LAY LAKE
By Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service
” Alabama’s Oldest, Professional Bass Fishing Guide Service”
Website www.fishingalabama.com
Impounded 1914
Lake Level: Full Pool
Water Temperature: Mid 70′s
Water Clarity: Heavily stained from mid-to-upper main lake / Some creeks are muddy
from yesterday’s heavy rains / lower main lake clear
AIRPORT MARINE’S MID-WEEK SOLO TOURNAMENT TRAIL - TOP TEN WEIGHS IN 15-21 POUNDS!
LAY LAKE PARADISE POINT MARINA WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20
It never fails to amaze me at the numbers of big bass bass brought to the weigh in
scales during the springtime months of April and May on Alabama’s Lay Lake, now
almost 100 years old since its first impoundment in 1914. This is the time of year
when a lot of late spawning bass are in shallow water, including hundreds of bass
that have already spawned feeding and protecting the new born baby bass fry…also
in shallow water. A great time to fish shallow on Lay Lake!
In Alabama, there is one tournament trail where the competition is fierce anytime
you fish Lay lake and you compete on a one-on-one basis, while fishing among dozens
of Alabama’s best bass anglers. As it was displayed in yesterday’s Airport Marine
(See: www.airportmarinetrails.com for tournament results), Mid-week E Z Solo
Tournament Trail, with over 60 bass anglers competing on a rainy, thunderstorm day,
for lots of big bass bucks!
This very popular bass tournament trail is held every few weeks during the middle of
the week on Wednesdays, when boat traffic and the hordes of weekend anglers are not
on the lake. Unlike a, “buddy bass tournament trail” where the competition is two
anglers in each boat, fishing against other teams, this tournament trail features
how the really true, single bass anglers show…if they have what it takes, to beat
other anglers, on a single angler competition format and in return they get to keep
all their winnings!
But, you better be ready to compete!
As said, these are Alabama’s best, seasoned bass anglers, including yesterday I saw
that there were several well known, professional bass anglers all competing for the
$1000 first place prize money as well. Evident by the custom-wrapped bass boats and
wrapped trucks (with sponsor logos), seen in Paradise Point Marina’s parking lot! I
saw Russ Lane, Kyle Mabry and Scott Canteberry, — some of Alabama’s best
professional anglers — and others were all there and they all had bulging bags of
bass!
First Place had 5 bass weighing over 21 pounds! Second and third place had right at
17-18 pounds! It took at least 15 pounds to make the rest of the top ten paid
places! There were several “4 pound plus” spotted bass and several largemouth bass
of 5 to 6 pounds weighed in.
From talking with anglers (and over heard conversations) these spotted bass and
largemouth bass were caught on about everything an angler could chunk at em’!
Frogs in the weeds, buzz baits and spinnerbaits in and around weeds and wood cover
and along weed edges, flipping all kinds of lures around boat houses and weeds, deep
cranking creeks and main lake cover, shallow to mid diving crankbaits, rattling
lipless lures and suspending jerk baits fished in creeks, pockets, rock bluffs, and
along flats were all good too!
Finesse fishing with shaky head worms rigged on jig heads, was an evident tactic to,
as seen by all the light tackle spinning outfits laying in many anglers boats. It
took a lot of different lures to fool these bass! Of course topwater lures fooled a
lot of bass with water temperatures in the mid 70′s and a lot of bass now in the
post spawn mode. Including those 25 bass I caught on topwater’s and other lures.
MY DAY
My day started off rather slow, but by mid morning I had a nice 5 bass limit of both
spotted bass and a few largemouth bass caught on a number of lures, with the company
of other anglers fishing nearby in what is called, “a community fishing hole.” But
the bass were there! Some anglers just anxiously waiting for me to leave my spot.
The zara super spook (as they all saw), accounted for some of my big bass bites and
some lost bass as well.
Unknown to some of the competition that saw me “hole sitting” I did fool a number of
bass on lures like a shallow running Rapala Shad Rap crank bait, a suspending jerk
bait, a Heddon baby torpedo, a Strike King lipless lure, a brown on brown jig and
crayfish combo and a Zoom Fluke and Trick worm fished in the weeds.
It was a very balmy and cloudy morning with no sunshine at all, starting out with
air temperatures of 70 degrees at dawn. Then at mid day, the bottom as they say, ”
fell out.” Lightning, lots of it! Heavy rains and winds of 25 M.P.H. had anglers
scrambling for the cover of the nearby woods, marinas, piers, boat houses and
bridges…anything out of that lightning! This lasted for about an hour. From just
after 12 p.m. until 3 p.m. weigh in time, it remained cloudy with no rain.
I ended my day with 5 bass weighing 14 1/2 pounds, just out of the top ten money.
But I had a great day culling about 20 bass and as I saw some of the pros leaving
early as I did, before they handed out the top ten checks, I knew I had done just as
good as many others.
* The next Airport Marine mid week Solo Trail Tournament is to be held on Logan
Martin Lake out of Lakeside boat launch on Wednesday, May 18. Entry fee is $70 per
boat with $5 big bass. Be there…if you dare!
* REEDS GUIDE SERVICE
Interested in fishing on Lay lake? Or how about nearby Logan Martin lake or any
Alabama lake? PRACTICING FOR AN UPCOMING BASS TOURNAMENT AND NEED HELP? Always call
on Reeds Guide Service…first! “Alabama’s oldest, professional “bass fishing only”
guide service for over 40 years guiding on all Alabama lake’s for spotted bass,
largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and striped bass.”
See my website www.fishingalabama.com for recent pictures of clients big bass like
several 7, 8 & 9 pounders, a 10 pound bass, and an 11 pounder, all caught this year
on Alabama’s Guntersville lake! Fishing tips, lake reports, fishing website links,
fishing articles, fishing events and more info on my guide service, all updated each
week!
* FOX 6 TELEVISION “GOOD DAY ALABAMA” MORNING SHOW - Reed Montgomery will be
featured Tuesday, April 26 with his monthly segment “Ask the Angler” on Birmingham’s
WBRC Fox 6 television show. It airs about 8 a.m. (or a few minutes after the hour),
on every last Tuesday of each month now, for over 6 years. Call in with your fishing
questions! Seen statewide on Fox 6!
* NEW AND USED BOATS - See www.airportmarine.com for new boats, used boats, close
out models and springtime boat sales. Expert mechanic work, well stocked parts
department and expert trouble shooters! (Plus $5000.00 BONUS to the highest
finishing boat in a qualified boat bought from Airport Marine in the last two years
in their annual charity bass tournament)
* BASS TOURNAMENTS - There are two major, annual springtime bass tournaments, coming
up on Alabama’s Lay lake. Both tournaments will feature thousands of dollars in
money and prizes and hundreds of anglers. Here’s the details;
* MARKS OUTDOORS “THE LAY LAKE TOURNAMENT” SATURDAY, APRIL 30 - This is huge! Every
year for over a dozen years Marks Outdoors Sports of Vestavia, Alabama has held this
annual bass tournament, held out of Paradise Point Marina, featuring a maximum of
500 boats, giving away a bass boat every year, thousands of dolars in prizes and big
money payout’s for 60 boats! See www.marksoutdoors.com for more info.
* AIRPORT MARINE’S 5TH ANNUAL CHARITY BASS TOURNAMENT on LAY LAKE SATURDAY, MAY 28
OUT OF PARADISE POINT MARINA - Payout is GUARANTEED $45,500 and they have 75 draw
prizes and paybacks, regardless of the number of entries! First Place is $5000.00!
Also they give away 50 - $500 cash drawings and you do not even have to catch a fish
to be eligible! If you do not catch any fish, your name is put in for a $1000 No
Weight payout! See www.airportmarinetrails.com for more info!
Thanks and Good Fishin’ !
Reed Montgomery / Outdoor Writer
Owner / Reeds Guide Service
Alabaster, Alabama (205) 663-1504
E-mail: alabassgyd@aol.com
Website: www.fishingalabama.com
” Over 40 Years Guiding, Fishing and Exploring Every Lake in Alabama For Largemouth
Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and Striped Bass ”
Always Call on Reeds Guide Service…first!
Alabama’s Oldest Professional, Freshwater Fishing Guide Service!
