# Tallapoosa River report



## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

I decided to pry my old retired ass out of my chair and give the striped bass hell one more time. "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

This was gonna be a solo trip, so I had to program myself on the ride to the river to be careful, since my mental clutch has been slipping lately. Caught plenty of quality shad in about 15 throws of the net. Sometimes takes an hour, so I was happy. Ran straight to Martin Dam where they were running all but one turbine, and ran right up into "the boils". I gave them a chance to tell me no, and they did. I was kinda relieved cause that's some tricky boat handling/fishing up there. I saw a splash in a pocket of eddy water and threw my now-dead shad at it and snobbled it. Hooked up to a 4# largemouth and released it. Threw a live shad in the same place and caught a 10# striper. Kept working that place and got one more striper and a 2 1/2# spot

Never leave fish to find fish - but I did. It was a little too hectic up there, so I put out a couple lines in rod holders and drifted merrily, merrily downstream. I made it to a place I call "the Canyon", and got hammered on the port rod. Big fish. After much falderal, I lipped a 20+# skinny striper. It had the frame of a 25#, but appeared to be underfed - unlike me. I took one more 13# fish from the canyon, then headed downriver pulling a three line spread - two flatlines and one sideplaner. I got another 4# largemouth when my planer line got too close to a stump row, and ended the day after dark with a 12# striper at a place I call "Redemption Point".

I pointed the boat toward the ramp and put it in a fast idle under an amazing sky of stars. I remember pointing out the Big Dipper to my wife when she was with me up there. She said, "Wow. I've never seen it this close."

Tally for the day: 5 stripers, 2 largemouth, one spotted bass, 4 beers - all released or dribbled back into the river.


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## tkh329 (Mar 14, 2012)

Bodupp said:


> I decided to pry my old retired ass out of my chair and give the striped bass hell one more time. "Get busy living, or get busy dying."
> 
> This was gonna be a solo trip, so I had to program myself on the ride to the river to be careful, since my mental clutch has been slipping lately. Caught plenty of quality shad in about 15 throws of the net. Sometimes takes an hour, so I was happy. Ran straight to Martin Dam where they were running all but one turbine, and ran right up into "the boils". I gave them a chance to tell me no, and they did. I was kinda relieved cause that's some tricky boat handling/fishing up there. I saw a splash in a pocket of eddy water and threw my now-dead shad at it and snobbled it. Hooked up to a 4# largemouth and released it. Threw a live shad in the same place and caught a 10# striper. Kept working that place and got one more striper and a 2 1/2# spot
> 
> ...


Great catches and I really enjoyed the post. Thanks for sharing.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Glad you enjoyed it. That was two days ago, and I'm just now getting over it.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Good report. I am now TOTALLY disgusted. I've lived in Montgomery my whole life and have been trying to figure out how to catch stripers. I caught one 5# accidentally and my wife caught four or five 1#'s one day while drowning chicken livers for catfish.

I cant tell you how many $$$ worth of tackle is at the bottom of Jordan dam that I have left there. haha


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

NoMoSurf said:


> Good report. I am now TOTALLY disgusted. I've lived in Montgomery my whole life and have been trying to figure out how to catch stripers. I caught one 5# accidentally and my wife caught four or five 1#'s one day while drowning chicken livers for catfish.
> 
> I cant tell you how many $$$ worth of tackle is at the bottom of Jordan dam that I have left there. haha


NoMo, I used to guide a little on Yates. It's basically about putting shad in harm's way. IMHO, live shad increases your odds 400-500% over artificials.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Yeah, that's what I hear. Never been able to find shad. Not ones any bigger than about an inch long. I fish on or below Jordan 90% of the time. I see a few larger ones jump here and there. But never seen a school that was cast netable. So I am usually throwing spoons, bucktails or some sort of shad pattern crank or jerk baits...

I hooked two 1-2lb ones last night on a silver roostertail, but they both got off after only a couple of seconds fight.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

NoMoSurf said:


> Yeah, that's what I hear. Never been able to find shad. Not ones any bigger than about an inch long. I fish on or below Jordan 90% of the time. I see a few larger ones jump here and there. But never seen a school that was cast netable. So I am usually throwing spoons, bucktails or some sort of shad pattern crank or jerk baits...
> 
> I hooked two 1-2lb ones last night on a silver roostertail, but they both got off after only a couple of seconds fight.


IMHO, the water below Jordan is too warm for true stripers right now. Hybrids will be there since they're more tolerant of the heat. The true saltwater stripers have probably gone down to Ft. Toulouse and entered the colder Tallapoosa. Even the normally cold water coming out of Martin felt warm the other night. So much rain this year has caused the Power Co. to flush all the cold water reserve out of Martin. Could be bad for Martin's striped bass population.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Great report and fun read


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Bodupp said:


> IMHO, the water below Jordan is too warm for true stripers right now. Hybrids will be there since they're more tolerant of the heat. The true saltwater stripers have probably gone down to Ft. Toulouse and entered the colder Tallapoosa. Even the normally cold water coming out of Martin felt warm the other night. So much rain this year has caused the Power Co. to flush all the cold water reserve out of Martin. Could be bad for Martin's striped bass population.


Yeah, I was worried about that too. Usually, the water running out of Jordan is pretty cool. Not as cold as Martin. But the water hat Jordan is downright warm. Thursday night the water was 84 degrees!!!! Little 1-2lb stripe/hybrids were hitting the surface though. Right after sundown.


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