# lake martin?



## wallace1 (Dec 8, 2010)

A couple of my friends are talking about going up there to camp soon so i was wondering whether it would be worth it to bring poles or possibly a kayak? prefer to target bass or catfish. Any advice is welcome. probably fish at night/early if i do go.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Lots of boat traffic, even at night, and great possibility that they will be somewhat impaired. If you yak at night, I would suggest having a strong handheld light and hug the shoreline. Good luck fishing.


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## LRAD (Aug 13, 2009)

Grew up on Lake Martin and still go there all the time. Can be a tough lake to fish, depending on time of year. Normally, the lake is dropping and hot this time of year, and fish are deep and hard to catch. However, this year there has been so much rain in the basin that the lake is still practically full pool, and much cooler than normal. Not sure how that has impacted fishing, but I would think it would be a positive.

I would definitely take poles and kayak. Previous advice about kayaking at night is spot on, though - I personally wouldn't do it on a weekend night, even with a strong light. Too many idiots flying around not paying attention - I don't even get out on a power boat at night much anymore. But, early mornings should be calm even on the weekends, and during the week the lake is almost deserted (especially now that most schools have started back). 

It is a beautiful, deep, clear lake, and it is full of small bass and catfish. You shouldn't have a problem catching something, but chances are it will be small.


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## wallace1 (Dec 8, 2010)

thanks for the replies guys. will post a report when I get back.


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## J Smithers (Jun 27, 2008)

If you're talking about camping at wind creek I would definitely take poles as there are plenty of bass in the lake. There are plenty of good size bass in the lake too. Just look up any tournament result from lake Martin and you will see that it normally takes close to 20# to win a tourney up there. That's much larger weight than the tourneys around here. Good luck


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## wallace1 (Dec 8, 2010)

alright one more question. i was looking at the maps and was thinking about launching in madwind creek instead of by the state park for kayak fishing because its a lot closer to docks which are hopefully lit. decent idea or no? thanks again for the replies guys


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## LRAD (Aug 13, 2009)

Dock lights are becoming more common, but can be few and far between (especially during the week - lots of people will turn theirs off when not at the lake). Also, fishing these lights can be pretty frustrating at times. Often, you can see lots of fish around the lights, but they are often feeding on extremely small, recently hatched minnows that circle the lights. Very difficult to match with any kind of lure, or even live bait. At best, you may catch one or two, but after that they always seem to get really shy for anything big enough to hold a hook. 

Your best bet may be to find brush piles, fallen trees, or rock ledges near drop-offs or points and hit them early in the morning. I have had good luck that way in the past. Later in the day, the fish will typically go deep this time of year. You can catch them, but finding them without a good sounder / local knowledge of the lake bottom can be tough. 

If you really want to get into some action, be on the lookout for stripers hitting on top water early in the morning as well. They are closer to the surface in the winter, but they do come up at times during the summer. There are some big ones out there. Up on that side of the lake you can often get some decent sized catfish as well, though most of the lake is covered up with small squealers.


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## Bass2Pomps (Mar 25, 2010)

Lake Martin is the only place I've caught two bass on one cast using a crankbait. Like the other posts say, most of the fish I've caught there were small. But there's a lot of them.


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## wallace1 (Dec 8, 2010)

hey guys havent been on here in a while but i went and did more camping than fishing. Beautiful lake and the weather cooperated the whole time we were there. Caught some bream on worms near the campsite and tried throwing a crankbait for a little bit but no takers. Thanks again for all the advice.


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