# Lake Martin Green Light Smackdown



## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Last night was warm and still, so Frank (the Googan) and I couldn't come up with a valid excuse to NOT go fish the green lights on Lake Martin. We got on the water around 8:30 PM, and fished until about 3:30 AM this morning. Phew! Yes, I'm near death, and I think the wife is calling the family in.
The lake was beautiful and quiet and still, and Frank said he couldn't remember seeing the stars on the water like they were last night. The only sounds were a few Canadas honking, and a pack of coyotes in the distance. The lake is still not at full pool, so there weren't many green lights glowing, but we did find three lights, and they were all loaded with fish!
We picked away at them, and finished with 33 fish in the box! Can you say "Fish fry!"
17 crappie - five of them 14" or better
10 Spotted bass - 19" was the biggest
4 dink stripers
1 Flathead cat 23"
1 stud bluegill

The stripers and most of the bass came on 1/4 oz jigs or crankbaits, and the bream, flathead, and crappie came on 1/16 oz grubs (Monkey Milk).

Bigtime fun. Bigtime worn out.


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## stc1993 (Nov 23, 2014)

I think those are hybrid bass instead of stripers.

That's a good stringer of fish. I love those crappie they're some good eatin fish.


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## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

Yeeee doggy!! Now that's a mess 'o fish. Thanks for sharing.


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## Fielro (Jun 4, 2012)

Nice mess of fish. Congrats


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

Dang ! :thumbup:


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## bowfisher91 (Feb 19, 2008)

dang nice report!


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

Awesome! Bet that was fun


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## WAReilly (Jun 2, 2014)

Daaaaaaaang.....


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## TeaSea (Sep 28, 2013)

Man, don't you just love those magical nights on the lake? Makes up for the windy, rainy, choppy, miserable nights when you can't buy a bite.:yes:


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Nice mess of fish!

Look like regular ole stripers to me.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

TeaSea said:


> Man, don't you just love those magical nights on the lake? Makes up for the windy, rainy, choppy, miserable nights when you can't buy a bite.:yes:


For this time of year, it was unusual to say the least. I doubt I would have gone if it was windy. My old 65 YO self was quite comfortable all night. 28 YO Frank was merciful and sympathetic driving the boat, and idled from spot to spot. And working a little crappie jig deep, and detecting their light taps is soooo much easier with no wind.

Probably should have titled this thread "Stars on the Water". :yes:


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

MrFish said:


> Nice mess of fish!
> 
> Look like regular ole stripers to me.


They are stripers, just small ones, but I can see how they would be mistaken from the pictures.

At one point, Frank and I were both hooked up to stripers, and his went my way, and mine went his way, crossing lines, etc. In good light it would have been bad enough, but on a moonless night, and trying not to "spook the light", it was a fiasco indeed. My fish was close to 15 lbs and spit the hook 5 ft. from the net. Frank got his. I was secretly relieved because we didn't have any room in the box for him!


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## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

You weren't kidding when you titled it "Smackdown." A++ report as usual from you sir!


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## jack2 (Mar 19, 2010)

those crappie look like they're full of eggs. nice mess of fish.
usually the stripes have straight lines with no breaks in the line and the hybrid bass (which looks almost identical) have broken lines almost like dots on the fish. 

jack


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

jack2 said:


> those crappie look like they're full of eggs. nice mess of fish.
> usually the stripes have straight lines with no breaks in the line and the hybrid bass (which looks almost identical) have broken lines almost like dots on the fish.
> 
> jack


Jack, with all due respect, the broken line identification is not a good indicator of whether or not it's a purebred striper or a hybrid. I'm an old washed-up ex striper guide, and can usually tell at a glance if it's a hybrid or not. I, too, used to believe the broken-line thing about IDing stripers.
The pics below are true stripers, but as you can see, they have broken lines.


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## Piercfh (Aug 26, 2013)

Tamato, tomato, stripes, broken stripes, in the end it they'll all make the same turd. 

Spring is just getting started. More to come!

Possum Cod! Don't give away all our tricks. I like posts titled "somewhere on the Tallapoosa" a lot better!


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## jack2 (Mar 19, 2010)

Bodupp said:


> Jack, with all due respect, the broken line identification is not a good indicator of whether or not it's a purebred striper or a hybrid. I'm an old washed-up ex striper guide, and can usually tell at a glance if it's a hybrid or not. I, too, used to believe the broken-line thing about IDing stripers.
> The pics below are true stripers, but as you can see, they have broken lines.


yep, it is kinda hard to tell the difference unless, like you say, you see them a lot and can compare when you catch them. the hybrids that i have caught at jones bluff lock and dam have no distinct line, just a lot of broken lines and dots. your pics of stripers are what i used to catch also. i would call them striper, also. 

jack


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## jack2 (Mar 19, 2010)

bodupp,
what kinda bait you use? crawfish this time of the year is killer on stripers at the dam.

jack


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

jack2 said:


> bodupp,
> what kinda bait you use? crawfish this time of the year is killer on stripers at the dam.
> 
> jack


We use the biggest gizzard shad we can find. I have caught stripers that were chock full of crawfish, but have never used them, mostly because I don't have a ready supply of them. Bet you get some nice catfish on them at Jones Bluff.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Piercfh said:


> Tamato, tomato, stripes, broken stripes, in the end it they'll all make the same turd.
> 
> Spring is just getting started. More to come!
> 
> Possum Cod! Don't give away all our tricks. I like posts titled "somewhere on the Tallapoosa" a lot better!


Googan! I was wondering when you would come on here and fuss at me.

And there you go, giving away our secret beer.


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## FlounderMan (Oct 24, 2007)

This is encouraging we will be heading to lake martin in a couple weeks for a 7 day fishing trip. Were did you get the gizzards?


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

FlounderMan said:


> This is encouraging we will be heading to lake martin in a couple weeks for a 7 day fishing trip. Were did you get the gizzards?


We normally castnet them in 5 ft of water or less, in the back of creeks. The more stained the creek, the better. Shad love pollution.

Elkahatchee Creek should be full of them.


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## FlounderMan (Oct 24, 2007)

Bodupp said:


> We normally castnet them in 5 ft of water or less, in the back of creeks. The more stained the creek, the better. Shad love pollution.
> 
> Elkahatchee Creek should be full of them.


Thanks for the info. We usually stay up on the north end of the lake and I have fished the elkahatchee. This time we are staying on the lower end of he lake close to Niffers off of 49. Gonna be a 20 mile run to make it up there. 

You guys ever fish the lower end of the lake?


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

I rarely fish Martin except this time of year, and then it's only at night to get crappie for the freezer. Those striper pics were for the broken-line thing, and they were caught in the river below Martin.


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## Bbagwell (Mar 10, 2010)

Nice mess!! If you dont mind me asking, what color jigs yall get the crappie on? I'll be up there next week with my son and nephew (they are 7 and 9) and would love for them to get into a few like that.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Bbagwell said:


> Nice mess!! If you dont mind me asking, what color jigs yall get the crappie on? I'll be up there next week with my son and nephew (they are 7 and 9) and would love for them to get into a few like that.



He gives it away in the original post "monkey milk" which looks kinda like "blue Jon" ....... Which is another name for skim milk. - dang! Crappie jig colors are complicated!!
Nice mess. Did yall leave the dock owners a tip?


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Try'n Hard said:


> He gives it away in the original post "monkey milk" which looks kinda like "blue Jon" ....... Which is another name for skim milk. - dang! Crappie jig colors are complicated!!
> Nice mess. Did yall leave the dock owners a tip?


If we had seen them, probably so. We fished mid-week and didn't see anyone. Most of the crappie didn't bite until after midnight, so we tried to be respectful and quiet so they wouldn't turn the light off or turn the dogs loose or start shooting - stuff like that. :no:


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