go in cycles , but it hasn ’ t had many upand-down swings , and you always have a shot at a 20-pound bag for five fish any time of the year . The biggest factor will be the weather , because Alabama ’ s weather in March has been different every year I can remember . It could still be a full-blown winter pattern , or every bass in the lake might be on the bank .”
Most likely , the mid-March timing of REDCREST should produce a lot of shallow bass activity with the chance for a spawning slugfest .
“ So much of it is dependent on the weather leading up to the tournament , but I ’ ve seen bass laid up on beds on Lay the first of March ,” said Connell . “ My guess is we will have a mix of some early spawning bass and a solid amount of fish still in the prespawn stage .”
Holley believes it ’ s setting up to be a prespawn event with plenty of bass itching to move shallow .
“ In central Alabama , the water temperatures usually reach that magic 62- to 65-degree range from late March to mid-April ,” he said . “ In normal years , the peak of the spawn usually occurs in early April , and we routinely see bass spawn into May . So this tournament will most likely be a prespawn event .”
Both species in play
Look for both largemouth and spotted bass to hit SCORETRACKER ® in plentiful numbers during REDCREST . Connell and Holley believe both have a shot at comprising the winning stringer . The fishery features a nice blend of the two species , with neither dominating in terms of numbers or size .
“ Both largemouth and Alabama bass are doing well at Lay Reservoir ,” Holley said . “ For largemouth , the number of fish above 15 inches is above
normal , and we are seeing the same trends and even a little better for Alabama bass , with an abundance of them over 17 inches long .
“ Because our shoreline electrofishing surveys are more likely to capture largemouth bass over Alabama bass , our overall catch of largemouth is higher in electrofishing surveys . But when we look at our BAIT ( Bass Angler Information Team ) data , which is angler data from tournaments , we see about 60 % Alabama bass and 40 % largemouth being weighed in during tournaments .”
While he ’ s known as one of the best in the world at catching spotted bass , Connell isn ’ t committing to chasing them during REDCREST . He thinks it ’ ll take a mix of both species to do well .
“ I ’ ve caught quite a few 3- and 4- pound spotted bass here , but there are some huge largemouth swimming in Lay ,” he said . “ It ’ s very possible to catch a 6- or 7-pound largemouth , and we ’ ll probably see a few of them . There are more spotted bass here , but they are a little harder to catch because they don ’ t set up like on other lakes . My guess is that it will require a little bit of both to have a chance to win it .”
Alabama bass
“ We see about 60 % Alabama bass and 40 % largemouth being weighed in during tournaments .”
Head , meanwhile , believes spots will be the way to win , although that could change based on the conditions .
“ Lay is very conditional , and there are so many variables that decide which species to target ,” he said . “ Sometimes one species is farther ahead and closer to spawn , or one is more grouped up . There are other times when one tends to be a little fatter . There ’ s a lot to consider , but both feed big time in March .”
Winning tactics
With so many types of cover and two bass species in play , there should be a wide range of techniques on display . Head believes that moving baits will represent the best tools for breaking it all down .
“ The fish will be feeding somewhere , and you ’ ll need to cover water to find those groups , then you can slow down with other baits ,” he said . “ Lay fishes like a river more than an impoundment , and the fish are very current-oriented with many flats . It ’ s really its own animal compared to other lakes on the Coosa chain , and moving baits will be a factor .”
Connell expects baits and patterns to run the gamut , including the swim jig bite the lake is best known for .
“ A swim jig will play for sure ,” he said . “ I also think your vibrating jigs , flipping and typical shallow-water techniques like a wacky rig will be very popular in this one .”
He also believes targeting grass will be a common approach . Vegetation , both emergent and submerged , has become more prevalent in the lake in recent years .
“ It ’ s coming back , and there is a lot of bank grass , like willow grass , on the shoreline ,” Connell said . “ The coontail has also been showing up , and we even have some hyacinths on the lake now . It ’ s very different from other lakes on the Coosa chain , and the habitat is great for the largemouth .”
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