By Jason Duran
The Alabama Bass Trail begins its 13th season in a place that has a way of revealing the truth early. Lake Jordan does not require you to be perfect, but it does require you to be intentional. It is a Coosa River fishery that can hand you volume and then challenge you to find the one or two bites that actually matter. That is exactly why it works as an opener. It is not a lake where you can simply get by and expect it to hold up at weigh in.
Jordan is built to spread anglers across the system. With roughly 188 miles of irregular shoreline and a mix of current, grass, docks, and mid lake structure, there are multiple ways to approach the day. That versatility is part of what makes this event so intriguing. It creates options, and options force decisions.
This stop also sets the stakes for the season in a real way. Each regular season event pays a guaranteed $15,000 to win and pays 40 places for a total of $64,450. The Alabama Bass Trail has always rewarded consistency. Every fish weighed in counts toward the Angler of the Year points race, and over the course of five divisional events, ounces add up, missed opportunities linger, and steady execution is what ultimately separates true contenders from the rest.
The Godwins and the Difference Between Catching and Contending
Few teams have invested more into understanding Jordan than brothers Noah and Cole Godwin. They are the only team in Alabama Bass Trail history to win two events in the same division in the same year, bookending the 2020 season with victories at Lake Jordan and Lay Lake.
Their consistency has been sustained, not accidental. They finished third in the 2024 Angler of the Year standings and followed it with a second place finish in 2025, stacking strong results across diverse fisheries. That two year stretch has solidified them as one of the most respected and dependable teams on the Trail.
Their preparation for this opener has been deliberate. They have practiced nearly every weekend since October, not just looking for fish but watching how the lake responds as conditions shift. Lately, they have been catching more than 40 fish a day in practice. That detail matters because it sets the tone for what Jordan can be right now: high activity, plenty of opportunities, and a real chance for big weights.
But they were clear about the separator.
The key is going to be finding a five pound plus fish.
That may be the most honest sentence you can hear on a lake like Jordan. When you can catch a lot of fish, the win is not built on limits. It is built on upgrades, and specifically on one bite that changes your entire bag.
A Lake With Several Winning Lanes
Right now, Jordan is offering a little bit of everything, and that is both the opportunity and the trap.
The Godwins expect fish to be caught up river near the dam, mid lake with forward facing sonar, and down river in clearer water. They also believe there will be a legitimate shallow component with largemouth in the grass, especially with the warm stretch leading into the event.
You can catch fish however you want to fish. They are biting really good.
That kind of statement can make anglers feel confident, but it should also sharpen their focus. When a lake gives you multiple productive patterns, the temptation is to rotate constantly, looking for the best one. The teams that contend usually do the opposite. They identify where quality lives and stay committed long enough to let the lake produce the right bites.
Temperature Tells You Where to Start, Not Where to Finish
One of the more important pieces from the Godwins is how different the lake can feel depending on location.
Up river in the current, they are seeing water temperatures around 46 degrees. In protected creeks and down river areas, they have found water closer to 56 and 57 degrees. That is a meaningful swing in a single day event because it creates different feeding windows.
Colder, current driven water can group fish in predictable places, especially around seams, rock, and areas where bait is pushed. Warmer protected water can accelerate activity around grass and shallow cover, particularly when the sun has time to work. If conditions remain stable, that warmer water can produce the kind of largemouth bite that separates. If conditions shift quickly, the current and mid lake patterns may prove more reliable.
This is where intent becomes everything. Are you trying to build a quick limit and then hunt, or are you hunting from the first cast? On Jordan, both approaches can work, but the winners usually have a clear plan for how to spend their upgrade time.
Key Baits and Why They Matter on Jordan
The Godwins did not overcomplicate the bait conversation, and that is often a sign they are seeing the lake clearly.
You cannot leave out the jig head minnow.
That is the offshore language of 2026, and it fits Jordan. When fish are positioned around bait or relating to mid lake structure, that presentation allows teams to target specific fish and convert quickly.
They also expect a scrounger and swimbait to play. Those baits cover water efficiently, keep a natural profile in front of moving fish, and allow anglers to capitalize during active windows. Combined with forward facing sonar, those tools let teams fish for the best bite in a group rather than settling for the first one that reacts.
And then there is the shallow lane. Grass largemouth will be caught. The question is whether that approach consistently produces a five pound plus bite. If it does, it will likely be the team that finds the cleanest stretch, the right water color, and the precise timing window when those fish feed.
Pressure, Positioning, and Why Boat Number Could Matter
The Godwins believe the winning team will have an early boat number. That matters because Jordan can funnel anglers into the same high percentage areas. Even with multiple patterns in play, the best water often becomes obvious.
An early number can mean first access to a key stretch, the first look at an untouched school, or the ability to establish position before pressure builds. On a lake where the difference is often one five pound bite, that first opportunity can be decisive.
What Winning Looks Like This Week
Local tournaments have already shown what Jordan is capable of, and recent results have required well over 20 pounds to win. That sets the expectation. This opener is not about scraping together a check. It is about building a true Jordan bag.
If the lake continues on its current track, a winning weight in the low 20s is realistic. The winning team will probably catch plenty of fish. The difference will come down to who can locate and convert that five pound class bite without wasting time chasing the wrong kind of activity.
Registration, Launch, and Weigh In
Mandatory registration and the pre tournament meeting will take place Friday, February 20, at the Wetumpka Civic Center, 410 Main Street, Wetumpka, Alabama 36092. Check in runs from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with the meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Blast off and weigh in will be held Saturday, February 21, at the State Boat Ramp, 600 State Boat Ramp Road, Wetumpka, Alabama 36092. Launch will be at safe daylight. Weigh in will also take place at the State Boat Ramp with the first flight due in at 3:00 p.m.
Fans can follow live on the water coverage throughout the day and watch the weigh in broadcast across Alabama Bass Trail digital platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and the official ABT website.
The event is hosted by the City of Wetumpka and the Elmore County Economic Development Authority.
A Season Begins With a Real Question
Jordan is biting. That is the headline. But the real question is sharper: who finds the bite that matters?
If the Godwins are right, catching fish will be common. Catching a five pound plus fish will be the separator. And if they are right about boat number, the team that wins may do it by capitalizing early before the lake shows its hand to everyone else.
That is how seasons start. Not with a perfect day. With a decisive one.
The 2026 Alabama Bass Trail Team Series is made possible through partnerships with industry leading brands: Phoenix Boats, AMFirst, Larry Puckett Chevrolet, 13 Fishing, Rapala, VMC, CRUSHCITY, Buffalo Rock, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Jack’s, Garmin, Thompson CAT, Pirnah02, Alabama State Parks, Halo Fishing, Snag Proof, NetBait, Bait Fuel, Alfa Insurance Thomas ALFA MAN Shelton, TH Marine Supplies, Power Pole, Pro Guide Batteries, Yamaha, SCUM FROG, E3 Sports Apparel, FishAlabama.org, Sweet Home Alabama, and Alabama Mountain Lakes.
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
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