Water Level: 488ft 5 in
Surface Temperature: 53.00
Clarity: Slightly Stained
Author: Shaye Baker
The winter time bite has been tough for the most part during December and January. Steady numbers of small bass have been caught on Ned rigs and other finesse tactics, but getting a quality bite over three pounds has been as tough to accomplish as ever on Lake Martin. A few tournament anglers have figured out how to consistently get these bigger bites, and they have set themselves apart from the competition.
The winter has also seen a few of the typical torrential downpours, the latest of which has the lake level skyrocketing at the moment. With just two weeks to go until plug day, the water has jumped up two and a half feet in the last forty-eight hours due to back-to-back heavy rains. This has floating debris scattered throughout the lake, and the river along with many creeks are blown out with muddy water.
Still, the fishing is about to heat up. Two weeks of abnormally warm temperatures to start February have had the water temps bouncing around in the fifties, and all the way up to the lower sixties in places. If this continues, the bass will be heading for the bed shortly.
You can expect them to be staging during the remainder of February, coming out of their deep water haunts and setting up shop closer to the areas where they’ll inevitably start to spawn later in March.
For the time being, look for rock in 10 to 14 feet of water when targeting spotted bass with jigs, Ned rigs, shallow crankbaits and jerk-baits. You can push even shallower to find largemouth with spinnerbaits, jigs and square-bills in 6 feet or less.
Thank you Shaye Baker for the updated Fishing Report! Shaye, a Lake Martin local, is a bass fishing content contributor for Field & Stream. He has more than a decade of experience covering professional bass fishing tournaments. Check out his YouTube channel.
Check Out Our Fishing Guides
Alexander City Guide Service: Specializes in live bait fishing for trophy size stripers on Lake Martin. Fishes out of the latest center console and bass boats rigged with all of the equipment. Alexander City Guide Service can provide individual trips or group trips. They pride themselves in providing all of the bait and equipment needed to make your trip memorable.
Contact: (256) 401-3089 Website
East Alabama Fly Fishing: Provides one-of-a-kind fly fishing experiences in East Alabama for a variety of species, especially black bass. Whether you are an experienced angler looking for something new or a beginner angler EAFF can tailor a trip to your desires.
Hook N’ Up Trophy Guide Service: Pride themselves on offering unparalleled fishing experiences on Lake Martin. Led by captain Randy Cound, a USCG licensed captain with over twenty years of experience. Their excursions are designed to provide memorable adventures for fishing enthusiast of all ages and skill levels.
Contact: (256) 307-3740 Website
Jimmy Chad Miller’s Guide Service: Offers premier freshwater fishing adventures. With twenty-five years experience Jimmy Miller leads his team of guides to provide unforgettable experiences for anglers of all skill levels. Specializing in targeting crappie and bass fishing.
Contact: (344) 300-5337 Website
Upcoming Fishing Tournaments
If you’re interested in fishing competitively or simply want to experience the excitement of a weigh-in, be sure to check out our sports calendar for details on upcoming fishing tournaments and other sporting events.
Lake Martin Resource Association
The Lake Martin Resource Association has teamed up with Alabama Power once again this year to build and install fishing habitats in Lake Martin. Alabama Power will feature the locations and coordinates for all the habitats in their magazine, making it easy for you to find and enjoy these new additions to the lake.
Crank 4 Bank Returns
Lake Martin Crank4Bank kicked off on February 15th and runs through May 15th! Registration is now open on FishingChaos, with tickets priced at $85. This year, there will be 200 Bass Only for 2025, offering an exciting lineup of prizes, including another chance to win $1,000,000 (last year, the million-dollar fish was caught by an unregistered angler!). Other prizes include a $72,000 bass boat (choose between a Bass Cat from Russell Marine or a Ranger/Triton/Nitro from Sylacauga Marine), a Ranger 188P aluminum bass boat valued at $40,000 from Sylacauga Marine and HomeSouth Roofing, along with 1st and 2nd place Big Bass prizes and much more.
A huge shout-out to the sponsors—Russell Marine, Sylacauga Marine, Green Monster Fishing Light, Inc., Reel Tournament Management, HomeSouth Roofing, and Realtree Fishing—for their generous support! Don’t miss out on this incredible event!
