Martin Dam Tailraceon Tallapoosa River (below Martin Dam)
Conditions right now
No USGS gauge is linked to this water yet, so we can't chart flows.
What's working on Tallapoosa River
- 01Good flows and clear water conditions are creating excellent fall fishing.
- 02Fish are concentrating in deeper holes and around significant underwater structure.
- 03Baitfish, crayfish, and leech imitations are highly effective subsurface patterns.
- 04October Caddis and Popping Bugs offer opportunistic topwater action on warmer days.
- 05Targeting tailwaters below power dams is recommended for striped bass.
What to tie on at Martin Dam Tailrace
Picked from recent reports for this stretch.
Clouser Minnow
Mimics abundant baitfish, which predatory species actively feed on in clear, moving spring waters.
Buy at AmazonWoolly Bugger
A versatile and effective pattern for enticing predatory strikes from bass and catfish, also mimics leeches, a consistent food source in spring.
Buy at AmazonCrappie Jig Fly
Excellent for actively spawning crappie in spring, and effective for other opportunistic feeders keying on small baitfish and invertebrates.
Buy at AmazonDamsel Nymph (Olive)
Damsel nymphs become highly active in late spring, making this pattern ideal for stripping slowly along weed beds where bass and sunfish forage.
Pine Squirrel Leech (Olive)
Small leech patterns effectively mimic sluggish baitfish and annelids in cold to warming water, enticing strikes from predatory species in early spring.
San Juan Worm
A consistent attractor, particularly effective after any spring rainfall or flow fluctuations that might wash aquatic worms into the system.
Buy at AmazonScud
Freshwater amphipods are a consistent food source year-round in the river's vegetative areas, and this pattern is particularly effective in spring.
Buy at AmazonClouser Crayfish
Crayfish are a primary food source for bass, walleye, muskellunge, and catfish in the Tallapoosa River. This streamer, stripped along rocky structure, is deadly for predatory fish looking for a meal in the lower summer flows.
Buy at AmazonHellgrammite Fly
Hellgrammites are a year-round food source in rocky river environments, making this subsurface nymph highly effective for bass, walleye, muskellunge, and catfish. Drifting this fly along the bottom in the Tallapoosa's rocky runs mimics natural prey.
Alabama season by season
What changes on the water through the year, with the flies for each season.