Fall on Lay Lake

Late September marks the beginning of Fall. By October the noticeably cooler days and nights trigger the bass of Lay Lake into a major feeding spree...one that could last for months. But just what are the bass of
Lay Lake?

This could refer to the famous Coosa River breed of spotted bass found relating to deep water or even "spots" found far up in the many feeder creeks on Lay Lake. What about schools of largemouth bass? They do exist on Lay Lake's irregular bottoms, deep drop-offs and of course the lakes very weedy banks. Smallmouth? Never seen one on Lay Lake.

Striped Bass? Well, the lake has shown several Striped Bass exceeding the 30 pound mark. These monster bass are found lake wide, found in the lakes headwaters, feeder creeks, and the lakes lower end, in and around deep water.

Fact is, many anglers come to Lay Lake and just fish the weeds most of the day. Why not? Many big largemouth bass exist along Lay Lake's weedy banks and anglers can discover many ways to catch them, especially after several trips to Lay Lake. Many weekly bass tournaments are won by anglers that probe the very inviting weedy banks of Lay Lake.

The choice of lures, the various tactics and the very special retrieves these winning tournament anglers put into each and every offering is what separates the anglers at the weigh in line...from those putting the boat on the trailer early that day. A rundown of this Fall's, " Lay Lake Tournament Angler Lure Line Up of Favorite Lures and Special Retrieves " (including where to fish them) would take up a lot of space.

But there are a few lures that everybody has success with on Lay Lake as waters begin to cool.

I would start with Topwater Lures; Oh what a list. But at the top of this list for attracting big bass would have to be the very weedless frog and rat imitations. Strong line, stought equipment, sharp hooks, a lure with very weedless capabilities and closely paying attention on every cast, goes hand in hand when fishing frogs or rats.

Practice a 1-2 count (just like when worming) before setting the hook, when following a blowup on these small creature lures, and you will catch more bass. Colors of white, chartreuse, black, brown, green, clown and pumpkinseed are all proven favorites.

Buzzbaits would be a close follow up as one of the Lay Lake's favorites for exciting topwater explosions. Again, strong line in the 17-20 pound test is suggested. One thing about buzzbaits is they all have a different sound. Have several different sizes and various types of buzzbaits on hand on each trip to Lay Lake, and you will see why some anglers report success with these irritating topwater lures, while others can't even get a rise out of a good buzzbait bass.

Windy days, stained to muddy water, and cloudy or rainy days, especially with a good chop on the water or evident current flow, will show excellent conditions for choosing bigger buzzbait models (those with noisy attributes) that will prove to work over quieter buzzbait models, lures the bass must track down. Always include a trailer hook for short strikes.

If given a third choice for a topwater lure fished in the weeds of Lay Lake I would actually combine two soft plastics, Floating Worms and Soft Jerkbaits. These two lures are fished by some of Lay Lake's best tournament anglers, but not bragged on.

Floating worms, such the very popular Zoom Trick Worm have fooled many bass on Lay Lake, since they were first introduced many years ago. Now, its no secret, they do fool big bass...bass other anglers miss.

Soft jerkbaits come in all sizes and colors and usually imitate shad or baitfish. A medium action rod coupled with 12-15 pound test line and usually fished with a 2/0 to 3/0 hook is all that is needed to successfully complete the right outfit for both the floating worm and soft jerkbait. The real key to success, many anglers fail to achieve is fishing these lures within sight all the time, as slow as you and the bass can stand it, and with a good pair of polarized sunglasses. I see many anglers fish these lures way to fast, resulting in missed fish.

These are just a few of Lay Lake's favorites for success this Fall. Want to learn more about fishing Alabama's famous Lay Lake? Call on Reeds Guide Service...first! "Over 40 years of fishing Lay Lake, with a proven tournament success record of catching bass on topwater lures lake wide, year round."

Be safe and watch out for other tournament anglers, especially this Fall during foggy mornings on our lakes. Always wear your life jacket and outboard motor kill switch. Running lights should be on as well at dawn. It could just save your life.

This report provided by;
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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