Fishing below Logan Martin dam

How's the fishing there? Wanting to to go but heard there's some huge rocks to watch out for. Anybody with experience have any advice or suggestions? Thanks.

There are large rocks,but just look for the Grey herrings standing on them under the water. You may not see the rocks but you want miss the birds.It was the craziest thing I had ever saw the first time behind d the dam.

I have started fishing the dam this year. I will not go up there with less than 2 turbines running. With 2 on it I am comfortable fishing all over up there but when they say it will go from 2 to 1 at X time. You better be paying attention cause there is no siren the water just suddenly drops 3 ft. If the turned water completely off you could get stuck up there if you were in the wrong section.

My suggestion would be put in at glover park, idle to the dam when the water is off and mark as many rocks and bars as possible so you know what areas to avoid.

Fishing is awesome though!

Is there a turbine schedule or is it random?

1800lakes11 is the number
Press 2 for the Coosa
Select 3 for Logan martin dam
Then press 2 for generation schedule.

Thank you

Pm me any questions you may have. Remember you must wear a pfd by the dam at all times and the swift water is dangerous. Be careful!

We used a Flat bottom alum boat with tiller steering and a friend to drop anchor.
Looking at the damn go far right. Go SLOW, When you get close to the earthen part start toward the flood gates slowly. when the concrete starts there is a wall and the water is very shallow. Once you passed this there is an underwater rock wall it gets deeper. This is normally a big open area that we set up in and cast toward the tubulance with buck tailed jigs, bone colored stick baits and plastic swim baits.
Drive up one day and park in the parking lot and take pictures and you can see a lot of the places not to be and the other boats that are anchored.
USE A QUICK disconnect anchor rope with a buoy to mark it in case you have to chase a fish.
YEMV, go at your own risk!

we always used a quick disconnect and a bouy on the anchor line so we could chase big stripes and get back on anchor quickly.

we used to fish at night, no turbines running. Trolling motor from downstream into the shallow rocks fishing a floating minnow slow reeled right on the surface. Stripes and BIG spots.....

Is it little up from lights on the dam at night or is it pretty dark? Most of them I have been too are lit up a bit but never been to LMD at night?

Ben, we are several hundred yards below the dam itself, pretty dark there. Damn surprise when one of those big stripes blasts that topwater with six feet of line out.....

We used to fish above the damn in winter, caught a LOT of spots and stripe including a 25# stripe on a fly rod, right at the damn face water intake.

When I was younger we would fish below the dam at night/real early mornings, usually in the colder months and use a Big Redfin topwater minnow. The "V" wake that thing would make drove those stripes crazy. Caught a 12 lb. hybrid like that before daylight once from the bank on the opposite side of the fishing platform. Combat fishing. Good times.

Ain't no fish up there

You are right used to be but they are gone now

I went and looked off the pier today. It scared me to death even thinking about putting a boat in there unless the water is way high, and I mean high. If it was that high though it would probably be too turbulent for me.

Tailrace fishing isn't for everybody. Theres good fishing below Guntersville when there are 10-15 floodgates open, but not just anybody will go up there. When the water is running that fast up there, there is a backflow in front of the gates. It will actually pull you up toward the gates, so your engine better be top notch, a really good backup trolling motor, hot batteries and being very aware of your situation is a must.

if you were there around 3:30 then you saw me run up in there about 3/4 throttle. If you learn the water with your trolling motor with no turbines running then you can run a boat in there pretty safely. I have a few areas where I will not go when the water is running. I may make a pic.

I've made a map somewhat but this forum forces you to use photo bucket and it's not acting right. Maybe one day aldeer will get with the rest of the world to where you load a pic directly from your phone. Maybe Yall will get to see the pic.

It can definitely be dangerous but the water literally raises 3 ft or so for each turbine that is running so 90% of what you saw will be under 4 or so ft of water with 2 gates open.

Never go inside the red area with turbines running, be very careful in the yellow area with one turbine running, until you know the water and rocks very well I wouldn't attempt going into the yellow area on the left. Never run your outboard in the blue areas with only 1 turbine running. Never get caught in the purple area when they turn the turbines off, you will be stuck there until they turn the turbines back on. The water will try to suck you into the purple area when they turn the turbines off and you are within about 20 yards of it, there is a concrete wall that sticks 6 inches out of the water with the turbines off but most of the time you can't see it with the turbines running unless the water is really clear and most likely won't hit it with your outboard.

^^^^ good info here

Thanks. Very helpful.

Mitchell Dam (lake jordan) is much easier to fish/navigate and about the same distance from vestavia. Bankhead dam as well just fyi

What is the water temperature coming out of the dam when they are generating right now? I have been fishing downstream from there catching a few but have yet to run up too the dam. I used to read some reports years ago from a guide named Charles Henry that really caught them good up there. He passed away though. I have a inboard jet boat and a 7/16 thick hull so the rocks won't be so bad for me.

I fished a couple times with Charles. He was a hell of a fisherman.

I looked at my temp gauge around glovers ferry yesterday and it was at 79-80

That's to hot for the big ones. I'm going up to the Cumberland river this weekend. I hope we get on some big ones.

Good luck, Ive always wanted to go to the Cumberland river.

turbine is broke at Bankhead so all the current you get there is the flood gates. Don't think Ala power is going to repair it either.

There are tons of rocks and no fish .shut you're pie tfd1224

who the hell you think you are telling me to shut my mouth. I put a map on here so my friends on here don't get hurt or killed. Great first post by the way.

North end of the left yellow area is where I've caught most of my fish. Just outside of the big rock.

Set your pocket knife out beside your anchor rope. I know a guy that had to crank up and go over to another guys boat, and cut his anchor rope. Another turbine came on and the guys anchor was hung on a rock. Poor guy didn't know what to do when the water was getting higher. So he sat there and held onto his seat. Lol...

Found this on alabama powers Web site and they have one for every dam. Found it helpful.

Just above #8 is where most of the fish are.

Bump for Beadelscomb.

Different dam I believe