Fall and Early Winter Fishing on Lake Eufaula
Article by: Reed Montgomery - FishingAlabama.com
Lake Eufaula…back then
Lake Eufaula. No not the one in Oklahoma. Lake Eufaula (officially known as Walter F. George Reservoir) is located in the southern region of the United States. It is situated along the Alabama / Georgia State lines on the Chattahoochee River. Impounded in 1963, the lake is now 43 years old.
I’ve fished, guided and even competed in a few bass tournaments on Lake Eufaula for over 30 years. In addition (in my spare time), I’ve explored this 45,180 acre lake, from one end of this huge 70 mile long impoundment, to the other. Prior to that, my Father and Uncle (both now passed on to catching even bigger bass up above) fished Lake Eufaula together, from the week the lake was first opened to the public in 1963, for over 30 years as well.
I’ve gained a whole lot of knowledge about Lake Eufaula over the recent years, seen a lot of changes and you could say, “I know it very well.” Not only about fishing Lake Eufaula in all seasons (when both at full pool and when down during drought or winter pool) but in knowing how to navigate my boat throughout this shallow water impoundment during low water… when it can be very dangerous for inexperienced boaters to attempt to navigate.
I can remember those days of bringing in huge bass, often with as many as a dozen bass over 5 pounds, caught in just one days fishing. I’ve seen and netted several big largemouth bass over that magical ten pound mark, including two 12 pounders. My father and uncle (like most anglers of that time) were fish eaters and those old, red metal Coca Cola ice chests were always slap full of fish. Always plenty of food for feeding a big family of that time.
Back then (in the 60’s and 70’s), we either fished the lakes lower end, the middle portion of the lake or to lakes upper end, always launching on the Alabama side of the lake. There were major boat launches all over the lake when it first opened, but there were a few we visited regularly. If we planned on fishing the lakes lower end (near the dam), we launched at Hardridge Creek on the Alabama side of the lake. It had no facilities back then and was a free boat launch. Hardridge Creek had very little weeds in the 60’s, no gators and plenty of standing timber left in the lake during impoundment for us to explore.
Of course we could always run the boat nearby to the huge, 2 mile long rip-rap rock lined Eufaula dam and always plan on catching largemouth bass, many weighing from 5-10 pounds. Usually this was successfully accomplished despite the conditions with one type of lure. We found lots of line tugging action on that dam by slowly exploring the rocks with Tom Mann’s worms, like those Mann’s Hobo worms (which came 100 to the bag for $2.00) or his world famous Mann’s Jelly worms and Mann’s Augertail worms.
If we planned on fishing Lake Eufaula’s mid to upper portion we either launched at White Oak Creek or launched at world famous, Chewalla Creek Marina and boat launch. There at Chewalla Creek Marina we displayed many big bass for pictures, all hung on the bragging board of Chewalla Creek boat launch. Memories that now fill our scrapbooks with pictures for others to gaze upon for years to come.
Eufaula…today
Today, we just take their pictures and let them go. Catch and Release. Back then we did not even no what that term meant. Even during the earlier years of B.A.S.S. / Bassmasters Bass Tournaments many anglers weighed in their bass brought to the scales on fish stringers (and even some smaller ones brought to the scales in coffee cans) for “catch and release” was not yet even a spoken term. We just did not know any better.
Eufaula has changed a lot over the past 40 plus years and today it is a totally different impoundment. Although it still produces largemouth bass exceeding ten pounds, there are not as many trophy bass taken by anglers as before. Fishing pressure. Any time you see lake with such world renowned recognition as Lake Eufaula is for big bass, it gets pounded regularly by hopeful bass anglers from all over the globe. Also at times (like during the spring season), there can be as many as a dozen or more bass tournaments on this lake on any given Saturday or Sunday.
Lake Eufaula’s appearance has changed to. The standing timber (left here during impoundment) is all but gone. Stumps, laying trees, brush piles and other wood cover (including planted fish attractors) have mostly just deteriorated away. Now there are those aquatic weeds for bass to relate to. Weeds of all kinds that provide cover and plenty of oxygen rich habitat for both predator and prey to take up residence in, mostly growing during the seasons of spring, summer and fall. Winter season shows the lake drawn down (extremely low in recent years) to aid in flood control, often as low as 4-6 feet below normal full pool levels. Aquatic weeds anglers fish most of year such as bulrush, maiden cane, cattails and lilly pads are left high and dry during lake drawdown and become obsolete as fish habitat during winter.
But there is recent surge of two new type of aquatic weeds growing throughout Lake Eufaula, weeds that can grow during the winter season and weeds that can grow in deep water. Eurasian millfoil and Hydrilla aquatic weeds are spreading throughout the lakes mid to lower portion every year. Weeds that were once foreign to this lake recently introduced to Lake Eufaula by anglers that launch their boats after fishing other weed infested waters on other lakes.
An example is Guntersville Lake in Alabama or Lake Seminole in Georgia, both lakes of which are now choked out with these aquatic weeds that grow very thick and matted when left unattended. The good side is anglers like it, bass like it and the small fish and crayfish the bass dine on like it. Millfoil an hydrilla weeds also hold bass during the middle portion of the day, making them very susceptible to your lures.
Fishing Lake Eufaula during October, November and December
Fishing Lake Eufaula during the fall period is often as good as the spring season, but with less company. Anglers hanging up their rods in exchange for guns are now in the nearby woods deer hunting. Some would be anglers are home watching football. While still others have given up until next year, actually covering up their boats and parking them until next spring. To bad. They are missing out on some of the year’s best big bass action and they could still have a shot at plenty of fish catching action found lake wide.
Fall. Gone are the temperamental attitudes of the bass like during the spring spawn and picky feeding bass schools following shad schools in deep water this summer. These bass now invade the shallows of main lake flats and feeder creeks with one thing in mind, to fatten up and put on the needed fat reserves for the cold winter months ahead. Its true, like said the rest of the year, “Find the baitfish and find the bass.” This not only goes for exploring the over 500 miles of shoreline cover found in the shallows of Lake Eufaula (now exposed with lake drawdown) but getting out on the main river and fishing deeper water found along drop-offs and creek and river channel ledges, for bass relating to deep water places, they will soon inhibit during winter.
As waters cool in October and November anglers fishing the weeds will have success with a variety of modern day enticing lures. Unlike the days of long ago there are now many lure choices to aid an angler in fooling these Lake Eufaula largemouth bass…bass that have seen a lot of tempting offerings during this past spring and summer seasons. But bass forget. They have a short term memory and many, normally lure conditioned bass, may not have even seen a lure of any kind recently, since not as many anglers are now on the water.
Weedless lures are the lures of choice. Why fish with frustrating lures that grab the weeds on every cast resulting in no bites at all and possibly mean losing costly lures? Save the treble hook lures like topwaters, lipless lures, jerkbaits and crankbaits for open water fishing away from the weeds. Of course this goes for fishing wood cover in the shallows to, more of which becomes visible with winter pool and lake drawdown.
So arm yourself with a variety of weedless offerings if you plan on fishing Lake Eufaula’s few remaining weeds this fall and early winter seasons. Lures like floating worms and soft jerkbaits are good for times when nothing else works. Fished slow and with very long casts in and around millfoil and hydrilla weeds these soft plastics lures do fool bass and they are very weedless. Monofilament line tests of 12-15 pounds are needed for these lures.
Frog and small mice imitation lures continue to fool bass that have dined on these tasty morsels all summer long. Buzzbaits and spinnerbaits are also still productive lures around weed and wood cover found in the shallows of creeks and main lake flats. Some anglers have developed a technique of swimming lures (lures normally fished on bottom) along weed edges and around wood and rock cover. Swimming a jig combo is a deadly tactic that covers water fast for big bass during the Fall and early winter period. Monofilament line in the 20 pound class is suggested for all of these lures. Some anglers use braided line. Strong rods in lengths of 6-7 feet, wide spooled reels and sharp hooks are also suggested.
The old favorite the Texas rigged worm in lengths of 6-10 inches continue to fool Lake Eufaula’s largemouth bass, just like 40 years ago. Texas rigged or Carolina rigged plastics such as worms, lizards, crayfish imitations, tube baits and creature type baits are also good lure choices whether you fish shallow water or deep water this fall and early winter seasons.
Deep water fishing for bass has its limitations when it comes to lure choices, but there are plenty of old stand bys that always fool some bass. The problem is many anglers have to stay on the move to find that motherlode of bass in deep water. These deep water bass often bunch up on certain, preferred locations during the late fall and early winter periods. Sticking with three lure types will help you narrow down your lure selection when targeting bass in or near deep water.
Worms or other bottom type plastics and jig combos always work here. Deep diving crankbaits or lipless crankbaits are good for covering lots of water fast and for triggering dormant bass to bite. Spinnerbaits, although usually associated with fishing shallow water, are great lure choices for probing deep water hangouts. Some anglers fish heavy 1-2 ounce spinnerbaits on 7 foot rods coupled with 20 pound test monofilament or braided line, fishing with a lift and drop presentation in deep water situations.
So give Lake Eufaula a try this fall and early winter season, you will like the results! Just like years ago big bass still live in the lake just waiting for some lucky (or skilled angler) to discover! Or call on Reeds Guide Service for fishing this lake or any Alabama Lake year round. Be safe, dress warm and always wear your life jacket and outboard motor kill switch…it might just save your life!
Thanks and Good Fishin’
Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service (205) 787-5133
Birmingham, Alabama
E-mail: alabassgyd@aol.com
Website: www.fishingalabama.com
“Over 40 Years Fishing, Guiding and Exploring every Lake in Alabama for Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and some huge Striped Bass” Originally Published (2007)
Resources:
Summer Fishing on Lake Eufaula
Article by: Reed Montgomery - FishingAlabama.com
Early summer drought had the lake down 2 feet. This eliminated lots of shallow water for anglers to decipher with Lake Eufaula naturally being a shallow lake with expanded flats. It also eliminated a lot of fishable water as well. Anglers expecting to fish there favorite weedbeds in that 1- 3 feet of water had to look elsewhere as summer began. Some places normally shallow at full pool were even hard to get the boat in.
What many anglers fail to recognize is that many bass are heading for the security of thick, shallow cover or the comfort of deep water for the summer. They are not stacked up in the shallows like a few months back, when bedding bass were everywhere and post spawn activity had bass blasting topwater lures on every cast. Don’t get me wrong, there are some bass that do remain in shallow water year round on Lake Eufaula. There are also some very catchable bass in what shallow water cover that now currently exists with the lake level unseasonably low.
Lake Eufaula still has lots of aquatic weeds for bass to seek shelter in. Wood cover and rock cover can still be found lake wide. So as water temps heat up bass either seek the shelter and cooler water in the shallows around wood, rock and weed cover or they head for deeper water.
In deep water, schools of bass either suspend at a preferred depth or they are found laying on or near the lakes bottom deep along ledges, drop-offs and any other sudden depth change. Keep in mind, for their comfort these bass are always in cooler water. Moving water or current is best in summer.
Like the bass, the summertime bass angler has to search out these favorite, summertime haunts. Finding these likely, summertime holding spots always involves lots of searching and fishing Lake Eufaula from shallow to deep water. Of course this does not come easy. It can get downright frustrating going without a bite for hours while sitting in the hot, midday sun.
Patience is needed during the hot, summer months as much as it is when fishing during the dead of winter. Don’t expect a lot of bites after the typical, early morning, crack of dawn, summertime bite ceases. Any bites you do get after sunup, be glad you did.
Many anglers often leave Lake Eufaula (early in the day), disappointed in the results of their fishing. Especially discouraged after hearing from anglers from all over the United States about how good of a lake it is. Some anglers travel miles, spending lots of hard earned dollars on preparation, meals, motels, etc., while often visiting the Lake a few days…all in hopes of landing one of Lake Eufaula’s famed, trophy largemouth
bass.
So heres some tips for summertime fishing for largemouth bass on Lake Eufaula this summer. From June - September finding these bass in these likely looking spots will assure their return – when you return them to the water you found them in. Please Practice Catch and Release. Let these bass go (of course after taking a few pictures of them), right where you caught them. Unless you are in a bass tournament there is no reason to ride them all over the lake in that hot livewell, submitting them to unnecessary abuse and often, death.
Deep bass on Lake Eufaula can be deep when the temperature soars. They can be found holding along10-30 foot break lines on both creek and main river channel drop-offs. When these deep bass are found, locating them again, means marking the spot on a map or GPS to help you in returning to on later trips. Most deep water bass can be found in the same locations all summer.
So having many deep water spots shows moving around on some days, which in turn also cools you down with a boat ride. Having many previously marked deep water locations will help. If you are a first timer to massive, Lake Eufaula you can narrow your search in finding good drop-offs.
This simply means fishing around red and green river channel markers or white creek channel markers. These places are always right on the deepest drop. So are fish attractors, brush piles planted and marked by man, which are found lake wide. Rip-rap rocks found around bridges, causeways and the dam are also good day and night.
Lures for deep bass can be heavy 1/2 ounce to 2 ounce size spinnerbaits, either slow rolled or dropped along deep drop-offs. Deep diving crankbaits and Carolina rigged lizards or big, 10 inch Texas rigged plastic worms can be fished on 1/4 ounce to 1 ounce sinkers or jig heads. Tube baits, jig combos, crayfish imitations, creature baits or even small, finesse worms will also fool these deep water bass.
On cloudy days, late evenings or early mornings bass will even hit topwaters fished on shallow flats that border these drop-offs. Other lures? Rattling lipless lures in the half to 3/4 of an ounce size, shallow to deep diving crankbaits, floating and suspending jerkbaits and even jigging spoons or tailspinners will all work. So having many rods already rigged is advised to give these bass a variety of choices until you see which one works best!
Shallow bass on Lake Eufaula can be caught all day. Or if its just to hot, an angler can fish only the early morning hours, late evenings or at night. If forced to fish during the daylight hours (like tournaments) fishing the lakes many types of aquatic weeds is sure to be in your game plan. Even with Lake Eufaula unseasonably down a few feet for the summer these bass are always in and around some type of weeds still growing in the water.
Lilly pads are slowly taking over the entire lake. During the spring an unseasonably warm heat wave showed early Lilly pad growth (in a lake at full pool this past spring) displaying Lilly pads growing everywhere in shallow water. Drought left many of these huge Lilly pads protruding above the waters surface like some open umbrella. They soon whither, turn brown and die in the hot summer sun.
But new growing Lilly pads soon show the shallows green and very active as lake levels stabilize and bass move right in under the security of the shade provided by Lake Eufaula’s over sized Lilly pads. Some isolated Lilly pads can grow to over 3 feet in diameter, providing cooler water, shade and security and an oxygen rich environment for these bass and the prey they dine on to relate to.
These summertime meals can be many, in and around these Lilly pads, including the many other types of aquatic weeds this massive lake displays. This means having many lure choices for anglers to employ to aid them in fooling these shallow water bass into striking. The list of summertime favorites on bottom are many and the choices can include techniques like flipping, pitching or swimming lures in and around the weeds and Lilly pads. Each style or lure choice varies among each and every angler.
Some anglers have success fishing a huge field of Lilly pads by constantly fishing hollow bodied frogs and rats. Those lures featuring a skirt and two upturned hooks or some of the rather new solid bodied plastic frogs in use today featuring only one hook, that actually sound more like a buzzbait when retrieved.
Buzzbaits are a close second, along with safety pin type spinnerbaits (or an old favorite still in production today, the Snagless Sally an inline spinner), or the name sake Chatterbait (or the many copies now on the market today), all of which are very weedless and can be retrieved in and around these Lilly pads and weeds.
Weedless spoons (in finishes of either gold, silver, smoke black or frog), with an attached pork chunk trailer, plastic chunk trailer or twin tail trailer, are all but forgotten favorites. These weedless spoons, are, “very weedless” and their wobbling action attracts strikes from bass hiding in the weeds. Bass that are not accustomed to seeing these type of old favorite lures…lures that still fool largemouth bass in the weeds on Lake Eufaula today.
* NOTE *All of these type lures mentioned should be fished on heavy, monofilament line or one of the new braided lines on the market today. There are some big, strong bass in Lake Eufaula’s weeds.
Each lure requires a correct presentation, matched equipment and on some days even the correct lure color can make a difference in whether you get bites or not. Having 10 rods already rigged with fresh line on each reel (all for shallow or deep water applications), can be very time saving while on the water. This provides an angler more time for fishing and less time rigging rods, changing lures and not fishing.
Dawn or late evening hours (during the heat of summer), actually only shows about one good hour of fishing and catching. This usually takes place out of 3-4 hours of just casting and not getting a bite. So having a lure in the water can be important during these feeding times when bass are more active. Save rigging time, eating time and other fish ignoring activities for when the bass are not as likely to be biting. A midday break in the shade does wonders.
Thanks and Good Fishin’
Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service (205) 787-5133
Birmingham, Alabama
E-mail: alabassgyd@aol.com
Website: www.fishingalabama.com
“Over 40 Years Fishing, Guiding and Exploring every Lake in Alabama for Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and some huge Striped Bass” Originally Published (2007)
Resources:
Lake Eufaula Fall Fishing
Article by: Reed Montgomery - FishingAlabama.com
Lake Eufaula has been unseasonably low for the entire summer. Drought for over three months and a scorching three weeks of 100 plus degree days in August, showed this lake and its fish inhabitants really suffer and so did the anglers that come from all over to fish this huge, man made impoundment usually fishing for largemouth bass. The Lake has been down 3-4 feet all summer and until recently when evening thunderstorms and some all day rains occurred it actually brought the lake back up a foot.
Lake Eufaula could remain low (possibly down even lower) right on into the upcoming winter season and it traditionally stays that way until spring. Or if this fall season is like most fall seasons on Lake Eufaula more heavy rains could suddenly swell the lake back to full pool. So as of this writing during the first week of September, its really hard to say. Not much has really changed…except for a slow, gradual change in the weather as September shows the real beginning of the fall season. Which can only get better creating better fishing conditions for the remainder of fall in October and November and on into the upcoming winter season.
This lake features over 70 miles of navigable water. Even when down 3-4 feet there is still plenty of fish holding waters to explore, but with caution. From Lakepoint Resort (which is situated in the mouth of Cowikee creek) - to the lakes headwaters, you will immediately notice the lake gradually narrows and then returns to more of a River channel. Most bass tournaments are held out of this very popular Lakepoint resort park that features a resort, motel, cabins, boat launch and restaurant.
From the bridge that crosses Cowikee Creek, all the way out to the main river channel, is over a mile of twisting, turning (and well marked) creek channel. It is advised not to take any short cuts in this area. Stay within the red and green channel markers when navigating the boat here and within the red and green channel marker buoys on the main lake as well. If you just happen to stray to far from these deeper creek and river channel depths you will quickly see what I mean, with 1-2 feet of water very evident nearby most every channel marker.
Fishing for the lakes so well noted largemouth bass involves either targeting shallow water bass around wood cover and whatever aquatic weeds still exists or going deep. The fall season has bass in both shallow water and deeper water to be found lake wide by the angler that is willing to do a little research, map study (and in deep water), spend some quality time with some type of depthfinder or just spend years of fishing and exploring this huge lake…like I have.
I’ve fished and guided all over Lake Eufaula for over 30 years. My dad and uncle fished in the earlier years of its impoundment when it first opened in 1963 over 45 years ago. The lake has changed in many ways over the past 30-40 years. But one thing remains common knowledge even today by the many regulars that frequent Lake Eufaula. As its waters begin to cool fall and early winter may show some of the years biggest bass in shallow water for a longer period of time, more than any other time of the entire year. Reasons being they are eating.
These bass have seen a lot of lures and although its been said a bass does not remember more than a few weeks and it does not really think just reason, they can respond. These bass are pounded with lures of all kinds all throughout the early spring prespawn season, during spring when bedding, all summer long both day and night and now, during the fall season. You can bet one of those many unfortunate bass you may catch has been caught before. This is usually quite evident by its hook torn mouth or healed up and often scarred and deformed mouth, or a missing eye or hazy looking blind eyes, or even a hook still in its mouth from the last angler that left it there or got broke off! So choose your lures wisely.
Sure both the bass of fall in shallow water and those bass in deeper water may still hit a 10 inch worm. But they may really scrutinize the lure before striking it too. Or they could just follow it and suddenly appear right at the boat, as you lift the fake offering over board. So slow down, working the worm very painstakingly slow and see if you can get bites other anglers fishing way to fast fail to entice. This goes for fishing deep within any weeds, wood cover, rocks or rip-rip rap rocks or other shallow water cover with worms, lizards, tube baits, creature baits or jig combos. Think slow, fish slow, and set the hook fast when you do get a bite and you will be rewarded.
Many anglers simply spend an entire day just dragging soft plastics or jig combos along the lakes bottom hoping to get a bite. And on some days this tactic works very well. Texas rigged plastics, Carolina rigged lures and even small finesse lures fished on light tackle outfits have worked very well in fooling Lake Eufaula’s often very skittish bass into biting. Some anglers even approach these bass in a very quite manner as they get the boat in tight to bank cover and flip, pitch and swim their lures in and around weeds, rocks and wood cover.
But there are many other ways to fool these largemouth bass, many techniques, various types of lures and loads of places to explore on Lake Eufaula this fall and early winter season. Like said, “fishing slow always has its rewards” and when bottom dragging lures or punching into thick cover, slow is always better. “Fast fishing” comes with other lures.
When I was young we trolled lures for bass on Lake Eufaula. This technique involved letting out lures (and lots of line) such as deep diving crankbaits far behind the boat, as we slowly idled the boat down the bank, along a flat featuring a drop-off, or we trolled our deep diving hellbenders, mud bugs or other deep diving crankbaits (plugs) near a river channel or deep creek channel drop-off. If you can relate and have tried trolling for bass you surely lost some lures as we did back then.
Something interesting always entered my mind as we started each day trolling. How could these bass chase down these very fast trolled lures and then catch them, often getting hooked right in the wake of that bold looking 25 horsepower outboard motor? Even during the winter! So never think you can out reel a bass, if they can chase down a lure trolled behind a boat. So fast retrieved lures such as crankbaits fished in all depths, rattling lipless lures (like Rattletraps, Cordell Spots, etc.) in all sizes and weights, even floating and suspending jerkbaits can be attacked when retrieved very fast and with very erratic actions. This can be good this fall and winter as well with just casting your lures!
Not only crankbaits, but spinnerbaits, jigging spoons and fast retrieved jig combos can often generate those reaction strikes from bass that are actually tricked into hitting your fast retrieved lures. Bass (on the other hand) that are missed by anglers fishing to slow on Lake Eufaula this fall season….
Making a trip to Lake Eufaula this fall and winter season? Always call on Reeds Guide Service…first! Or make plans and book a two day, discounted instructional fishing trip, this year or next spring (discounted as well) and prepare for a day full of fishing tips, instructions, lure choice and years of compiled fishing stories and tales! Remember a guided fishing trip with Reeds Guide Service makes a great gift for Birthday’s, Father’s Day or Christmas (certificates available), for those loved ones that love to fish!
Thanks and Good Fishin’
Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service (205) 787-5133
Birmingham, Alabama
E-mail: alabassgyd@aol.com
Website: www.fishingalabama.com
“Over 40 Years Fishing, Guiding and Exploring every Lake in Alabama for Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and some huge Striped Bass” Originally Published (2007)
Resources:
