As spring progresses and continuing into the summer, the bass move shallow in the morning and hit topwater lures or weedless soft-plastic lures fished around the vegetation. The Zara Spook is a particularly good choice for this early-morning action. Later in the day, they move to channel edges, both in the major creeks and along in the lake's main body. During the day, medium- to deep-running crankbaits and Carolina-rigged worms account for a lot of Lake Eufaula bass.

Although largemouths clearly are the main attraction at Lake Eufaula, the lake also supports a good population of spotted bass. Spots are especially abundant around the U.S. Highway 82 causeway and along bluff banks near the causeway. Finesse worms fished on shaky heads work very well for catching spots both from the causeway itself and from nearby bluffs.

A reciprocal agreement between Alabama and Georgia allows anglers to fish anywhere on Lake Eufaula with a valid license issued by either state. A 14-inch minimum size applies to largemouths only. There is no minimum size for keeping spotted bass. For information about boat launching, fishing guides or area lodging, visit the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce at www.eufaulachamber.com.

Lay Lake
"One very nice thing about Lay Lake is that there is something for everybody," biologist Abernethy said, pointing out that the lake offers excellent opportunities for both spotted bass and largemouth bass.

Different sections of the lake vary dramatically in character and therefore in the ways they are most effectively fished.

Spotted bass aren't secondary to largemouths on Lay Lake. In fact, this Coosa River impoundment is better known nationally for its fat spots than for its largemouths. Spots up to about 18 inches abound throughout riverine portions of the lake, and there are plenty of larger spotted bass available. While the spots get the attention at Lay Lake, the largemouths do extremely well in this lake year after year, according to Abernethy.

The most recent management report for Lay Lake rated both the largemouth and spotted bass populations as outstanding and includes several year-classes of bass. A creel survey summarized in the same report showed high catch rates for largemouth and spotted bass and extremely high release rates.

Lay Lake covers 12,000 acres along the Coosa River in east-central Alabama. Its upper end is highly riverine with abundant ledge habitat and offers great spotted bass fishing in the current. The mid-lake section shallows up substantially and provides great largemouth habitat, with broad flats bordering the old river channel and large impounded creek arms feeding the main lake. Farther downstream, the lake goes through the "Narrows," necking down very tight between bluffs before opening one more time near the dam.

March temperatures and the amount of rainfall in the Coosa River watershed can vary enormously, and so do the tactics commonly used by local anglers. Even with moderate conditions, it's not uncommon for shallow-water specialists to catch largemouths by flipping into a couple of feet of water on the same day as deep-water specialists are catching spots with finesse worms fished on drop-shot rigs in 30 feet of water.