Spring is actually 3 full months of bass fishing on Logan Martin Lake. When you really break it down, it calls for 3 different styles of bass fishing each month.
MARCH - March in Alabama is the time for anglers to be targeting prespawn bass. Although herald as the merry month of early spring, it is often more like late winter doldrums with unexpected cold fronts, trailing blue bird skies, usually coupled with several consecutive days of very high winds. At times during March heavy spring rains follow (or preceed) these cold fronts creating an anglers nightmare...cold, muddy water. These are the worst conditions an angler can face during spring (besides jet skis).
As for water temperature (unknown to many anglers) it can play a huge role, each spring season in the life of bass during spawning times on Logan Martin Lake. A very cold month of March can display water temperatures in the upper 40's or a week (or two) long warming trend can bring the mercury up and the water temperature up to the upper 50's. This really puts prespawn bass on the move.
Eventually, this gradual, early spring warming trend (of late March and into early April), will take place as the days get longer and the cold fronts begin to cease and the shallows of Logan Martin Lake are bathed in an all day sunshine.
Continuously warming water (with constant daytime temperatures at 70 degrees or more) not only induces the smaller male bass of Logan Martin Lake to create beds and roam the shallows looking for friendship with the bigger female bass, but constant warming trends (such as several warm days and warm nights), show more bigger, female bass in the shallows under these ideal conditions, for much longer periods of time. Often, there are a lot of both male and female bass in the shallows, sometimes much earlier than some anglers may think, anglers still fishing out in deep water, actually late winter fishing.
APRIL - April, these shallow bass, induced by week long warning trends, are very susceptible to an anglers offerings when bedding, but only if that angler is casting his lures in water less than 5 feet deep during the entire month of April. When this all occurs (with the right conditions), it usually takes place near the last full moon of March. If conditions such as severe cold fronts cause the bass to "back off the beds" then it can be the last full moon in April, before the majority of the Logan Martin Lake bass population is actually into that "week long bedding thang."
As April gets underway both male and female bass begin to head for the shallows for another spring spawn. This is when the second stage of spring takes place, a time most bass anglers are targeting bedding bass. April is generally the real beginning of "bedding bass time" on Logan Martin Lake and for many reasons, besides what's already been mentioned. There can be many reasons why bass stay on the move, even spawning bass, during April. Rising lake levels and new growing aquatic grass are two of those reasons bass relocate.
April is when Logan Martin Lake is gradually brought back to full pool. After being lowered down to winter pool for over 6 months (and drastically dropped this late winter as low as 6 feet below normal, full pool levels), this creates a lot of room to roam when the lake is returned to full pool for another 6 months. April is also a time that is very misunderstood by some anglers that struggle during this rising water situation on Logan Martin Lake. New growing aquatic weeds will begin to appear on Logan Martin Lake about the time the lake is returned to full pool in late April. Weeds green and loaded with oxygen, always relocate bass off of wood and rock cover they inhibited in early spring.
So just look at the conditions. Especially those things that took place a few weeks ago to determine where they should be this spring on Logan Martin Lake. April bass were either already shallow from March's early spring warming trends. Or it could be that April bass are just making their main tromp to the shallows for the first time, due to cold fronts and other negative conditions that kept them from bedding, until conditions improved and became more stable. April is generally spawning time and most bass are on the beds by the end of the month.
MAY - May shows lots of bass in the shallows. Bigger, female bass are recuperating from the bedding process and the smaller, post spawn male bass, are still guarding the bed and the newborn fry. Both male and female bass are still hanging around in water less than 5 feet deep and they are hungry. This is the month dubbed, "topwater time" and May is a good time to dig out those weedless lures as rich, new aquatic weed growth begins to appear lake wide. As it starts to get hotter for early summer, look around shade producing piers and boat houses and the cooler water in feeder creeks for these bass.
So give Logan Martin Lake a try this spring and join the growing list of anglers that see this is still a great lake for targeting both Coosa River spotted bass or largemouth bass, all found in the shallows this spring. Please practice "Catch and Release" this spring, for future generations of anglers to enjoy fishing...as we do today.
Give me a call...first! At (205) 787-5133 for Reeds Guide Service, Logan Martin Lake's oldest professional guide service. "Over 40 Years Fishing and Guiding on Logan Martin Lake and all other Alabama Lakes for all species of bass and stripers." See my website: www.fishingalabama.com at the "fishing tips" link for more, like about 17,000 words of spring bass fishing tips for all of Alabama's Lakes.
Thanks and good fishin'
Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service
Producer / Host "Fishing Alabama" With Reed Montgomery Radio Show
"6 Years on the Radio / Jan 2005"
Birmingham, Alabama
Call Reeds Guide Service...First! (205) 787-5133
"Over 40 Years Fishing Alabama for Bass and Stripers"
E-mail: ALABASSGYD@aol.com
Website: www.FISHINGALABAMA.com
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Reed Montgomery
