David Hare of Alex City Guide Service is, in my opinion the authority on striped bass on Lake Martin.
David and his fellow company guides are out on the waters of Lake Martin over 300 days per year. I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with them several times. They are pros, to say the least. I think they compare favorably to the best fishing guides in the country, whether you’re chasing fish in bass country, trout streams, or the salt.
I always pay attention to his advice about striped bass, but especially during the change of seasons. I hope to be applying the below knowledge soon!
Here’s David Hare’s report that predicts upcoming conditions for April:
Lake Martin fishing in April has always been awesome. My parents always said that when the dogwoods are blooming then the crappie were biting and year after year that same saying holds true and especially for the trophy striped bass here. April may be one of my favorite months here on our lake. Last year some of our biggest stripers came in March but this year is different and I predict most of our 40+ lbers will be boated in April mainly due to this year’s weather conditions and water levels coming up a little slower which means a little later spawning.
A few suggestions to help you this month are things you have read time and time again in my articles but I only repeat this a lot because it’s what works for us on our lake in April. First of all, catch you some good live bait here on the lake and pull them behind some planer boards in the major feeder creeks and river channel, next always keep you a couple of spinning rods ready rigged with topwater lures because if you are on the water enough this month you’ll definitely get some huge stripers exploding on the surface close to you. Some (but not all) of my favorite topwater lures are Redfins, Spooks, Chug Bugs and the occasional Whopper Ploppers.
April is always a busy fishing month for all types of anglers especially the weekend anglers so if you get a chance to fish during a weekday then take advantage of it if not you’ll still enjoy the weekends on the water. We guide 7 days a week and enjoy every day we are on the water especially in April. With more and more anglers fishing these days, always have you a back up area to fish because someone may beat you to your favorite spot and if you have a secondary plan then you will spend more time fishing than riding and looking. Believe me folks with 880 miles of shoreline you will always find a quiet spot to catch fish on Lake Martin.
I hope your April brings you many bent rods and lots of great memories.
If you have any questions, please contact David directly at: Alex City Guide Service – Captain David Hare, call him at 256-401-3089 or email him at [email protected] or see his Facebook page Alex City Guide Service Lake Martin.