toward Weiss Dam, where the current is stronger. , major league bass tournament angler Joey Nania we will fish from new. 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