2023 Lay Lake B.A.S.S. Elite

After a disappointing result at Santee Cooper, I was anxious to get things rolling at Lay Lake in Alabama — stop No. 5 on the Bassmaster Elite Series.

My only previous experience on Lay was during the 1996 Bassmaster Classic, which was a summertime event. I remember liking the lake and its many shallow targets, but I wasn’t quite sure how those might play in late spring.

As part of the Coosa River Chain, Lay lies between lakes Logan Martin and Mitchell.

At 12,000 surface acres, it’s not a big lake. But it does have enough water for a 104-man field to spread out … or so I thought. As the practice rounds unfolded, it became clear there would be heavy traffic in certain areas.

Practice Begins

On the first morning, I launched at Beeswax Creek State Park — our official headquarters for the event.

From there I ran several grasslines along the main river, hoping to find bass feeding on an early morning shad spawn. On one bank just north of take-off, I found what I was looking for — a 100-yard stretch of mixed grass, right next to the channel. The shad were so thick you could almost walk on them. Mixed in were quality bass, boiling and striking on the surface.

I knew the spot would be a player during the competition.

From there, I worked my way up river, trying different banks along the channel — some with wood, others with grass, or a mix of the two. My lure selection consisted of a white 3/8-ounce swim jig, black Hildebrandt SqueakEasy buzzbait, Shimano World Pop topwater, Macbeth 50 crankbait in pro blue, brown 3/8-ounce casting jig with grub trailer and 4-inch, Texas-rigged Senko.

I ended the day just below the Logan Martin Dam, where I had a number of bites on the casting jig. In all, it was a productive day.

The next morning, I launched down lake and stopped on several bluff banks consisting of rock, wood and small patches of water willow. Although I got a few bites, the fish were small.

From there, I headed south to the bottom of the lake, to access a series of small pockets. With the trolling motor running at a good clip, I scanned the shallows for bedding bass. In each of the pockets, I found one or two small males still on their beds. They were the remnants of a late-season spawn and I wasn’t sure they would hold through the remainder of the week.

My next stop was to a main-lake hump with standing timber. After an hour of throwing a drop-shot Shad Shape Worm, I managed only a few bites from small spotted bass.

I then ran to the very back of Waxahatchee Creek, to be sure I wasn’t overlooking schools of bass drawn to an influx of rainwater. And though I found a few fish, there weren’t enough to make me want to return.

On day 3, I decided to go back to the upper part of the lake.

In one backwater slough, I found patches of lily pads and mats of gator grass. The area reminded me of Florida. And after getting a number of bites on the World Pop and by pitching soft plastics to the pads, I decided to call it a day and begin prepping my equipment. I was confident I had a good game plan.

Competition Time

When I got the word I was in the last flight, I figured there would be no way to capitalize on the shad spawn — at least not on the stretch where I found so many fish during practice. But I had to try, nonetheless.

As I exited Beeswax Creek, I fell in line with a string of boats headed upriver. Minutes later, I reached the bank I wanted to start on, and to my amazement, no one was there. I immediately dropped the trolling motor and went to work with a buzzbait.

The shad were still there, but not nearly as thick as in practice. Still, I could see bass boiling the surface, chasing them.

On the first pass, I scored a solid keeper. Minutes later, I hooked up with a 5-pounder. Soon after, another one weighing 2½ came aboard. And before I knew it, I had 16 pounds of Lay Lake largemouths in the livewell. Based on what I observed in practice, I knew I was doing well … and the flotilla of spectator and camera boats showing up behind me confirmed it.

While that may seem like a good thing, media boats tend to draw attention to an angler’s location. And I was worried other competitors would take notice. After all, I was fishing right next to the channel with a steady stream of competitors running by.

By 10 am, the bite was done. Still, I remained there to defend that stretch of water.

Finally, around midday, I pulled the trolling motor and ran upriver to the Logan Martin Dam. I wanted to make an appearance there and see how many other competitors were fishing in that area. To my surprise, there were very few. The current flow was perfect, but the bite wasn’t nearly as good as in practice. It was extremely slow, and every spotted bass I caught was small.

Eventually, the time ran down and I headed back to weigh-in, knowing I had a successful day. My weight of 16 pounds, 4 ounces placed me fifth overall.

The next morning the flights flipped, and I was boat number 15 in the take-off order. I felt confident I would get to my starting spot first. To my surprise, however, the boat just ahead of me pulled in on the spot. Coming off plane next to him, I could see that it was Caleb Kuphall. With a stream of boats roaring by, I yelled to Caleb, informing him that this was where I caught my fish on day 1 — hoping he would yield the spot to me. He yelled back that he would go the other way, but it appeared as though he wasn’t happy about it.

By the time the last boat blew by, it became apparent that things had changed. The shad were fewer in numbers and there was minimal spawning activity. The bass weren’t feeding either. It took most of the morning, but I eventually connected with a couple of fish on the buzzbait — one of which was a 5-pounder.

From there, I headed to the backwater slough with all the lily pads. The water was up and in no time, I was culling 2-pounders. By day’s end, I put another 15 pounds of bass on the scales and moved into third place.

After weigh-in, I saw Caleb in the parking lot. I immediately went to him, to thank him for yielding the spot to me that morning. That’s when I learned how upset he was. Caleb is a solid guy and a great competitor. He does his own work and has a knack for finding and catching bass others tend to miss. I’ve observed him since he joined the Elite Series and I have nothing but respect for him.

Seeing he felt slighted by the incident, I offered an apology and the promise that I would try to make it up to him down the road. And I sincerely hope I get that opportunity.

Fishing on the Weekend

The next morning, a thick bank of fog enveloped the take-off area at Beeswax Creek. More than an hour passed before they finally let us go. And by then, the shad spawn was done.

Nonetheless, I started once more on my key stretch. But after numerous passes, it was clear that bite was over with. Thinking my backup area upriver could produce enough bites to keep me in contention, I headed there next.

On arrival, I noticed the water had fallen. Still, I tried to make the area work. Alternating between a hollow-body frog and the World Pop, I tested the edges of floating grass mats and lily pads, hoping to score a topwater bite. But other than one half-hearted strike on the frog, that bite was also done.

Next, I tried pitching to the pad clumps and that yielded a few bites. But for whatever reason, the fish were short-striking the bait, Several times I got half the worm back. Everything below the hook was gone. It was an exercise in futility, and by day’s end, I had only one fish to show for the effort. I sank in the standings as a result.

Looking back, my only real regret is the incident with Caleb Kuphall. I don’t like conflict, even in competition … especially when it involves the anglers I respect most.

Next up is the Sabine River in Texas. Stay tuned!