Lay Lake is popular for leisure and tournament fishing as well as recreational boating. Located just south of Birmingham, the lake is part of the Coosa River chain and has easy public access for both bank and boat fishing.

The other thing it has lots of? Grass. That’s an advantage for both the fish and the anglers. In the heat of the summer, that’s where fish can be found. Chillin’ in the weeds.

Lay Lake is best known for its spotted bass and largemouth bass fishing. To the north, where there’s more of a river landscape, you’ll find better spotted bass habitat. To the south, there are wide flats and a lot of shallow cover. That’s where the largemouth are more abundant. Crappie and bream are also abundant throughout the lake, amid the woody cover and weed beds of the creeks and shallows. Feeder creeks stretch for miles and are filled with stumps, logs and other cover. These are fine spots for reeling in big catches.

Lay Lake, which is kept at or near full pool year-round, can consistently produce a fishing experience filled with variety and quality catches. Crappie, bream and quality bass can be found here even through the heat of the summer. And, especially in summer, night time fishing is popular here, too. Just as in the daytime, weed-lined banks are hot spots.

Don’t miss the chance to fish this gem of the Alabama Bass Trail. There are nearby accommodations and plenty other activities to enjoy while you’re here. Isn’t it time you hit the trail?