The
Alabama Bass Trail
Eleven waterways make up the first-in-the-nation ‘fishing destination’ By John N. Felsher
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first of its type in the nation, the Alabama Bass Trail features 11 of the best fishing waters in the state, promoting them much like what the Robert Trent Jones Trail does for golf. On March 8, Gov. Robert Bentley announced the new tourism, conservation and education initiative to create a partnership between his office, the Alabama Tourism Department, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association to increase fishing in Alabama. The designated waters include Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lay Lake, Lake Jordan, Lake Eufaula, the Alabama River and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. “To my knowledge, Alabama is the first state to organize such a fishing trail,” says Kay Donaldson, Alabama Bass Trail program director. “Our purpose is to promote Alabama as a
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fishing destination. With a mild climate, mineral rich reservoirs, affordable lodging and dining, as well as public access to boat ramps and marinas, Alabama is a year-round destination for anglers from across the country. “More than $700 million is spent on freshwater fishing in Alabama annually. We hope to increase that through increasing fishing tourism in Alabama.” The 11 waterways in the system will hold more than 150 fishing events this year alone, Donaldson says. In all, these lakes provide anglers with more than 315,500 acres of water, not including the 318-mile long Alabama River, the more than 250,000 acres of wetlands in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta or major tributaries feeding these lakes. The selected waters offer anglers every type of bass habitat found in Alabama from rocky mountain lakes to weedy reservoirs, to flowing rivers to tidal brackish marshes. “We’ve selected 11 of the top bass waters in the state,”
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