Dubbed the “Bass Capital of the World,” Lake Eufaula ranked among the top bass lakes in the nation since it opened in 1962.
Officially named Walter F. George Reservoir, the impoundment covers 45,181 acres along the Chattahoochee River and spans part of the Alabama-Georgia border. Over the years, Eufaula has produced many double-digit largemouth, including some exceeding 12 pounds. The lake offers anglers about 640 shoreline miles.
“The lake is our best asset,” said Jack Tibbs, Eufaula mayor and owner of Strikezone Lures (Strikezonelure.com), who regularly fishes the impoundment. “Lakepoint State Park is a world class facility for hosting fishing tournaments.”
Lakepoint State Park sits on Cowikee Creek. Many bass tournaments release their fish there. Try fishing the stumpy flats in the morning and hit holes later in the day with deep-diving crankbaits, jigs, Carolina rigs and Texas-rigged plastics. Some holes in the creek drop to more than 30 feet deep.
Not far from where Cowikee Creek enters the main channel, depths near Bird Island plunge to about 60 feet deep. The nearby Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge spreads across 11,184 acres on both sides of the river, including 4,000 acres of lake surface. The waters around Bird Island commonly hold good baitfish schools. When the wind comes out of the west, the Bradley Unit on the refuge offers good protection and can produce big bass.
Where to fish
Above Lakepoint, the lake narrows and turns more riverine. Across the river from Cowikee, Wylaunee Creek, Bustahatchee and Rood Creeks produce good fish. South of Lakepoint, fish the Old Creek Town area, which contains numerous small ditches and stump fields. Also try Reeves Branch. When the impoundment filled, it absorbed an old farm pond. White Oak Creek also offers good action with big stump fields near the main river, a good place for cranking and jigging.
About 25 miles downriver from Lakepoint, deep bluffs near the causeway or the riprap near the dam hold bass. The Sandy Branch and Pataula Creek, the largest tributary on the Georgia side just north of the dam, hold fish. On the Alabama side, fish Hardridge Creek, Thomas Mill, Barbour, Chewalla and Chenyhatchee creeks.
The riverine impoundment holds an abundant shad population. Threadfin shad spawn in late spring or early summer and again in the fall. A row of wading birds, like egrets and herons, gathered in one place means they anticipate a shad spawn.
“Those birds are the best fishermen on the lake,” Tibbs said. “They are there because the shad are there. If the shad are there, the bass will be there for one reason, to eat! Throw a spinnerbait or a swim jig. I also like to throw white frogs and poppers around the grass.”
Plenty of docks
All around the lake, anglers find many docks. These docks provide outstanding cover for big bass. Like standing timber, pilings create structures from the surface to the bottom.
“An angler can’t go wrong throwing a jig at docks any time on Lake Eufaula,” Tibbs said. “Bass will come to those dock poles and sit next to them. Take a square-bill crankbait or a jig and bump it off the dock poles. Sometimes, that’s a pretty good pattern.”
In the heavily pressured lake, some of the best fishing occurs at night. After sundown, fewer anglers and almost no recreational boaters run the lake. In the quiet darkness, even the biggest lunker largemouth normally lose some of their natural wariness. Lights, both above and below the surface, attract plankton. Plankton attracts small fish that bass eat.
“Lights kickstart the whole food chain,” said David Pair, (334-618-0458) a fisherman who not only fishes around underwater lights, but sells them. “Bass are more nocturnal by nature anyway. Those lights always have fry, minnows, shad or some other kind of small fish around them. I like to throw Strike King KVD 2.5 models or 6XD series in shad patterns.”
Many people stay at Lakepoint (800-544-5253 or 334-687-8011, www.alapark.com/parks/lakepoint-state-park). The resort park offers many lodging options. Visitors can fish off the bank, eat in fine restaurants and dock their boat for a lunch break.
More to do
The town of Eufaula survived the Civil War intact. Consequently, many historic mansions still exist. Each April, the town hosts the Eufaula Pilgrimage Tour of Homes, later a Christmas Tour of Homes. People can tour the Shorter Mansion, which has appeared in several movies, anytime.
In downtown Eufaula, visit Manny, a 12-foot-tall fiberglass bass that honors Tom Mann who founded Mann’s Bait Company. Several fishing companies make their products in Eufaula and offer people factory tours. At Old Creek Town Park, people can fish off a pier, take a nature walk or picnic. Hikers can explore Yoholo Micco, the Creek Indian Trail.
Since the lake straddles the Alabama-Georgia line, anglers can use a license from either state. For Eufaula area information, call 334-687-6664 or see www.eufaulachamber.com.
