Martin Lake is a reservoir in Alabama, near Elmore County.
Lake Martin gives you plenty of room to settle into a good day of fishing. Clear water, rocky banks and long creek arms make it a place to slow down and pay attention to where a bite comes from. You don't need to explore the whole lake to enjoy it.
A small finesse worm on a shaky head is a useful starting bait for bass around rocky points. Cast past the rock you want to fish, let the bait settle, then ease it back across the bottom. A little resistance followed by slack can be a fish picking it up; watch the line as well as feeling the rod.
If bass are chasing baitfish, try a small paddletail swimbait. In Martin's clearer water, make your first cast from a little farther away. A windblown point gives that swimming bait a different look from a sheltered, glassy cove, so it's worth trying both before changing everything in the tackle box.
| Water | Martin Lake |
|---|---|
| State | Alabama |
| River | Tallapoosa River |
| Surface area | 41,150 acres (approximately) |
| Maximum depth | 155 feet |
Martin Dam went into service on December 31, 1926. The construction site at Cherokee Bluffs grew into a workers' village of roughly 3,000 people while the dam was being built. That's quite a backstory for a shoreline now associated with fishing trips and weekends on the water.
For crappie, lower a small jig beside submerged branches and keep it just above the cover. A slip float and minnow can help hold that depth without constant reeling. If you're after bluegill, a cricket under a small float is an easy change of pace; for shellcrackers, try a piece of worm closer to the bottom.
Martin's seasonal water levels can leave familiar shoreline cover high and dry. Check the lake level before choosing a launch, especially when returning to a spot you last fished in summer. And make sure your directions say Lake Martin on the Tallapoosa River: Logan Martin is a different lake.
With a shaky head, the trick is to move the soft plastic without dragging the weight several feet each time. Lift just enough to feel the head, shake a little slack in the line, then pause. If it meets a rock, ease it over rather than snapping the rod back. That keeps the bait near the bottom and saves a few hooks, too.
The lightest head isn't automatically the best one. Wind, depth and the length of your cast all affect whether you can tell what the bait is doing. Add a little weight if you're losing contact, but avoid turning the worm into something that plows through every crevice. The aim is a fall you can follow and a retrieve you can repeat.
Try changing the cast first. Move far enough to bring the same worm across the point from the other side, or fish slightly deeper along it. If that produces a bite, you've learned something useful about the spot. Changing lure, location and depth together makes it harder to know what helped.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.
Source dates describe the evidence, not a live catch forecast. Check the managing authority before planning access or keeping fish.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.