Lay Lake

PRO REPORT

Overall Rating:

Last Updated: 04/19/2013
Fishing Alabama Reeds Guide Service

Impounded 1914

Lake Level Full Pool

Water Temperature Upper 60′s to low 70′s (first week of April)

Air Temperature  Nighttime lows in the upper thirties to low forties.  With daytime highs near seventy degrees. (first week of April)

For those anglers that have not fished either Logan Martin Lake or Lay lake, there is a major difference in these two, now age-old Alabama lakes. Not only in the age and appearance of these two impoundments (during the month of April great bass fishing!) but in the overall bass fishing as well. 

Lay lake, like upper Coosa River Reservoir Logan Martin Lake, is an old Corps of Engineer built lake. But Lay lake, impounded in 1914, is twice the “fifty years of age” of Logan Martin lake!

By the year 2014  Lay lake will be 100 years old! (Anglers should have some kind of Birthday party!) Only Alabama’s Warrior River Impoundment Bankhead lake, impounded in 1916, comes close, as the states second oldest, man made impoundment.

The appearance of Lay lake is a total change for bass anglers as well, much weedier than the weedless upstream waters of Logan Martin Lake, during the month of April. With Lay lake kept at or near full pool year round, it is an aquatic weed-infested lake, year round.

* With the recent introduction of invasive aquatic weeds Eurasian millfoil and hydrilla, these thick and stringy weeds are now found growing in every season (even during winter) and these weeds can now be found growing, lake wide.

Largemouth bass bed around Lay’s aquatic weeds. They recuperate from the spring spawn living in and around the lakes shallow growing aquatic weeds and feeding on its inhabitants. During the hot days of summer these largemouth bass bury up in the lakes thickest growing weeds.

Even during Fall and Winter Lay lakes largemouth bass can be found feeding, cruising and mingling with other bass while living in and around Lay lakes aquatic weeds. Or they can be found with spotted bass cruising along weeds lines daily and grouping up around isolated, often much deeper growing weeds.

Lay lake also has an excellent spotted bass habitat for bass anglers to explore during April. The lakes headwaters boasts of some of the best early spring spotted bass fishing around.

Fishing the tail race waters of upstream Logan Martin lake dam, anglers can see some tremendous days of fooling dozens of spotted bass, often mixed in with striped bass, white bass and largemouth bass, all throughout the month of April!

The mid to lower portion of Lay lake displays Wilsonville Steam Plant, located near Yellow leaf Creek. A warm water discharge system, spotted bass mingle around with other fish species in early spring, that sits right on a deep river bank lined with rocks.

Right below Wilsonville Steam Plant, there are timber-laden islands, main river drop-offs and ledges, and plenty of main lake points and creek mouths that Lay’s big spotted bass inhibit year round, especially in April, when they are often found spawning nearby.

Mid Lay lake has an area called “the narrows.” It features an old and very deep, funneled-down river channel that is bordered by rock bluffs, huge boulders, standing timber, aqautic weeds and water in excess of 70 feet deep. Prime spotted bass habitat, as they can be seen actually hanging on the beds, lining the banks of these deep, rock bluffs.

So as you can see its all about the lakes appearance, its age and the many ways Alabama bass anglers can pursue their quarry the “largemouth bass” and the feisty, “Coosa River Spotted Bass” during the spring spawning month of April.

Then May arrives and it gets even better. Topwater time!

But you better hurry and get that boat out and go fishing. For it will be all gone until next year, as summer slowly sneeks in and spring fads away…

Until then, Thanks and Good Fishin’

Reed Montgomery, Owner of Reeds Guide Service, “Guiding on Lay Lake, Logan Martin  Lake and all of Alabama’s other lakes, fishing for bass for over 40 years”

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ABOUT THIS LAKE

Lay Lake is best known for its spotted bass and largemouth bass fishing. A high quality largemouth bass and spotted bass fishery exists at Lay Reservoir; both species are abundant up to 18 inches with moderate numbers of larger bass. The best fishing for largemouth bass occurs in creeks and shallow water sloughs. Anglers targeting spotted bass should fish riverine portions of the lake.

In the upstream end of Lay Lake, the tailwater fishery below Logan Martin Dam is excellent for hybrid striped bass. Striped bass are also present. The tailwater area is popular with anglers who enjoy fishing for largemouth bass and Coosa River spotted bass when shad are running along the banks.

Lay Lake was impounded in 1914 by Alabama Power Company; the company continues to improve fishing by providing habitat on this 50-mile-long lake. With shallow water aquatic weeds, wood and rock cover, and dozens of major tributaries featuring deep creek channels filled with minnows, frogs, baitfish and crayfish in every season, Lay Lake is an excellent year-round fishery. This 12,000-acre reservoir is located just 35 minutes south of Birmingham off I-65 and 15 minutes south of Columbiana in east-central Alabama. Seven public access areas offer easy bank and boat access to the lake.

CURRENT WATER DATA

GUIDE REPORT: BEST TIME TO FISH

SEASONAL TEMPERATURES