JORDAN LAKE
Tops For Spots
"Anytime you talk about the better bass lakes in Alabama, you have to mention Jordan Lake," Abernathy asserted. "It has been just amazingly consistent, and there are some absolutely huge spots coming out of it."

This 6,800-acre impoundment on the Coosa River 25 miles north of Montgomery is considered by many to be the top spotted bass lake in Alabama. It ranked No. 4 in overall quality in the 2007 B.A.I.T. report, winning high marks for angler success, average bass weight and pounds per angler per day.

"It's not a good summertime lake," Abernathy conceded, "but it's really good in cool weather."

The lake has a lot of humps, ledges and other open-water structure that holds bass. Shaky-head worms are preferred baits. "When you can put it all together and the bass are aggressive, it's something else," the biologist noted.

And when the bass are really aggressive, an angler can pick up fish on topwater baits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and just about anything else. "I fish there a lot myself," Abernathy said. "I really like it."

The spots go deep in the summer, he explained, and that's why it's not quite as good then. But Abernathy still sees locals catching fish at that time. "A lot of the fish that time of year come off brushpiles that have been placed in deep water for the bass," he said.

PICKWICK LAKE
More Than You Think
Though long reputed to be an outstanding smallmouth lake -- particularly in the upper end at the tailwater of Wilson Dam -- there's much more to this waterway in the state's northwestern corner in Abernathy's view. "It's also an excellent largemouth fishery," he pointed out.

The 2007 B.A.I.T. report ranked Pickwick No. 2 in the state in overall quality and gave it high marks for average bass weight, bass per day, pounds per angler per day and hours per bass over 5 pounds.

While granting that it's an unscientific opinion, Abernathy asserted that grass has come into Pickwick, and, he thinks, that has helped the largemouth fishery. "Coffee Slough is a good example," he said. "There's lots of grass in there." He doesn't think it's just a coincidence that Pickwick's quality ranking has improved as the grass has shown up; he also noted that it goes hand-in-hand with the strong fishing on Guntersville, since both are Tennessee River impoundments.

"We've been doing the B.A.I.T. reports since 1986," the biologist said. "What we often see is that as the fishing quality improves, it improves by river system, not just by impoundment. When Wilson, Wheeler, Pickwick and Guntersville change in terms of quality, they tend to change together."

LEWIS SMITH LAKE
Up & Coming
What would a summary of the best bass lakes in Alabama be without mentioning at least one up-and-coming lake? One such, in Abernathy's view, is Smith Lake, the deep Cullman County reservoir covering 21,200 acres on the Sipsey River.

"The bass fishing has really improved at this lake," he remarked. "It's almost ridiculous the reports we're getting. It really shows what a slot limit can do in the right situation."

Smith is considered an infertile system, Abernathy explained, and in such waters the fish don't grow as fast. It's easy for a lot of smallish fish to stack up in the population.