Jordan Lake is the last of six man made impoundment's found on the Coosa River system. Impounded in 1928 it is now approaching 78 years since Jordan Lake dam was completed. This is a long time for a lake to survive water pollution, over harvest of all fish species and a bad spawn during many past spring seasons. But, somehow it does.
Spring on Jordan Lake is as good as it gets on any Alabama Lake for bass fishing, all throughout the months of March, April and May. These are actually the months for anglers to target prespawn bass, spawning bass and post spawn bass. Not only the largemouth bass which is found in all of Alabama's Lakes, but a trophy bass species Jordan Lake is noted for producing. The Coosa River breed of spotted bass.
Each month on Jordan Lake anglers (and the bass) have to adapt to changing conditions such as the weather, water level fluctuation, rising water temperatures and new growing aquatic weeds. Of course this includes bedding bass as well.
MARCH - A week long warming trend started off the month of March in Alabama with air temperatures in the mid 70's. Warm days and warm nights created a constantly rising water temperature situation. Without any sudden cold fronts (that suddenly drop water temps in the shallows and send bass back to the deep water) these male and female bass could invade the shallows of Jordan Lake in huge droves, by the months end.
Previously during February, late winter cold fronts dropped Jordan Lakes water temperatures into the low to mid 40's. Then a warming trend during the first week of March showed water temperatures on most Alabama Lakes soar in the mid to upper 50's. This warming trend (bringing up the water temperatures in the shallows), is what really governs whether or not bass will bed early on Jordan Lake this spring.
A continuing warming trend throughout March can show male and female bass moving up shallow all throughout Jordan Lake. Cold fronts, coupled with 2-3 days of heavy rain, can slow the bedding process until mid to late April. Water clarity has a lot to do with an angler actually seeing bass in shallow water during March. Heavy rains, followed by stained to muddy water conditions, can reduce underwater visibility and at times most anglers just blindly cast the shallows, hoping to entice bedding bass.
But with little rain in March, the water can be fairly clear in Jordan lake's backwater pockets, the backs of small cuts right on the main lake or back up in spawning flats found in Jordan Lakes major feeder creeks, are all places without a main influx of rain runoff. Male bass can then be seen (with a good pair of polarized sunglasses, see: www.flyingfisherman.com) preparing beds. Female bass may not be as visible as male bass, until they are actually on the bed.
During late March the much bigger female bass will hold a short distance away from the 1-2 foot of bedding water, until conditions stabilize, water temperatures are just right and a full moon is at hand. Big female bass gather in numbers during these prespawn times bunching up in some preferred holding spot along Jordan Lakes spawning flats. Main lake points leading into small cuts and pockets, secondary points in the mid to back ends of these small main lake pockets and sandy flats featuring wood cover such as stumps, laying logs, logjams or brush piles can hold several big bass for a week or more. Weedy cover is also a great place to find big bass in March, especially very green weeds in some areas with dead weeds nearby.
While some anglers are already beating the banks, there are other spots and attractions to find prespawn bass on Jordan Lake that many anglers overlook. Sun drenched banks that heat up fast, from mid day to late evenings, can create active bass in water temps that may rise 5 degrees in one day. Just a short distance from the bank, may be many big bass, bass that become very active with warming water. In addition, more active bass can be found feeding in these places around new growing weeds, many weeds of which are now in full bloom. The evidently new weed growth instantly becomes oxygen rich green homes for bass to invade, especially weeds seen along the northerly banks in these pockets and creeks.
APRIL - Water temperatures in the mid to upper 60's coupled with a full moon nearby, triggers bass to begin the process of spawning on Jordan Lake. Both male and female bass can even be seen traveling the shallows in pairs, some bass actually on the bed and always, the smaller male bass constantly chasing off intruders during the entire month of April. Weather conditions become more stable with the 80 degrees days heating things up fast. New growing weeds become evident throughout Jordan Lake and by late April newborn bass fry (seen in gathering in numbers as small dark balls in the shallows), show spring officially underway.
This is also the time for seeing many anglers on the water every day. Weekly bass tournaments can show over 100 boats on Jordan Lake every Saturday and Sunday as well. Fishing pressure they call it. Anglers that target less obvious looking bedding areas may find undisturbed bass other anglers overlook in April. Deep water is also a place many anglers overlook in April, with most anglers fishing shallow you can discover huge school of bass all to yourself. Fishing the lakes headwaters, just below Mitchell Lake dam, an angler can hook into one of the years biggest spotted bass in April.
MAY - This is the month all anglers look forward to on Jordan Lake (or any Alabama Lake for that matter), when fooling bass into striking your offerings...is not all that hard. For May is known as post spawn time or to some, "topwater time" on Jordan Lake. The shallows are alive with activity every day in May. Baitfish are being busted by big, hungry female bass coming off the beds, feeding along bedding areas. Even the smaller bass is through with his reproducing duties with newborn fry now on their own in May. These smaller (1-3 pounds average) male bass have been guarding the bed for weeks and running away intruders that eat eggs and eventually eat newborn bass. He is very hungry and eager to hit anything catchable that comes his way. Big, gaudy noisy type lures are at their best when bass foolishly hit these potentially oversized meals in May, usually out of sheer hunger or from irritation from anglers that make several casts to a likely looking holding spot.
Walking type topwater lures, popping type topwaters with concave mouths and topwaters featuring either single propellers on the back or double propellers front and back, are excellent lure choices for these recuperating bass. These kind of lures attract strikes from bass with little or no energy, bass that may not find it worth their effort to chase down other topwaters or shallow running lures. Lures that sit in one spot can generate very vicious topwater strikes in the shallows all throughout May and on into early summer on Jordan Lake. Keep a few topwater lures rigged on several rods all throughout the month of May, to give the bass a chance to decide which lure is best on any given outing.
Give Jordan Lake a try this spring and discover some great bass fishing for the next 3 months ahead. Always practice Catch and Release on our lakes this spring, for future generations of anglers to enjoy bass fishing as we do today. Give me a call...first! At (205) 787-5133 for Reeds Guide Service "Over 30 years guiding and exploring all of Alabama's Lakes for bass and stripers." Many of those years spent fishing Alabama's Jordan Lake.
Good Fishin'
Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service
Producer / Host "Fishing Alabama" With Reed Montgomery Radio Show
"6 Years on the Radio / Jan 2005"
Birmingham, Alabama
Call Reeds Guide Service...First! (205) 787-5133
"Over 40 Ye
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