I love the setup of neely and it's close to me, I just can't figure the fish out there. Like I said I'm not a tournament fisher, just starting out and I just want to catch fish. That's why I go to logan,90% of the time I can at least catch 10 but on neely I'm just looking for one fish so I don't get skunked that day. I normally put in at daylight and fish till about lunch and it's brutal going and not catching them trying everything. Maybe this year will be different.

Makes sense, that's sorta my feelings about Logan. I know the whole place, nothing is ever new and exciting.

Headed to neely tomorrow putting in at rainbow landing! Anything particular I need to be looking?

Haven't been to Neely, but I'd be going SHALLOW. I fished Logan yesterday afternoon (and last Saturday) and the fish were way off the main river, and I mean trolling motor stirring up mud shallow. I caught a 4+ and some 2+ largemouths yesterday that couldn't have been 18" deep, and they were 100 yards from any remotely deep water. Oddly enough, the water on the main river and bigger creeks was 53+ yesterday, and the water was only 51+ in the backs of those pockets, but that's where all the bait and bass were. I caught fish on rock, wood, and clean hard dirt.

Thanks ikillbux I was hoping you would chime in on Neely! You can pm me some of your honey hole coordinates lol just jk

If I had gone to Neely this morning I would probably have started my day with a swim jig. I would also have a jerkbait and a lipless crankbait on my deck. I really want to focus my efforts on Lay Lake this spring. I can't say exactly why I'm so interested in Lay, but I do know that I'm ready to look at something different.

Threw a bunch of diff stuff at em today but only got 1 bite! Never found any water warmer than 48.3 maybe next week will be bttr.

55 is optimum as far as them moving shallow to spawn. They should be active at 48. You just need to fish vertical areas. Riprap with a slow retrieve on a crankbait. Bluffs with a jig. Shaky head on bridge pilings. Just remember in the winter to fish vertical areas where the fish can make the most depth change without moving hundreds of yards.

Prespawn
Early spring is one of the easiest times to catch largemouth bass. They will start to move up from deep water when the water temperature starts climbing above the 45 degree mark. Keep an eye on the weather. Warm rain warms up a lake faster than air temperature. Generally you will find largemouths in 2 - 12 feet of water. Start fishing for bass in the early spring in the Northwest corner of the lake or reservoir, where the water temperature will be slightly warmer than elsewhere on the lake. Concentrate on outside structure off spawning flats (points, logs, humps, rocks etc.).

I fished Lay more last year than I had in the past few years put together, did pretty good, but was really just junk fishing and got lucky a little bit. We just went down there fun fishing in May (or June?), then our club fished it scheduled in July, then it was drawn from a hat for our Classic again in October, then I fished an "open" tournament there in November. One of my funner memories from this past year was on Lay.... I didn't even catch the fish, but I had what looked like a 6-7-8 pounder DESTROY a buzzbait on back to back casts and never hook up. Well actually it toilet flushed the buzzbait first cast, but missed it. I immediately picked up a wacky worm and threw back in there a couple of times, nothing. Picked that buzzbait back up and made another cast and I'll be dang if she didn't flush it again and still miss. I guess she got smart that time.

We're headed to Wedowee after church/lunch this afternoon.... ought to be good.

Neely is my home lake, I practically live on it, but that doesn't mean I don't get skunked. Logan is a more consistent lake in my opinion whereas Neely can be good when the fish are on, but you can get skunked in less than 24 hrs after a good catch.

Yeah I'm ready to get back into fishing.. I'm done hunting for the year

That may be the best quote about Neely I have heard in a long time!

Neely was a lot better before they cut the timber out. The timber was great for crappie and bass if you knew how to fish them, plus it slowed the weekenders down and kept them away from most of the good fishing areas. Since it has been cut there are no off limits to where they go

Only real men be fishing today🎣🎣🎣🎣

I woulda been, but came down with the flu starting last Saturday evening, and I STILL feel like trash. I wouldn't wish this stuff on a demon.

Think of Neely henry as a Brittany Spears kinda lake.....you wanna hit it but it never works out.....

I've been through it too, that was awful! I need a fishing break.