Lay Lake‘s Airport Marine Team Trail Championship
By Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service
“Lay Lake’s Oldest Professional Guide Service”
Saturday, September 19 2009
Lay Lake: Impounded 1914
Lake level: Full Pool
Water Temperature: 78 Degrees
Water Clarity – Headwaters and creeks will be muddy for days
A DAY TO REMEMBER FOR ALL ON ALABAMA’S LAY LAKE
Heavy rains all day, accompanied with 20-30 m.p.h. winds, always makes for a rough day of fishing. Yet in terms of bass tournaments, especially those featuring 70 plus boats — all loaded with Alabama’s best bass anglers – someone always manages to figure out what it takes to make those big bass bite.
There are many major bass tournament trails (like Alabama’s most well known bass tournament trail), like Airport Marine’s Team Trail (see; www.airportmarineteamtrail.com for more info), that visit Lay Lake often. They had their end-of-year Championship on Lay Lake Saturday; it was held out of Paradise Point Marina.
This very popular tournament trail features veteran anglers, seasonal anglers, parent and child teams and male and female teams. One male and female team that has won three of Airport Marine’s bass tournaments this year! Jay and Susan Haughton.
It also has many of Alabama’s very well known professional bass anglers, some that fish either the FLW Outdoors Tournament Trails or the Bassmaster Tournament Trails, or both.
These are all anglers that really know Lay Lake (site of the upcoming 2010 Bassmaster Classic), including myself. As owner of Reeds Guide Service
(see: www.fishingalabama.com) I have fished during every conceivable condition, in every season on Lay Lake. This includes exploring every cut, pocket, creek and main lake spot you can find in over 40 years of fishing / guiding on Lay Lake.
Changing Conditions. – This month, like most tournament anglers, I’ve had a chance to fish Lay Lake several times, catching quality bass each and every week, prior to this major bass tournament, featuring a first place payout of $10,000.
The weather has been fantastic, with mid-August and early September showing cooler than normal weather, featuring low 80 degree temperatures. With over 40 years guiding and tournament fishing on Lay Lake, you could say I know Lay Lake very well.
However, Lay Lake’s ever-elusive largemouth bass and those hard-fighting, aggressive Coosa River spotted bass (that this lake now nearing 100 years old has to offer), can move on you, especially with ever-changing conditions taking place, from day to day.
In practice, I saw dozens of 3 pound spotted bass even a few over 4 pounds and many nice largemouth bass, including one nice 6 pounder, with a dozen or so 2-3 pounders of each breed of bass, on most trips.
But rain the week prior to this tournament, including rain all day Friday, muddied up places that I have not seen get muddy in years. So they moved on me.
It was 9 a.m. before we boated our first keeper bass, fishing weeds in lightly stained pockets in the mid lake region. After fishing a half a dozen places the day soon got on. We soon had our limit by late morning but only small bass. At mid day we decided to move further down the lake, where the fast moving, muddy water had not made it yet.
Eliminating Waxahatchee Creek, that always muddies up fast when it rains, we decided to stay on the main lake and fish for bigger bass! It was a good move. But as they say “too little too late”. We left the bass biting and ran out of time. We had to get back to the weigh-in by 3:15 p.m.
With little to show for our efforts, but still proud of our very hard earned sack of 5 nice spotted bass, we ended the day with 11 pounds and 3 ounces. Just one pound out of the money.
I thought back on four very memorable topwater strikes, from some big spotted bass that we missed. All bass we saw, any of which would have weighed over 3 pounds each and got us a good check. That is, if we had boated them…on that very memorable day on Lay Lake.
* The tournament was won by Russ Lane and his partner Criss Rutland, with 5 largemouth bass weighing a little over 21 pounds. This included the “big bass of the day ” a nice fat, six and 3/4 pound largemouth bass. Congratulations!
You can see this major tournament I filmed at www.anglerschannel.com this past Saturday on Lay Lake, including an interview with Criss Rutland first place finisher. See and hear how Criss reveals his and Russ Lane’s winning techniques and how swimming a black and blue jig, got them the $10,000 win and big bass of the day.
This on line film includes an interview with this year’s 2009 Man and Woman team of the year, Jay and Susan Haughton. They had over 17 pounds in this tournament placing in the top 5. They have won 3 tournaments this year pocketing over $30,000!
As an Anglers Channel pro-staff member, I have filmed all of Airport Marine’s 2009 Team Trail tournaments, including the huge, annual Airport Marine / Serra Toyota 2009 Lay Lake Tournament as well. Just go to the Archives interviews on www.anglerschannel.com
If you need help fishing Lay Lake give me a call (205) 787-5133 or e-mail me alabassgyd@aol.com for booking a trip. Whether you need help fishing, or booking a guided trip to any Alabama lake! Always call on Reeds Guide Service….first!
“Alabama’s Most Well-known and Oldest, Professional Freshwater Fishing Guide Service”
* A guided fishing trip is a great gift, for those loved ones that love to fish!
Thanks and Good Fishin’!
Reed Montgomery / Outdoor Writer
“Alabama Radio Show Host and Television Host For Over 10 Years”
Owner / Reeds Guide Service (205) 787-5133
Birmingham, Alabama
Email: 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.”
