Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation State Championship Preview

The Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation State Championship will be held on Lake Martin, October 29-30th. The road to the BASSMASTER CLASSIC starts here. And for Alabama anglers, this is the one that matters most. Think of it like this: Martin is the gatekeeper. You have to beat Martin to move on.

LAKE MARTIN IN LATE OCTOBER —
WHY IT FISHES DIFFERENT THAN THE TENNESSEE RIVER

If you fish on Wheeler, Wilson, or Pickwick, Martin is a different animal. No current to pull, much clearer water, and a lake dominated by Alabama spotted bass with a healthy but moody largemouth population.

Martin breaks into three distinct lakes in one. The upper end of the lake typically carries more color and favors largemouth, especially in the backs of creeks where some fish are still lingering shallow. The mid-lake region offers a mix, letting anglers fish both cleaner water and slightly stained pockets. Further down the lake, the water becomes clearer and spotted bass become more dominant.

Martin breaks into three distinct lakes in one.

By October 29-30, expect surface temps in the mid-60s to low 70s and falling. The early fall shad migration is usually well underway. Veteran Martin guides will tell you fall fishing really starts when night air temps first hit the 50s, often in September, and it stays good until water temps hit about 56 in late November. That puts this championship right in the sweet spot.

FOUR PATTERNS THAT COULD WIN
1. Blueback herring — spotted bass offshore. Martin is a blueback lake now.
Blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) were first identified in Lake Martin in 2014. (nas.er.usgs.gov) By 2016, studies confirmed their presence in the lake. (etd.auburn.edu) These non-native fish have since established a population in Lake Martin.

The introduction of blueback herring has changed the local fishery. Anglers have observed that striped bass and Alabama bass now stay deeper and hunt in packs, likely because of blueback herring. (lakemartinvoice.com) Additionally, in 2017, a fish kill occurred at Lake Martin, attributed to depleted suitable habitat for striped bass and blueback herring during summer stratification. (outdooralabama.com)

Overall, the establishment of blueback herring in Lake Martin has significantly impacted the local aquatic ecosystem and fishing conditions.

Spotted bass can get out over the main lake and suspend/roam with blueback herring, particularly from late summer into fall. Alabama Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries notes that spotted bass on Martin are strongly associated with deep rocky structure, and local reports specifically document offshore schooling fish feeding on blueback herring.

The key distinction is: don’t assume they’re always sitting on the bottom. When they’re keyed on herring, they can be several feet off bottom—or much higher in the water column—following the bait.

What I’d look for on your graph
• Big concentrations of bait suspended offshore
• Bass marks under, beside, or mixed into the herring
• Main-lake humps, long points, channel edges, and submerged high spots
• Water roughly 15–30+ feet, with the bass potentially suspended above much deeper water
• Birds, surface activity, or occasional herring being pushed to the top

Current Lake Martin reports describe summer spots holding around 15–30 feet, with some moving deeper during the hottest periods, and specifically mention blueback herring as forage.

Bassmaster has reported that Lake Martin spotted bass follow the nomadic, open-water blueback herring, particularly in fall.

One important trick
If you’re using forward-facing sonar, don’t just search for a giant ball of bait. I’d pay particular attention to small groups of herring with a few individual marks nearby. The spots may be moving so fast that they don’t look like a conventional “school” of bass.

For a bait-following school, I’d have a small swimbait, underspin, fluke-style bait, and drop-shot ready. If they’re actually breaking the surface, switch immediately to a walking bait.

 The winning bags here will be 13 to 15 pounds of spots, but they are consistent.

2. Shallow largemouth up the Tallapoosa and in stained creeks. The upper end will be dirtier and warmer. That is where a Tennessee River angler will feel at home — flipping laydowns, throwing a black-and-blue jig, and a chartreuse-and-white spinnerbait or ChatterBait in the backs of Blue Creek, Coley Creek, and Sandy Creek. One big largemouth kicker over 4 pounds can separate you from a limit of spots.

3. Brushpiles and docks mid-lake. Another October pattern is to fish brush piles. Look for long points, humps, and creek-channel swings from mid-lake down toward the dam. With higher-than-normal pool levels the past couple of years, Martin has a ton of fresh brush in 8 to 15 feet. In October, those piles load up as shad push in. A shaky head, dropshot, and a small swim bait on a ball head will be the cleanup baits after the morning topwater bite dies.

4. The all-day topwater window. Late October on Martin can be nonstop schooling activity if we get a cool, overcast, light-wind day. That is when a team that never leaves the mid-lake can put up 17-plus pounds on a Spook, a Stryker popper, or a Fluke.

Keys to watch: launch will be out of Alexander City, expect 120-plus boats between boater and co-angler sides, and weights will be lower than a Tennessee River shootout but much more volatile. On Martin in late October, a 15-pound average for two days can win the state, and the co-angler side will likely be won on three-fish limits under 9 pounds.

This is the classic Tennessee River angler versus Coosa Chain spotted bass lake test — power fishing versus finesse offshore. Whoever can do both will wear the Alabama jersey into regionals and keep the Classic dream alive.

RELATED: https://southernfishingnews.com/alabama-bass-nation-state-championship/

Post Presented By Southern Fishing News
Veteran-Owned & Fishing Experienced

And These Sponsors:
Slider Lures (www.sliderfishing.com)
Neese Waterfront Real Estate (www.neesere.com)
Bass Assassin Lures (http://bassassassin.com)
EGO Fishing (https://egofishing.com)
Motley Fishing (https://motleyfishing.com)
Frankey & Monica Marine (https://www.facebook.com/FrankeysMarineService)
Bo’s Jigs (http://bosjigs.com)
RipaLip (http://ripalip.com?AFFID=702162) (http://ripalipuniversity.com)