LAKE EUFAULA
WALTER F. GEORGE RESERVOIR
By Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service
Website: www.fishingalabama.com
Impounded 1963
Lake Level: Down (varies, currently 3 feet below / 190.0 full pool) for winter pool
Lake Eufaula...back then
Lake Eufaula. No not the one in Oklahoma. Lake Eufaula (officially known as Walter F. George Reservoir) is located in the southern region of the United States. It is situated along the Alabama / Georgia State lines on the Chattahoochee River. Impounded in 1963, the lake is now 43 years old.
I've fished, guided and even competed in a few bass tournaments on Lake Eufaula for over 30 years. In addition (in my spare time), I've explored this 45,180 acre lake, from one end of this huge 70 mile long impoundment, to the other. Prior to that, my Father and Uncle (both now passed on to catching even bigger bass up above) fished Lake Eufaula together, from the week the lake was first opened to the public in 1963, for over 30 years as well.
I've gained a whole lot of knowledge about Lake Eufaula over the recent years, seen a lot of changes and you could say, "I know it very well." Not only about fishing Lake Eufaula in all seasons (when both at full pool and when down during drought or winter pool) but in knowing how to navigate my boat throughout this shallow water impoundment during low water... when it can be very dangerous for inexperienced boaters to attempt to navigate.
I can remember those days of bringing in huge bass, often with as many as a dozen bass over 5 pounds, caught in just one days fishing. I've seen and netted several big largemouth bass over that magical ten pound mark, including two 12 pounders. My father and uncle (like most anglers of that time) were fish eaters and those old, red metal Coca Cola ice chests were always slap full of fish. Always plenty of food for feeding a big family of that time.
Back then (in the 60's and 70's), we either fished the lakes lower end, the middle portion of the lake or to lakes upper end, always launching on the Alabama side of the lake. There were major boat launches all over the lake when it first opened, but there were a few we visited regularly. If we planned on fishing the lakes lower end (near the dam), we launched at Hardridge Creek on the Alabama side of the lake. It had no facilities back then and was a free boat launch. Hardridge Creek had very little weeds in the 60's, no gators and plenty of standing timber left in the lake during impoundment for us to explore.
Of course we could always run the boat nearby to the huge, 2 mile long rip-rap rock lined Eufaula dam and always plan on catching largemouth bass, many weighing from 5-10 pounds. Usually this was successfully accomplished despite the conditions with one type of lure. We found lots of line tugging action on that dam by slowly exploring the rocks with Tom Mann's worms, like those Mann's Hobo worms (which came 100 to the bag for $2.00) or his world famous Mann's Jelly worms and Mann's Augertail worms.
If we planned on fishing Lake Eufaula's mid to upper portion we either launched at White Oak Creek or launched at world famous, Chewalla Creek Marina and boat launch. There at Chewalla Creek Marina we displayed many big bass for pictures, all hung on the bragging board of Chewalla Creek boat launch. Memories that now fill our scrapbooks with pictures for others to gaze upon for years to come.
Eufaula...today
Today, we just take their pictures and let them go. Catch and Release. Back then we did not even no what that term meant. Even during the earlier years of B.A.S.S. / Bassmasters Bass Tournaments many anglers weighed in their bass brought to the scales on fish stringers (and even some smaller ones brought to the scales in coffee cans) for "catch and release" was not yet even a spoken term. We just did not know any better.
Eufaula has changed a lot over the past 40 plus years and today it is a totally different impoundment. Although it still produces largemouth bass exceeding ten pounds, there are not as many trophy bass taken by anglers as before. Fishing pressure. Any time you see lake with such world renowned recognition as Lake Eufaula is for big bass, it gets pounded regularly by hopeful bass anglers from all over the globe. Also at times (like during the spring season), there can be as many as a dozen or more bass tournaments on this lake on any given Saturday or Sunday.
Lake Eufaula's appearance has changed to. The standing timber (left here during impoundment) is all but gone. Stumps, laying trees, brush piles and other wood cover (including planted fish attractors) have mostly just deteriorated away. Now there are those aquatic weeds for bass to relate to. Weeds of all kinds that provide cover and plenty of oxygen rich habitat for both predator and prey to take up residence in, mostly growing during the seasons of spring, summer and fall. Winter season shows the lake drawn down (extremely low in recent years) to aid in flood control, often as low as 4-6 feet below normal full pool levels. Aquatic weeds anglers fish most of year such as bulrush, maiden cane, cattails and lilly pads are left high and dry during lake drawdown and become obsolete as fish habitat during winter.
But there is recent surge of two new type of aquatic weeds growing throughout Lake Eufaula, weeds that can grow during the winter season and weeds that can grow in deep water. Eurasian millfoil and Hydrilla aquatic weeds are spreading throughout the lakes mid to lower portion every year. Weeds that were once foreign to this lake recently introduced to Lake Eufaula by anglers that launch their boats after fishing other weed infested waters on other lakes.
An example is Guntersville Lake in Alabama or Lake Seminole in Georgia, both lakes of which are now choked out with these aquatic weeds that grow very thick and matted when left unattended. The good side is anglers like it, bass like it and the small fish and crayfish the bass dine on like it. Millfoil an hydrilla weeds also hold bass during the middle portion of the day, making them very susceptible to your lures.
Fishing Lake Eufaula during October, November and December
Fishing Lake Eufaula during the fall period is often as good as the spring season, but with less company. Anglers hanging up their rods in exchange for guns are now in the nearby woods deer hunting. Some would be anglers are home watching football. While still others have given up until next year, actually covering up their boats and parking them until next spring. To bad. They are missing out on some of the year's best big bass action and they could still have a shot at plenty of fish catching action found lake wide.
Fall. Gone are the temperamental attitudes of the bass like during the spring spawn and picky feeding bass schools following shad schools in deep water this summer. These bass now invade the shallows of main lake flats and feeder creeks with one thing in mind, to fatten up and put on the needed fat reserves for the cold winter months ahead. Its true, like said the rest of the year, "Find the baitfish and find the bass." This not only goes for exploring the over 500 miles of shoreline cover found in the shallows of Lake Eufaula (now exposed with lake drawdown) but getting out on the main river and fishing deeper water found along drop-offs and creek and river channel ledges, for bass relating to deep water places, they will soon inhibit during winter.
As waters cool in October and November anglers fishing the weeds will have success with a variety of modern day enticing lures. Unlike the days of long ago there are now many lure choices to aid an angler in fooling these Lake Eufaula largemouth bass...bass that have seen a lot of tempting offerings during this past spring and summer seasons. But bass forget. They have a short term memory and many, normally lure conditioned bass, may not have even seen a lure of any kind recently, since not as many anglers are now on the water.
Weedless lures are the lures of choice. Why fish with frustrating lures that grab the weeds on every cast resulting in no bites at all and possibly mean losing costly lures? Save the treble hook lures like topwaters, lipless lures, jerkbaits and crankbaits for open water fishing away from the weeds. Of course this goes for fishing wood cover in the shallows to, more of which becomes visible with winter pool and lake drawdown.
So arm yourself with a variety of weedless offerings if you plan on fishing Lake Eufaula's few remaining weeds this fall and early winter seasons. Lures like floating worms and soft jerkbaits are good for times when nothing else works. Fished slow and with very long casts in and around millfoil and hydrilla weeds these soft plastics lures do fool bass and they are very weedless. Monofilament line tests of 12-15 pounds are needed for these lures.
Frog and small mice imitation lures continue to fool bass that have dined on these tasty morsels all summer long. Buzzbaits and spinnerbaits are also still productive lures around weed and wood cover found in the shallows of creeks and main lake flats. Some anglers have developed a technique of swimming lures (lures normally fished on bottom) along weed edges and around wood and rock cover. Swimming a jig combo is a deadly tactic that covers water fast for big bass during the Fall and early winter period. Monofilament line in the 20 pound class is suggested for all of these lures. Some anglers use braided line. Strong rods in lengths of 6-7 feet, wide spooled reels and sharp hooks are also suggested.
The old favorite the Texas rigged worm in lengths of 6-10 inches continue to fool Lake Eufaula's largemouth bass, just like 40 years ago. Texas rigged or Carolina rigged plastics such as worms, lizards, crayfish imitations, tube baits and creature type baits are also good lure choices whether you fish shallow water or deep water this fall and early winter seasons.
Deep water fishing for bass has its limitations when it comes to lure choices, but there are plenty of old stand bys that always fool some bass. The problem is many anglers have to stay on the move to find that motherlode of bass in deep water. These deep water bass often bunch up on certain, preferred locations during the late fall and early winter periods. Sticking with three lure types will help you narrow down your lure selection when targeting bass in or near deep water.
Worms or other bottom type plastics and jig combos always work here. Deep diving crankbaits or lipless crankbaits are good for covering lots of water fast and for triggering dormant bass to bite. Spinnerbaits, although usually associated with fishing shallow water, are great lure choices for probing deep water hangouts. Some anglers fish heavy 1-2 ounce spinnerbaits on 7 foot rods coupled with 20 pound test monofilament or braided line, fishing with a lift and drop presentation in deep water situations.
So give Lake Eufaula a try this fall and early winter season, you will like the results! Just like years ago big bass still live in the lake just waiting for some lucky (or skilled angler) to discover! Or call on Reeds Guide Service for fishing this lake or any Alabama Lake year round. Be safe, dress warm and always wear your life jacket and outboard motor kill switch...it might just save your life!
Thanks and Good Fishin' !
This report provided by:
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 Years Fishing Alabama for Bass and Stripers"
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Website: www.FISHINGALABAMA.com