Texas Rig Fishing on Logan Martin Lake
Logan Martin Lake · Alabama · Southeast
Logan Martin Lake stretches roughly 25 miles along the Coosa River between Talladega and St. Clair counties, impounded in 1964 by Alabama Power. The fishery blends two distinct habitat types: flooded hardwood timber and creek-arm coves in the upper end, and cleaner, rockier ledge structure near the dam. Water clarity shifts from stained to lightly tannic depending on recent rainfall and location, and the lake holds a legitimate three-species mix of largemouth, spotted bass, and striped bass.
A bullet sinker slides freely on the line ahead of a wide-gap hook with a weedless-rigged soft plastic. The rig is completely snag-resistant, making it the go-to choice for grass, timber, and heavy cover. Works with virtually any soft plastic — worms, craws, creatures, lizards.
Texas Rig Setup for Logan Martin Lake
| Rod | 7'–7'3" medium-heavy casting rod, fast action |
| Reel | 7.1:1 or faster baitcaster |
| Line | 15–20 lb fluorocarbon or 30–50 lb braid in heavy cover |
| Weight | 3/16–1/2 oz tungsten bullet weight (peg it in heavy cover) |
| Hook | 3/0–5/0 EWG wide gap hook sized to plastic |
Seasonal Tactics on Logan Martin Lake
Lake: Largemouth push into cove flats and secondary points in March through early May, staging on 6–12 ft timber edges before moving shallow to spawn. Spawning beds concentrate near protected pockets with clay-bottom transitions; a Texas-rigged Zoom Trick Worm or a 3/8 oz swim jig along wood edges is the consistent producer.
Texas Rig: Slow drag through spawning flats and around beds. Lizards and creature baits in crawfish colors.
Lake: Spotted bass and largemouth both stratify with the thermocline by July, stacking on main-river ledges and humps in 18–30 ft of water. Alabama anglers keyed into ledge fishing will recognize the pattern immediately — a 3/4 oz Strike King Tour Grade Football Jig dragged along the 22 ft break is a standard summer approach, with big swimbait presentations earning the larger bites.
Texas Rig: Pitch into shade — docks, mats, and laydowns. Pegged weight for matted grass punching.
Lake: Shad migrations pull bass out of deep summer structure and into the creek arms by late September. Topwater and medium-diving crankbaits like the Strike King 5XD work the 8–14 ft range over submerged timber as water temps fall from the mid-70s toward 60.
Texas Rig: Cover water quickly on points and along weed lines. Faster retrieve with a reaction element.
Lake: Cold-water fish stack on main-lake points and deeper timber edges in 20–35 ft. A blade bait like the Swedish Pimple or a drop shot with a Roboworm Straight Tail in 25–30 ft near channel bends is the most consistent cold-season method when water temps drop into the mid-40s.
Texas Rig: Slow drag on deep structure, 15–30 feet. Finesse Texas rig with 1/4 oz and 6" worm.
Best Conditions
Heavy cover — grass, timber, laydowns, docks; murky to stained water; any season; pre-spawn and post-spawn periods
Peg the weight with a rubber toothpick when fishing grass. A sliding weight catches weeds; a pegged weight punches through clean.
More Techniques for Logan Martin Lake
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