By
Reed Montgomery
Reeds Guide Service (205) 787-5133
Website: www.FISHINGALABAMA.com
Winter on Lake Martin
Impounded 1926
Lake level: winter pool / down 15 feet
Lake Martin, near Alexander City in mid Alabama, has gone
through a lot of changes over the past 80 plus years since
its impoundment in 1926.
No I'm not that old. But having fished this 39,000 acre lake
for over 30 years, I do have some fond memories - of some
very excellent days of bass fishing I've experienced all
throughout this lake. Although Lake Martin is a rather spread
out lake at over 700 miles of shoreline, it only features
28 nautical miles of winding and twisting Tallapoosa River
waters. Starting at Lake Martin dam downstream and heading
north to the lake's headwaters to an area called, Irwin Shoals.
Since another impoundment, Lake Harris, was created upstream
by the construction of Lake Harris dam in 1983, more changes
have taken place on Lake Martin. Boaters can no longer navigate
their boats past Lake Martin's headwaters at Irwin Shoals.
Now these lake headwaters feature an impassable rocky, boulder
- strewn flat, bathed in swift current most of the winter
season.
At times water released from upstream Lake Harris dam can
be dangerously swift for boaters in these lake headwaters
and heavy, winter rains can create some very stained to muddy
water conditions, often for weeks at a time, in Lake Martin's
headwaters. That is, with a lot of winter rains and early
spring rains, of which we have had very little of so far,
as this year comes to an end.
Drought throughout the southeast has many lakes extremely
low, even for winter pool, when lake levels are customarily
down anyway. But as you can see at the heading of this lake
report, Lake Martin is extremely low, at 15 feet below normal,
full pool levels, which we have not seen since earlier this
year. It all started in late spring as the lake was slowly
dropped a few feet. Then after a scorching, hot summer showing
air temperatures near 105 degrees taking place, lake levels
fell even lower.
Normally, by the beginning of the fall season, the lake should
be "at or near full pool," prior to it being drawn
down several feet for winter pool for another 6 months. But
this past fall season Lake Martin was down 8 feet. So what
effect does this have on anglers hoping to just fool a few
of Lake Martin's wintertime bass into biting? A tremendous
effect.
First of all, this wintertime lake drawdown has taken place
every year I've fished Lake Martin and its been even lower
in winter's past. But this was always following, "a
lake seen at full pool" from mid April until November,
always giving both spotted bass and largemouth bass plenty
of time to bunch up as the lake rose, then spread out in
the lakes newly flooded waters, starting each spring season.
So now what does next year hold for Lake Martin's bass and
the anglers that pursue them? We will just have to pray for
rain and see what takes place.
Lake levels being so low (15 feet down), should not compose
all negative thoughts. Drawdown does have its advantages
over the lake being at full pool. For one thing, the lake
is now about half its original size. This concentrates shallow
water bass at low pool, bass that are forced to share (or
bunch up around) whatever shallow water wood and rock cover
they can find.
Bass, especially largemouth bass, require some type of cover
to conceal themselves for ambush purposes, like when darting
out of a brush pile and attacking unsuspecting prey. This
usually takes place in stained water conditions as they make
their homes in the security of thick weeds, wood cover or
rock cover. But times have changed all these feeding habits,
with no weed cover and very little low water wood cover now
evident, as easily seen on most of Lake Martin's bare banks.
Clear water conditions, from little or no rain, helps reveal
these bass, rather than off colored water clarity helping
to conceal them, and clear water can possibly stop them from
catching their days next meal. With Lake drawdown every year,
another piece of wood cover is exposed. It then becomes dry
and brittle, eventually breaking off and then floating off
downstream, all taking place when the lake level rises again
in the spring.
This is what's happening to most of Lake Martin's stumps,
laying logs, brush and even blown down trees. Eventually
they just float away, or become water logged and sink to
the lakes bottom. But like the bass, the bass anglers, have
learned to adjust and take advantage of this problem.
Many anglers that frequent Lake Martin during the winter
months or residents that live on the lake, actually plant
their own fish holding cover. Tire reefs, sunken palettes,
brush piles, rock piles and even things that should not be
thrown in the lake (like old refrigerators and washing machines)
all hold bass, baitfish and even crayfish. Both predator
and prey, now just looking for something to relate to or
hide in.
Which brings to mind another good reason to be on Lake Martin
during the winter months, especially with it now down 15
feet for winter pool. Observing low water cover like resident
planted brush piles, offshore rock piles, or even stumps
now visible along main lake flats, during the winter season,
can pay off (handsomely in bass tournaments), especially
upon returning to these same spots this coming spring, when
all of this fish holding cover will (hopefully) be under
water again.
Not only do residents plant brush and other fish holding
cover, and tournament anglers and crappie fisherman put out
their own fish holding cover on Lake Martin, but the Alabama
Power Company does so as well. Each year around the first
week of January, the parking lot of Wind Creek State Park
is filled with donated Christmas trees. Alabama Power employees
bundle them up, weigh them down with concrete blocks, then
load them up on a pontoon boat and place them all throughout
the lake. Marking the spots with a styrofoam float attached
to a rope or marking them with GPS coordinates, you can obtain
by calling Alabama Power Company.
* Looking to visit Lake Martin soon? Always call on Reeds
Guide Service...first! " Serving anglers that visit
or have lived on Lake Martin (and other Alabama lakes) for
over 30 years." Several professional guides and boats
available year round for multiple parties and corporate guided
trips. Discounts available. Remember, a guided fishing trip
with Reeds Guide Service makes a great Birthday gift, Christmas
gift, Father's Day gift or any occasion, for those loved
ones that love to fish!
* Looking for a new or used boat? See: www.airportmarine.com Also see their tournament trail link found there. Alabama's
best paying bass tournaments and annual events!
* Looking for the best bass boat in the world? See: www.rangerboats.com
Thanks, and Good Fishin'
Practice catch and release year-round especially this Spring.
You won't regret it!
Good Fishin'...
Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service
Website: www.fishingalabama.com
