5. Neely Henry Lake
Located in northeast Alabama on the Coosa River near the towns of Gadsden and Ohatchee, this reservoir envelops 11,235 acres and extends 77.6 miles from the dam upstream to Weiss Dam. Generally a river-run lake, Neely Henry fans out toward the dam to more open water. Like many riverine lakes, Neely Henry turns on when the dam gates open — as soon as current starts to move, shad start to flip and bass start to hit. Crankbaits, jigs and worms are the favorite in cool weather, while topwaters, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits come into their own spring through early fall.
Alabama Power Company has improved fishing by providing habitat in this lake. Coordinates of these improvements are available as a spreadsheet or a GPS download from alabamapower.com/lakes/fishdata.asp. For general information, visit etowahtourism.com
For more information on the Alabama Bass Trail, visit AlabamaBassTrail.org.