Coosa Canoe and Kayak Trail Lay Lake Open

Back in March, I joined 34 other anglers on Lay Lake to kick off the 2014 season Of the Coosa Canoe and Kayak Fishing Trail, organized by Coosa Riverkeeper. http://coosariver.org/kft/ It was a dreary March day complete with cold, clouds, and wind. Wait, did I mention the wind?
I had never fished Lay Lake, so I spent a little time searching the satellite photos looking for a likely spot. During my research I found out that there was a huge glitterboat tournament happening the same day. That, coupled with the wind, led me away from the numerous boat ramps in search of a secluded cove.
I slid in at daybreak at my chosen launch point and began casting over the grass. 3 hrs later, I was still casting over the grass, with not so much as a splash. I had seen numerous bass boats trying the same strategy, so I stuck with it, and was rewarded with a nice 17.25 fish to get me on the board. I continued this for another hour or so with nothing. I knew from my efforts and those of the observed bass boats, that it was a tough day for everyone. I decided then to head back to my starting area, and tie on something small just to get my card filled. This netted me another decent fish and several small ones. Nearing the end of the day with a full card, I went big again. The attached video is the result, its quite entertaining if not rewarding. I ended the day with only 45.25 inches but on a tough day, it was good enough for a 3rd place finish!

The first place finisher Bryan Laney smoked me by 11.5″, and the second place finisher Justin Wynn put 6.25″ on me. The big fish of the day was a 24.5″ beast caught by Aaron Hanlin. The official recap with all of the scores and pics can be found http://coosariver.org/kft/?p=700 Support your local RiverKeeper!