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.
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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.
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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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Warm boots, too.
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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!"
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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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It's always better to freeze with a buddy.
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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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Bait is plentiful, which means the fish will be healthy.
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And we move.
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And Herren looks for more proof of life.
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Here is his command center.
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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 again ...
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A near carbon copy of the previous fish.
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And again ...
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This one looks a little better.
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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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Off we go ...
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More scanning ...
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The Minn Kota Ultrex will be a major player at Lake Martin in February.
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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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Long points that stretch out into the main lake will play, too.
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Small bays.
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Woody points ...
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Boulders ...
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Lots of open water, as well.
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Deep points ...
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Long creeks ...
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Islands ...
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And some impressive houses!
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The scenery is fantastic top to bottom at this place.
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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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Stumps everywhere.
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Herren keeps an eye on his Humminbirds as we keep viewing Lake Martin. "You never know when a new and productive spot will just appear," he said.
Thanks for sharing your insight with us, Matt. And good luck!
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