Special striped bass regulations apply at Lake Martin. Lake Martin is very popular among tournament bass fishermen and is unique, in that most tournaments are held at Wind Creek State Park on the north end of the lake, near Alexander City. There are typically 240 lake homes for sale on Lake Martin at any given time. Largemouth bass between 13 and 16 inches must be released). With the entire field catching a limit, the weights are stacked with a little over 4 pounds separating 100th and 10th. Lewis Smith Reservoir – It is illegal to possess any black bass between 13 inches and 15 inches in total length. Their annual spring spawning migration takes them to the shoals located on the upper end of the lake on the main stem of the Tallapoosa River, as well as Hillabee Creek and Sandy Creek. Public boating access locations for Martin Reservoir can be found here. Today he’s 28 years old and Jimmy hopes they can win this one too. Periodic rains with warm water runoff inundated the central Alabama impoundment to create ideal conditions for a prespawn largemouth bite. Unlike striped bass, other game fish species such as largemouth bass, Alabama bass, black crappie, etc., are able to reproduce naturally in reservoirs; therefore, annual stockings are typically not necessary. There is no closed season on any freshwater game fish. It shall be unlawful for any angler to fish with more than three rods and reels, or poles, or any combination thereof on Weiss or Neely Henry Reservoir at any time. Fishing guides Mike Walker and Brian Farley offer a wide rage of choices when it comes to your fishing trip. The best crappie fishing is in the upstream areas of the lake, particularly around Wind Creek State Park and in Elkahatchee Creek. After two days of fishing, another team of Champions has been crowned. The Alabama Bass Trail is 13 premier bass fishing lakes throughout Alabama. Boating at Lake Martin, Alabama. "I decided to go down there and check it out," Parramore said. This is a two-day event on beautiful Lake Martin that will feature the best of the best in the Alabama Bass Trail. Largemouth Bass: 15-inch minimum size limit. ... Read More→ Fish must be caught in Alabama waters by legal means. All captions: Craig Lamb. Lake Martin – It is illegal to possess more than two saltwater striped bass that exceed 22 inches in total length in the daily creel limit. Special creel limits apply on the reciprocal waters of the Impoundments; check locally or see regulation 220-2-.112 . Lake Guntersville is 67,900 acres in size with an average depth of 15 feet and a maximum depth of 45 feet. Lake Martin boaters may be interested that the Alabama Marine Police have answered 2 critical questions on the boat ban: . Includes combinations of largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, Alabama, shoal and those species formerly known as “redeye” bass, which are now known separately as Coosa, Warrior, Cahaba, Tallapoosa and Chattahoochee bass, based on their respective drainages. The rules and regulations for the state of Alabama, when fishing for striped bass; the daily limit is 15 and no more than 5 of those 15 can be over the 22 inch length limit.There is an exception on Lake Martin; where only 2 of your 15 stripers can be over 22 inches long. Alabama Bass Federation, Inc., first Qualifying Tournament of 2020 season was at Lake Martin, Alexander City, AL. It shall be illegal to take or attempt to take walleye by any method from Sweetwater Lake located in the Talladega National Forest, Cleburne County, from White Plains Lake (also known as Whitesides Mill Lake), Calhoun County and from Shoal Creek upstream of White Plains Lake, Calhoun and Cleburne Counties. If you are a member of a bass club, please consider being a part of our Bass Angler Information Team. Thurlow Reservoir – It is illegal to possess more than two saltwater striped bass that exceed 22 inches in total length in the daily creel limit and only one of those may exceed 30 inches in total length. Fish must be caught in Alabama waters by legal means. Fish must be identified by a Fisheries Section biologist or other certified fisheries biologist. During winter months, crappie remain in open, deep water. Largemouth Bass: 10 daily combined total with other bass; Smallmouth Bass: No more than 5 of the 10 daily limit for other bass can be smallmouth bass Culling is defined as removing and releasing a trout from the creel (live well, stringer, basket, bucket, cooler or other container) whether or not it is replaced with another trout. Weighing must be witnessed by two people. Fish must be identified by a Fisheries Section biologist or other certified fisheries biologist. Parramore cut his teeth guiding part-time for 10 years at northwest Alabama's Smith Lake. Bass fishing quality at Lake Martin is assessed from bass club tournament results. Due to the low fertility of Lake Martin, growth rates and body condition of largemouth bass and Alabama bass are below the statewide average for Alabama reservoirs. Lake Martin is arguably the most popular recreational reservoir in Alabama attracting literally hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Largemouth bass stole the show on a fishery known for superb spotted bass fishing at Lake Martin. Unless noted below, the seasons for all designated game and commercial fish are open continuously. It shall be unlawful for any fisherman other than a licensed commercial fisherman to fish one or more trotline, snag or snare line or combination thereof containing more than 100 hooks total. Culling is defined as removing and releasing a saltwater striped bass from the creel (live well, stringer, basket, bucket, cooler or other container) whether or not it is replaced with another striped bass. A Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) impoundment of the Tennessee River, the Sequatchie River is the main tributary, followed by Town Creek and numerous smaller creeks. However, anglers find that Alabama bass, although primarily small, are abundant and good to eat. During warmer months, striped bass spend most of their time in deep water (50-80 ft.) and are usually caught using live shad tight-lined beneath the boat. So, what type of fish are in this lake? Shellcracker are also abundant in the lake and often reach very large sizes. The individual record is a 70-pounder caught in 2013 on the Black Warrior River near Gorgas Steam Plant. Alabama bass are notorious for their schooling behavior in this lake, particularly during colder months. Yellow perch are a species that have relatively recently appeared in the Tallapoosa River drainage. No more than 5 of the daily creel limit of 10 may be smallmouth bass. Culling is defined as removing and releasing a saltwater striped bass from the creel (live well, stringer, basket, bucket, cooler or other container) whether or not it is replaced with another striped bass. The cities of Alexander City, Dadeville, and Eclectic are the major cities bordering the lake. Located on the outskirts of Alexander City in Central Alabama, Lake Martin is a 39,180-acre impoundment on the Tallapoosa River with an astounding 700 miles of shoreline. MARTIN'S FORK LAKE and all tributaries. It shall be unlawful for any person to take or have in possession more than the daily limit for any fish as established herein. Overall there were 50 bass weighing 107 pounds, 6 ounces caught by pros Saturday. Except as otherwise provided for State and Federally owned and/or managed fishing lakes and ponds, the daily creel, possession limits and size restrictions for fish in all public waters of this State shall be as follows: The creel and possession limits provided for above shall not apply to fish held live for release by the sponsor or its designated agent after a bona fide fishing tournament provided they are released unharmed to the public waters from which they were taken as soon as reasonably possible on the same day they were taken. Alexander City, AL- The best of the best in the Alabama Bass Trail converged on Lake Martin Friday and Saturday. Lake Martin is a man-made reservoir located in Tallapoosa, Elmore and Coosa counties in Alabama on the Tallapoosa River. Crappie often congregate around blow-downs or stumps during springtime and can be caught using live minnows. and: How will it be enforced? Except as otherwise noted, it shall be unlawful to possess any fish less than or greater than size restrictions as established herein. Largemouth bass growth has been excellent, and they are very plump. Being an open water species, the striped bass rarely feeds near the shoreline like other game fish, so anglers must learn to fish offshore in order to be successful. All of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits. Home - Striper Fishing Headquarters, Lake Martin's Elite Fishing Guide Service. Lake Martin is alive and well as I write this (9/10/19) The top water action is on fire right now both with stripers and spotted bass. Lake Martin is a reservoir, formed by the construction of Martin Dam on the Tallapoosa River.The Martin Dam powerhouse is used to generate hydroelectric power for the Alabama Power Company. During the summer, clear water, hot temperatures, and numerous recreational boaters sometimes make fishing difficult during the daytime; thus, many anglers opt to fish at night. Bluegill can be caught from Lake Martin much easier than in many other reservoirs due to the clear water which makes locating bedding fish much easier; however, care must be taken when approaching these areas so the fish are not spooked off the beds. At over 41,500 acres, Lake Martin is still one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States. The team of Charlie Williams and Michael Smith led 180 other teams by almost 4 pounds to take the win and the $50,000 grand prize with a total of 28.09 pounds. Fish must be weighed on certified scales. As for size, last year we caught 145 fish weighing between 25 and 40 pounds." Lake Martin, Alabama. Due to the low fertility of Lake Martin, growth rates and body condition of largemouth bass and Alabama bass are below the statewide average for Alabama reservoirs. Guntersville Reservoir and its Tributary of Town Creek – It is illegal to possess any largemouth or smallmouth bass less than 15 inches in total length. Lake Martin is arguably the most popular recreational reservoir in Alabama attracting literally hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. At the close of scales on Saturday from Lake Logan Martin, Brannon Hurst and Mike Freeman took home the win with 17.64 pounds. Striped bass are a very popular sport fish in Lake Martin. Logan Martin Reservoir is located in east-central Alabama on the Coosa River, approximately 30 miles east of Birmingham (the lake borders St. Clair and Talladega counties). Lake Martin Located on the outskirts of Alexander City in Central Alabama, Lake Martin is a 39,180-acre impoundment on the Tallapoosa River with an astounding 700 miles of shoreline. Thanks to 245 miles of shoreline, the lake is home to a number of fishing guides as well as marinas and boat ramps. 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 It was formed by the construction of Martin Dam on the Tallapoosa River. 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 Care of Fish for Release - Care of fish put in a livewell. They are easily identified by their six to nine black vertical saddles across the back, which extend to the white stomach region. With better boats, electronincs, tackle, and angler communication on this and other forums, should Crappie Anglers join together, as Bass Anglers have, and try to agree and promote minimum size and creel limits. 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