Lake Martin Magazine

A few short years ago – like 12 now I guess – I was fishing with my bass club in January on Lake Martin. I had fished on Lake Martin my whole life, but I would learn a valuable lesson that day. When your boat’s torn up, you have two options: fish how your partner wants to fish, or don’t go at all.

A couple of months ago I was headed to the Toyota Texas Bass Classic near Houston. It’s not uncommon for a buddy to call me up to talk fishing and the call was a welcome interruption to the monotony of the 11-hour drive to Lake Conroe.

As anglers, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our catch, whether it be from studying the methods of the pros for locating and catching fish, purchasing the latest and greatest equipment, or just asking our buddies what the fish are biting. There is a small group of the general populace that would lead you to believe that fishing is just luck, that an angler has no control over his or her success.

The most intriguing characteristic of fishing is its constant challenge. Regardless of a person’s skill level, fishing provides relaxation, excitement, escape, heartbreak, accomplishment and even victory, sometimes in a single day … or even a single hour. To a non-fisherman, it might appear anglers spend a foolish amount of time and money trying to catch a scaly, underwater critter, especially one they intend to release.

September marks the transition of the summer season to fall. It may not feel like it some days with daytime temps still exceeding 90 degrees, but changes are taking place underwater that trigger the fish to begin feeding in preparation for cooler weather.

The thought of trying to catch bass on Lake Martin in the hottest part of the summer may seem a little daunting. The oppressive daytime heat can make summer fishing feel more like work than a relaxing day on the water. Couple that with the rolling waves of recreational boat traffic and it can be downright discouraging.

The 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series regular season has now come to a close and I’ve had some time to reflect on the highs and lows of another season.

By early June, most of the bass in Lake Martin will have completed the spawn and be well on their way to their summer hangouts.

Fishing patterns during the month of May in the Southeast can vary because this marks the beginning of the post-spawn period for the bass. Generally, the majority of the fish will be in the shallows during the early part of the month, but many will migrate deeper as water temperatures approach the upper 70s by the end of the month.

As I sit down to write this article, I can hardly focus on a specific topic to write about, except for the one thing that has truly occupied my thoughts for the past week. The Bassmaster Classic.