August 2019 Weiss Lake Bass
with Hadyen Marbut
Rocks, docks, grass and bass. Lake Weiss is full of all four. Fish the first three in August for a good catch of spots and largemouth.
Weiss is a 30,200-acre Alabama Power Lake on the Coosa River. A small part of the upper Coosa is in Georgia, but an Alabama fishing license is required on most of it. The small mountains surround it will fool you as you drive to it the first time. The lake is flat and shallow, with huge stump filled flats except for the area near the dam.
The 447 miles of shoreline has rocky banks with seawalls and docks in some areas and flat banks with shallow grassbeds and docks in others. The lake has long been known at the Crappie Capitol of the World, but the same conditions that produce quality crappie fishing also produces good populations of Coosa spots and big largemouth.
Hayden Marbut is a rising junior at Xavier High School in Birmingham and has been on the fishing team the past two years. He is considering transferring to Briarwood Academy this year where Curtis Gossett is the fishing team coach. Weiss is his favorite lake.
Hayden’s father, Brian, grew up 15 minutes from Weiss in Hokes Bluff and has been fishing Weiss all his life. He had taught Hayden how to catch bass there under all conditions. Hot summer fishing can be tough on any lake, but Weiss produces good bass all summer.
This year, Hayden and his partner won the High School King of the Coosa tournament on Weiss and they came in third at the ASABSA tournament at Pickwick with 17.38 pounds, so his skills on Weiss transfer to other lakes.
“Weiss has a lot of big spots you can catch early around seawalls and rocks,” Hayden said. Grassbeds produce good largemouth early, too. After the sun gets on the water the most consistent way to catch largemouth and some spots is to fish docks.
Fishing deep ledges and points is also good in August, especially if water is moving. But the most consistent fishing is getting your bait in the shade under docks, and there are plenty of them to fish on Weiss.
For August, Hayden will have a Spook and a buzzbait tied on for early fishing around rocks. A frog works best in the many water willow grass beds for largemouth. For dock fishing, a jig and pig, Texas rig or shaky head is his choice. He also has a Carolina rig and drop shot ready for trying for deeper fish.
We fished the following places in late June and the fishing was slow. It was hot and no moving water or breeze helped us out. But Hayden landed seven or eight keepers, including a 5.92 pound largemouth and a three-pound spot. His best five weighed 13 to 14 pounds, a good catch under tough conditions.
1. N 34 11.348 – W 85 42.368 – Going upstream from Bay Spring, the upstream point of the second cove is a good rocky one that drops into deeper water. It is a round point with a cement seawall and there are natural rock under the water. It is a good place to start first thing in the morning.
Fish around the point, then jump across to the next one upstream. It and the next one above it are all good and they get morning shade, keeping bass up shallow later in the day.
Hayden get in fairly close to the point and cast right to the seawall ahead of the boat, working his bait back at an angle to keep it in close. His first choice is a big bone Spook, spots seem to hate it. He twitches it back with a walk-the-dog zigzag action until it is near the boat.
A buzzbait is another good choice for fishing places like this. Cast it against the seawall, try to actually hit it, and buzz it back at an angle to the boat. Casts close to the bank are important since big spots will often seem to keep their nose against it and grab it as soon as it hits the water.
2. N 34 14.231 – W 85 39.757 – Go into Little River behind Hog Island. If you are careful, you can go through the “Cut Through” on the downstream side of it but the channel goes in upstream of it and is safer. Where the river narrows there are three islands on the left. A green channel marker without a number is on a post off them, marking where the old river channel swings to that side.
The lip of this channel for 200 yards on either side of the marker is a good summer ledge. It drops from six to 25 feet deep and there are stumps and rocks on it. Hayden will keep the boat in 22 feet of water and cast up on the top of the ledge and work it. If you have time it is worth fishing the whole section or you can ride it with good electronics to look for fish.
Cast a Carolina rigged Old Monster or big lizard in black or plum tied about 30 inches behind a three-quarter ounce sinker and drag it until it falls off the ledge. Do the same with drop shot or jig and pig. Current really helps here as does some wind moving water across it.
3. N 34 14.217 – W 85 38.689 – Go to the double cove at Little River Marina (the old JR Marina) and fish the docks in both pockets. Tournaments held here constantly “restock” the area, making the coves a high concentration place for bass.
Hayden especially likes old docks, those falling down into water seem to be bass magnets. Docks on small points are also high value targets as are those with lights and pole holders, indicting possible brush piles. Pitch a jig and pig, shaky head worm or Texas rigged creature bait to each dock.
Watch for angles and shade lines. Work each pole on each dock. Pay attention to where you get bit, bass in an area will often set up on the same places on other docks. Hayden likes a black and blue Dirty Jigs Finesse Jig with a matching Rage Craw on it.
4. N 34 13.806 – W 85 38.821 – Going out past the marina, on your left on the downstream point of the cove, an old roadbed runs off the bank and old bridge rubble is on it. The roadbed runs out from a clay point with a pine tree on the end of it.
Keep your boat in 25 feet of water and cast up on top of the road about five feet deep. Probe for the rubble and rough stuff on it, it is a fairly small area. Work your Carolina rig, drop shot and jig and pig through the cover. Hayden fishes an Aaron’s Magic Robo worm about a foot above a three eights ounce sinker on his drop shot.
5. N 34 12.965 – W 85 36.477 – Run up under the causeway to the ramp at Weiss Mart on the left just upstream of the main bridge. This is a similar place to hole three, with a marina that has tournament released fish around it. Fish from the boat ramp all the way around the cove, working every dock. Also hit the ramp, Hayden says he never passes up a boat ramp.
Hayden caught several bass in this cove, including a 5.92 pound largemouth and a three-pound spot. He works each dock carefully and will come back to prime docks since they often reload quickly. The big largemouth hit the second time we fished that dock.
Wind blowing into docks makes them better but harder to fish. If the wind is blowing, fish into it for better boat control. Like the coves at Little River Marina, this cove has a channel in it. Coves with ditches or channels giving bass a “highway” are much better than flat coves.
6. N 34 11.190 – W 85 37.148 – Go across to the right side of the lake above the causeway. The old river channel runs along this bank so it drops off fast. The docks from the causeway upstream are all good.
Current moving under the docks makes them much better, as does some wind. Work against both if you can for better boat control, giving you more time to pick them apart.
Pitch a jig and pig, Texas rig or shaky head to them. Hayden rigs a natural blue or green pumpkin finesse worm on a one quarter ounce head and tries to hit ever post until he finds a pattern. Outside post are often better and it is easier to land fish that hit on them but cast into the deepest shade you can hit with your baits, too.
7. N 24 11.521 – W 85 37.685 – Go back to the causeway and fish the small bridge and riprap closest to the left bank going downstream. If there is any current the bridge concentrates it and turns on the fish.
Hayden will fish all the rocks as well as the pilings under the bridge and shade lines from it. Both spots and largemouth set up facing up current here so position your boat so you cast up the current and your bait moves back naturally with it. A drop shot and shaky head work well for this but a small crankbait, worked slowly with the current, will catch fish, too. Make multiple casts to any spot you catch a bass; others are likely to set up there.
8. N 34 11.433 – W 85 39.504 – Going down the left side of the lake, two small islands sit off the bank just upstream of Little Hog Nose Creek. They are surrounded by water willow grass beds where bass feed. Early and late in the day are the best time to fish them, but bass will feed in them all during the day.
Start on the upstream point of the upstream island and cast your Spook, buzzbait and a frog through the grass. A bluegill color Spro Popping Frog will allow you to fish the thickest grass. Work the buzzbait and Spook along the edge and in cuts in the grass. A silver blade Big Bite Baits Buzz with a Suicide Shad on it is his choice for buzzbaits. Points on the grass are especially good.
9. N 34 11.859 – W 85 40.101 – Out in the middle of the lake, straight between Little Nose Creek and Hog Island, green channel marker 20 sits on a good channel ledge. You can not safely run from hole 8 to it, you should go upstream and follow the channel around to it.
The top of the ledge is ten to 12 feet deep and drops into 25 feet of water. There are stumps and rocks on it that hold bass, and the area right at the marker is very rough.
Keep your boat in 25 feet of water and cast jig nd pig, shaky head and drop shot up on the ledge, dragging all three back and letting them fall. Keep an eye on your electronics and fish your drop shot worm vertically when you see fish directly under your boat.
As in other places, current really turns on the fish here, making them feed, and wind blowing across it helps, too. Cast your baits up current for a natural action since current moves baitfish across the drop and bass expect food to be coming in that direction.
10. N 34 11.932 – W 85 41.534 – The lake narrows down where Yellow Creek enters on the right going downstream. Red channel marker 14 sits off the left point of the main river going downstream and there is a small island downstream of the point. Docks along this bank are good.
Start at the first green roof dock and fish all the way down to the yellow boat house at the end of the line of docks. There is 18 feet of water not far off the docks and bass move from deep water to feed shallow around them. The pilings, shade and some brush piles all attract bass.
Current helps here and if it is moving, or if the wind is blowing, start at the end of the line of docks that gives you the best boat control. Cast jig and pig, shaky head and Texas rig to them. Hayden lets his bait fall straight down. When it hits bottom, he shakes it a little then reels in for another cast.
These places were holding bass in late June, with some quality fish on them, and will be better now. Give them a try to see the kind of places you can catch summer spots and largemouth on Lake Weiss
Do you find these Map of the Month articles helpful? If so visit http://fishing-about.com/keys-to-catching-georgia-bass-ebook-series/ – you can get an eBook or CD with an article for each month of the year on Clarks Hill and Lanier.