Bassmaster Elite Series pro and lifetime Alabama resident Matt Herren met up with photographer/writer Thomas Allen before Lake Martin went off limits to give him an inside look at the lake that serves as the opening tournament for the 2018 Elite Series season.
Photo: Thomas Allen
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Alexander City, Ala., will serve as the host city for the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Martin presented by Econo Lodge, Feb. 8-11. A truly beautiful place.
Photo: Thomas Allen
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Matt preps his Yamaha before heading out on this cold early January morning.
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It was in the neighborhood of 25 degrees, which required the heavy layers. For Matt that is his StormR suit.
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He reminded me that it would be a very cold run across the lake. The veteran pro angler has fished many events on this lake across his impressive career.
"It can be a very tough lake to fish," he said. "There are a pile of fish in here, but not many big ones. So this tournament will come down to ounces. Or whoever caught the most big fish. I hope that's me!"
Photo: Thomas Allen
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He grabbed a few rods out to check a couple of spots. But we weren't going to do much fishing on this day.
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I'll tell you this much for certain, and in the pictures to come you'll see that Lake Martin is a breathtaking body of water.
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"Get ready to freeze," he told me. "I sure hope it's not this cold in February, but it could be."
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Herren spent a majority of his time staring at his dash-mounted Humminbirds. A key tool for success on this lake.
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This tournament will likely include a lot of "gaming," where the anglers watch their electronics with vertical presentations. But, will that be the technique that catches the big fish of the event? Herren isn't sure of that yet.
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He hooks up pretty quickly with a fish that represents the likely average fish that will be weighed at this event.
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And it is. Herren said a limit of spotted bass this size each day will put you in contention to win. Maybe ...
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I even got in on the action. But only once. We put the rods up after we hooked a few and continued our tour. Camera guys don't get to fish much, but when given the opportunity, I don't pass it up!
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The lake is heavily wooded, but the structure base is primarily rock and scattered wood.
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The structure is fairly consistent, making it tough to narrow down the winning pattern.
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Aside from vegetation this time of year, Lake Martin literally has something for everybody.
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