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44,000-acre lake near Alexander City. A huge, deep, clear Tallapoosa River lake. Islands, rock and a nationally known spotted-bass fishery. The lake tops out around 155 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
On the chart, Lake Martin draws 34,793 acres inside 579 miles of shoreline — 69 islands included. An index of 22.2 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 55% of this chart, as modeled. End to end it runs roughly 18 mi, about 14.3 mi across. The water lies in Tallapoosa County. For a second option, Lake Jordan lies 25 mi west.
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (14 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (10 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Offshore hump (14 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season spotted bass use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 15 to 40 ft game here, winter a 25 to 50 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shoreline point — point, 10 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (10 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (39 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (10 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (46 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (14 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Dock / pier line (15 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Offshore hump (14 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (78 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (132 ft) |
When the water first warms, striped bass slide up into 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (46 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (10 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (46 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 6 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 10 to 25 ft. Spring bluegill concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Offshore hump (14 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Structure-wise the chart holds 18 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 132 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Alabama waters are set by the Alabama DCNR — and special regulations can apply to Lake Martin specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alabama fishing regulations →
Lake Martin is about 155 ft (47 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, channel catfish, striped bass, bluegill on Lake Martin.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Lake Martin is regulated by the Alabama DCNR. Check the official Alabama regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Jordan 25 mi · Coosa River (Wetumpka) 26 mi · Mitchell Lake 28 mi · Chambers County Public Fishing Lake 33 mi · Lake Wedowee 38 mi · Lee County Public Fishing Lake 39 mi · Lay Lake 42 mi · Clay County Public Fishing Lakes 45 mi · Lake Harding 46 mi, GA/AL · West Point Lake 50 mi, GA/AL · Logan Martin Lake 52 mi · Lake Oliver 54 mi, GA/AL
See how Lake Martin stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Alabama · best crappie lakes in Alabama · best bluegill lakes in Alabama · best channel catfish lakes in Alabama
Browse all Alabama fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.