Alpine Bay
Reviving a legendary golf course
With a two-foot head start, lake levels on the rise in April
First Friday
Gadsden’s great outdoor event returns
March & April 2023
REVIVING
ALPINE BAY
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Hank, a black Labrador Retriever, and Dolly, a yellow Lab, in the midst of a game of fetch made for a perfect sunset shot by owner and lake resident Daniel Harless of Alpine. “I threw a ball in the water for them to go get and somehow lined up the picture,” he told us. It caught our eye when it won the photo contest for the Facebook group, Love Logan Martin.
Easonville
A look at the Mansion in the Valley
Remembering when the waters came
Alpine Bay: Point Aquarius
Special preview story
Wake Zone Recipes
Page 8
Page 14
Get ready for Downtown Gadsden’s signature event
Take part in Gadsden’s Ultimate Pub Crawl
Take 5
Page 38
Page 48
Catchin’ the Coosa
Fishing with Zeke Gossett
Page 50
Page 54
Page 56
Breathing new life into iconic golf course
Page 28
Waterside restaurant making waves
Page 68
Page 40
Carol Pappas
Carol Pappas is editor and publisher of Discover St. Clair Magazine. A retired newspaper executive, she served as editor and publisher of several newspapers and magazines during her career. She won dozens of writing awards and was named Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist at Auburn University. She serves as president/CEO of Partners by Design, which publishes Discover and LakeLife 24/7 Magazine®.
Graham Hadley is the managing editor and designer for Discover The Essence of St. Clair Magazine and also manages the magazine website. Along with Carol Pappas, he left The Daily Home as managing editor to become chief operating officer and vice president of the Creative Division of Partners by Design multimedia company.
Toni Franklin is graphic arts director for Partners by Design, Discover St. Clair Magazine and LakeLife 24/7 Magazine. She has 30 years in the printing industry as print production artist, manager and art director. She is a graduate of The Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale and studied at Penn State and University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Roxann Edsall
Roxann Edsall is a freelance writer and former managing editor of Convene Magazine, a convention industry publication. She has a degree in (broadcast) journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi, worked as a television news reporter in Biloxi and as a reporter and assignments editor in Birmingham.
Richard is a full-time professional photographer based in the Springville area and owner of Natural Light Photography LLC. His 50+ years of experience behind the lens of a camera includes working as a photojournalist for a global technology company. His credentials include many magazine cover shots, standing as a Canon Image Connect Photographer, and member of the Little River Arts Council.
Elaine Hobson Miller is a freelance writer with a B.A. in journalism from Samford University. She was the first female to cover Birmingham City Hall for the Birmingham Post-Herald, where she worked as reporter, food editor and features writer. She is a former editor of Birmingham Home & Garden magazine and staff writer for Birmingham magazine.
Paul South, a native of Fairfield, is an Auburn graduate with a degree in journalism and a double minor in history. He also has a Juris Doctorate degree from the Birmingham School of Law. Although sports writing was always his first love, he had a versatile career as reporter, columnist and first full-time sports information director at Samford University.
Scottie Vickery is a writer with a degree in journalism from the University of Alabama and was a reporter for The Birmingham News. Her first assignment was covering St. Clair and Blount counties. She has more than 30 years of writing and editing experience and her work has appeared in a variety of publications. She also has worked in the nonprofit industry.
Mackenzie Free is an experienced and nationally published photographer with a bachelor of fine arts degree. She is a Birmingham native now cultivating life on a farm in Steele with her husband & 4 daughters.
Mackenzie Free
Toni Franklin
Elaine Hobson Miller
One of my favorite things to do on Saturday mornings is grabbing a cup of coffee and reading Carl Wallace’s Lake Ramblings on Facebook. Back when we launched our magazine in May 2021, we did a story on him, rightly dubbing him Logan Martin’s Aristotle. (Logan Martin’s Aristotle – LakeLife 24/7 Magazine (lakelife247magazine. com) After all, he’s part philosopher, part ponderer, part storyteller and all around good guy who helps bring our lake community together.
It seemed only fitting that we would launch our new publication, LakeLife 24/7®, with a story on Carl because what he capsulizes every Saturday morning with his column is what our magazine is all about -- lakelife in all its forms.
He alerts his ‘lake family’ to events up and down the lake, gives shout outs to good deeds and describes in myriad ways how lucky we are to be living the lakelife. And that’s precisely the aim of our magazine – to bring ‘lakelifers’ all together with the tie that binds us all –that body of water we call home, or visit, or play on, or just dream about. We added the 24/7 part to the name to underscore the conclusion that there’s only one thing better than lakelife, and that’s lakelife 24/7.
With a shout out to Carl, let’s take a look at what LakeLife 24/7® has to offer in this issue. This time of year may be a little slow on the lake, but not for anglers like Zeke Gossett, our very own bass pro and fishing guide. He not only tells you where to fish on Logan Martin and Neely Henry lakes in March and April, he tells you how to fish and what bait to use. Listen to Zeke, and you’ll be pulling in the bass like a pro.
Ready for some fun? Downtown Gadsden is the place
to be in March and April. On March 18, check out the St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl from 3-9. Downtown’s afterhours hot spots are ready to serve and to treat you to prizes and discounts, too.
Like history? Check out the Mansion of the Valley, one of the few surviving homes of the town of Easonville, the community razed when Logan Martin Dam was built to create Logan Martin Lake.
How about modern-day data? For the first time since it opened in 1965, Logan Martin didn’t descend all the way down to winter pool, giving boaters, anglers and lake residents an extra two feet this winter. Let’s explore the result and what it means for the time that lies ahead for the lake.
And if inspiring stories are your style, peruse how a retired federal corrections worker was able to resurrect an historic golf course and ready it for a new era in Alpine Bay.
There’s plenty more in this issue of LakeLife 24/7®. Turn the page and discover lakelife along with us!
Carol Pappas Editor and Publisher
A look inside the Mansion of the Valley
If walls could talk, the stately 18-room lakeside home would speak volumes. Once called the “Mansion of the Valley,” it was well known in the community of Easonville and was home, at one point or another, to several of the community’s most prominent families.
It stood in the heart of Easonville, a busy farming community on the outskirts of its big sister, “Pell City.” But by the 1950s, people in Easonville began to hear rumblings of something in the works that was to change them forever.
In June of 1954, then President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law legislation that paved the way for dams to be built along the Coosa River for the purpose of producing hydroelectric power.
Construction on the second of those dams began in 1960 and would be called Logan Martin, after William Logan Martin Jr., a circuit court judge, Alabama’s attorney general and attorney for Alabama Power Company. The resulting impounding of the Coosa River would form the 15,263-acre reservoir known as Logan Martin Lake.
The “Mansion of the Valley” is one of just a handful of homes still in existence today that survived the onslaught of water that consumed the sleepy community of Easonville. Known now as the Maddox-Abbott home, it only survived by being moved, as many were in that day. Unlike most of the others, though, its only movement was up. To keep it safe from the coming waters, workers raised it by two and a half feet and skirted the bottom with brick.
“My earliest memory of this house was as a young kid at Easonville Methodist Church,” says current owner John Abbott. “We’d be going home, and I’d ask my dad to drive us through the driveway here because it looked haunted. I was scared to go up there on my bicycle.”
It was not haunted then, nor is it now, reports Abbott. It is, however, filled with some fairly fierce-looking creatures. An avid game hunter, Abbott has filled the rooms with trophies from his various exotic hunts and has stories to tell about each of the mounts, like the bear that leans out over the sofa in the living room, teeth bared. Coming out from behind a waterfall, that one, he tells, almost got him.
Beautiful millwork highlights the craftsmanship of the historic home. Currently configured as a four bedroom, five bath home, it features a reading room, formal living room, a formal dining room,
office, kitchen and a large porch facing the waters of Logan Martin Lake.
The home is filled with antiques, which Abbott admits to having hated as a youth. “My mother made me sand them and get them ready for her to refinish,” he recalls. “It was a lot of work.”
The Maddox-Abbott home was built by William Notley Maddox for his new bride, Minerva, and was completed in 1914. It would have been completed earlier had it not been for Maddox’s generosity and his support for the local Methodist church. Those facts were revealed to Abbott many years later by a writer whose own grandfather helped Maddox build the house with pieces from a mail-order house kit.
Easonville Methodist was building a new church at that time, and Maddox, a church trustee, gave the building team all the support beams that were in his house kit. He had to reorder those beams in order to begin construction of his home.
Abbott bought the house 25 years ago, in part, because he had always been interested in its historical significance and beauty, but also because of the history it shares with his ancestors. Among the other dozen or so owners was another Abbott, a distant relative. Robert Edgar Abbott and his wife, Eliza, owned the home for several years before selling to the J.L. Manning family in 1928. Other Easonville notables to own the “Mansion of the Valley”
were G.W. Ingram, Kathleen Gholston and Loyze and Mavis Roper.
Kathleen Gholston was an Easonville schoolteacher who owned the house when John Abbott was just a boy. During that time, she closed in the two sleeping porches and outfitted them as rental apartments. Abbott’s uncle, William Abbott, rented one of those apartments while building his home in Birmingham. Gholston eventually sold her home when talk of the impounding of the Coosa River began.
She sold the house to the Ropers, who continued renting it out. Among their tenants was Abbott’s uncle, Ludford Harmon. Abbott visited the mansion in the ’70s when his Uncle Ludford used it as the venue for the wedding of his daughter, Abbott’s cousin Vivian.
John Abbott has lived in the Pell City area all of his life. He has seen a lot of history being made around him. He watched with curiosity as the community of Easonville was displaced and dismantled to make way for the impending flood of water. His father, J.D. Abbott, bought the Easonville school building and tore it down to save the lumber to use in his homebuilding business.
“I was about 13 or 14 going to school in Pell City,” recalls Abbott. “I remember my dad and Charles Abbott, Pick Cosper and Booky Fraim moved a lot of dirt, building up places for Easonville homes to be moved to and to make places to build new ones.”
The home that he grew up in was moved to one of those built up lots in what is now Rock Inn Estates. His grandmother Abbott’s house was also built up to bring it high enough to withstand the rising water. The home of his maternal grandmother is no longer standing but was on the property that is now being developed as Easonville Park subdivision.
The Maddox-Abbott home is not the first meeting of the two families. The same Maddox who built the home Abbott now owns also built the cotton gin that Abbott’s uncle, Ludford Harmon, bought and had to move before the floodwaters came.
As a business owner for most of his adult life, Abbott understands the sense of loss the landowners and business owners felt when they had the choice to make of moving their buildings or selling out.
But, he adds, they did eventually see that property values went up as the water came up.
As he sits on his screened-in porch, looking out at boats going by, he knows the sacrifices that were made that allow him to continue to enjoy this old home – this piece of history that no longer sits in a valley, but that stands proudly on the edge of the waters of beautiful Logan Martin Lake.
Sue Clinkscales Granger has a lake house. Her house, which sits next door to John Abbott’s, became waterfront when the waters of Logan Martin rose. Though she lives in Jacksonville now, she visits her Cropwell place frequently and remembers well the chaos that came along with the rising waters.
Growing up, she lived in a different house, one that was directly in the path of the floodwaters, and her family was not happy about it. “The surveyors would come by putting in stakes, and my granddaddy would come by and pull them up,” said Granger. “We were a mile from the Coosa River, so we knew the water would get us.”
Continuing, she recalls, “I was away
‘We were a mile from the Coosa River, so we knew the water would get us.’Easonville school Relocated Easonville house
in college at Jacksonville State (JSU). I remember coming down and going swimming as the water was coming up.” In the end, they sold that home for $6,000 and built a house in Pell City.
Longtime Pell City resident Dianne Fisher tells a similar story. She was in first grade when her parents had to move their home out of the path of the future lake.
Her family’s home was not far from John Abbott’s home, just about 100 yards into the center of what would be the lake.
They had it jacked up and moved to higher ground in 1963.
“My mother cried when they cut down the trees. They were huge, beautiful old oaks.”
Four months after they had the house moved, they sold it and moved into a house they had built in Pell City. The old one that was moved has long since been torn down.
“In the end, it was OK,” admits Fisher. “I have four brothers. Once we got into our bigger home, we all had our own bedrooms, and it was easier. And we were closer to town.” l
For Carl Wallace, there are signs—both on and off the lake – telling him a change is coming and that the waters will rise.
The arrival of Daylight Savings Time – this year on March 12 – means longer afternoons and a break in cabin fever for folks longing to get out. Homeowners race to finish boathouse, dock and shoreline repairs.
And – like blossoming buds and sprouting trees –social media springs to life with chatter about the rising waters. Boat dealer and marina traffic heats up, as does the weather. Shorts and T-shirts replace sweaters and sweatshirts.
“All of a sudden, you have an extra hour in
the
Of course, fishing is good any time of year
Neely Henry is a storage lake, and levels don’t fluctuate much
evening – it has warmed up a bit – and people will long to get out,” Wallace says.
This year, the anticipation is even more heightened since residents got their first sampling of higher water when the winter pool was raised to 462 feet instead of the 460 feet since its beginnings in the mid-1960s.
Come April 16, the lake will begin its seasonal rise with only three feet to go to summer pool – expected by May 1. The drawdown is expected to begin Oct. 1.
And since Alabama weather is, well, Alabama weather, with shorts and Tshirts becoming appropriate apparel here and there throughout the winter months, the extra two feet has meant an increase in year-round boating. But unofficially, lake season seems to kick off in a big way around Memorial Day weekend.
There’s a flurry of activity up and down the lake between now and the water’s rise. Boat and
It won’t be too long before this is an every weekend scene at Pirate IslandWinter pool gives people time for shoreline projects
seawall repairs, dock building and improvements and general sprucing up with landscaping projects are all part of the pre-lake season mix.
An important note: Property owners interested in performing shoreline maintenance projects must get a permit from Alabama Power through its Shoreline Management Office at 205-472-0481 before starting any project.
Increased debris may come with rising waters, so groups like the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association and Renew Our Rivers go to work, cleaning up the waters.
Twice a year – each Spring and Fall – Alabama Power Company adjusts water levels in Logan Martin and Neely Henry lakes to prepare for Alabama’s rainy seasons.
Full pool for Logan Martin is 465 feet and for Neely Henry, it’s 508 feet. Neely Henry’s level only fluctuates about a foot.
The electric utility operates two kinds of lakes – “Run of River” and “Storage.” Logan Martin and Neely Henry are storage reservoirs, which serve two purposes.
“Run of river projects discharge essentially the same amount of water that flows into them. This type of operation gives them a fairly consistent lake level year-round. These lakes were not designed with flood control as a specific project purpose,” according to Alabama Power Spokesperson Alyson Tucker.
“Alternatively, ‘storage’ projects like Neely Henry and Logan Martin provide seasonal storage, having different summer and winter pool levels and are drawn down late fall into the winter to provide a means of managing and storing winter/ spring rains. These operations provide a measure of protection against downstream flooding during high flow events. These storage projects normally have their levels returned to summer pool levels during the spring timeframe. Water stored in these storage lakes can also help mitigate some impacts of drought by providing a limited source of water for use when it is scarce, such as during drought
periods.”
The operating levels, managed by Alabama Power are determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in what’s called the Guide
The Guide remains the same throughout the summer months. In fall and early winter, the Guide declines to make room for normal winter and spring flood flows. In general, the operating guide provides the guidance needed for both flood control operations and daily water management decisions.
Environmental impact on flora and fauna is “minimal,” Alabama Power officials say.
“Alabama Power works in concert with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to maintain stable or slightly rising water levels during the spring to support fish spawning when conditions allow. Due to higher and more stable water levels in the winter,” the company says, there has been an increase in aquatic vegetation on these lakes in recent years.
Lake levels vary depending on conditions.
And lakefront businesses and watercraft merchants will likely see their bottom lines rise along with the water levels.
For lake residents, the rising lake levels generate more than
Winter is the perfect time for large-scale projects
Lake season lands many a prized catch – or two!
electricity. The lake will see a sizable increase in traffic from pontoons, fishing and ski boats and personal watercraft. Wallace, who writes the social media blog, Lake Ramblings, put it like this: “Lake lovers love toys.”
A dammed good time
Logan Martin and Neely Henry lakes were part of a construction project to further develop the Coosa River in the late 1950s and early 60s. The area of the Logan Martin reservoir is 15,263 acres with 275 miles of shoreline.
Neely Henry Reservoir has an area of 11,200 acres and 339 miles of shoreline, according to Alabama Power.
Neely Henry Dam was built in 1966, and Logan Martin, in 1964.
Since that time, for water enthusiasts on both lakes, it has been (as a lake festival Tshirt once proclaimed) “a dammed good time.” l
Sandtraps stand out against the bright green grass
Goldenrods, a golf cart and a vision. That’s what led Tony Parton down the path, literally and figuratively, to the development of Alpine Bay Golf Course.
Parton lives in East Winds, a subdivision near the course, which first opened in 1972 as Point Aquarius. It’s situated along the southern shore of Logan Martin Lake in Alpine, a small community in Talladega County. Parton was a member there for 15 years prior to its closing in 2014. But he never dreamed he would one day buy that dead course and bring it back to life. Enter the goldenrod and golf cart.
“It was January 3, 2015, and my wife, Jan, and I rode our golf cart through a path in the woods behind our house and came out on the 8th green. It was covered in goldenrods,” says Parton, who retired in 2010 from the federal prison system.
He pulled up some of the weeds and wondered what the green would look like without them. The next day, he returned on his John Deere zero-turn mower and took a crack at clearing the weeds that used to be Alabama’s state flower.
“I started in the center of the green,” he recalls. “The deck was set as high as it would go. By day’s end the mower deck was at its lowest.” What he saw after the mowing was potential. “It showed me there was hope,” he says. “I called the Realtor and made an offer. He turned it down, but I stayed in touch with him.”
An auction in June of 2015 brought a high bid of $120,000, which apparently wasn’t enough to net a sale. Parton didn’t participate in the auction but called the Realtor in August of the same year with another offer. It, too, was turned down. “Then in October, the Realtor called and asked if my offer was still good,” Parton says. “I met with him and gave him some earnest money.”
Parton didn’t want to risk his life savings, so he enlisted Mark Calhoun, a friend who lives near the course at Water’s Edge, to go in with him on the venture. They decided if they could raise half a million dollars they could open the golf course debt-free. “I figured 100 shares at $5,000 per share,” he says. “But 23 invested and we raised $525,000.” They formed an LLC, which actually owns the property. He and Mark have roughly a fourth interest each.
It took about five months to whip the course into playable shape. That included more mowing, fertilizing and getting at the roots of those pesky goldenrods. Parton and his wife, Jan, along with fellow investors Calhoun, Ray Ferguson and Percy Jennings, used claw hammers to pull them up so
the weeds wouldn’t return.
That left big holes that needed to be filled. There was a large pile of sand on the property, but Parton had no way to move it. Enter Frank Hall, who wanted to put $5,000 into the venture. “He said he had something else we needed, an old tractor with a bucket and cutter and a tandem-axle (dually) truck with a dump bed,” Parton says. “We traded him two shares for them. I went to his house and got them.” They opened the gates on July 1, 2016.
Parton and his investors believe Alpine Bay Golf Course has a lot going for it, starting with its designer. The 6,518-yard, par-72 championship layout was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., namesake of Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. It’s a links course, meaning it does not make a turn at the clubhouse after nine holes. In fact, Number Nine is as far away from the clubhouse as you can get and still be on the property. Normally a beverage cart runs on Fridays, holidays and weekends for folks who want a break at that point.
Original plans for Point Aquarius called
for two golf courses, but the second closed after a short time. Parton and his investors didn’t buy that section of land. Managing the 144-acre property they own, which includes the golf course, practice range, putting green and small clubhouse, is a full-time job for Parton, but he finds it very rewarding. “All those people who left have come back, and we’re growing,” he says. “We have about 140 members.”
The small clubhouse has a grill that sells a variety of sandwiches and a modest pro shop that has the essentials for golfers, like tees and shoes. “Shawn Reider, who worked with the previous owners, was our pro when we opened,” Parton says. “I brought him back because I knew nothing about running a golf course. He was a big asset, but he developed brain cancer and died. We don’t have a pro right now.”
Hundreds of empty lots surround the course, and they’re owned by individuals all over the United States. Only one house was ever built overlooking the greens, and it burned down. Parton would love to see someone develop those lots.
“Since we opened, neither Mark, nor me and my wife have gotten any money from it, and we’ve paid no dividends to investors,” he says. “Every penny that comes in goes right back into the course.”
Speaking of money, it costs a lot to run a golf course. It will take $750,000 to replace the outdated manual irrigation system. Last July they had to dig up the invasive Zoysia grass and put in Bermuda – at several thousand dollars per green. They bought custom-made tarps to cover all the greens during freezing weather – at $1,000 each.
“We had 18 tarps but had to order another one this morning because one was stolen last night,” Parton says on the January day of this interview. “Ironically, it won’t do anybody any good, won’t protect anything from wet weather because it has holes in it to let the water through. I wish I could be there when whoever stole it finds that out after a rainy night!” Chemicals (for fertilizer) are his biggest costs, however. “This is nothing but a glorified sod farm.”
The price of a basic membership is $1,200 per year plus a $20 cart fee per game. Unlimited membership costs $3,000 per year but includes cart fees. That isn’t enough to handle all the costs of running a golf course, though, so Parton is always brainstorming ways to bring in extra revenue.
“We have members-only events, like a (February 2023) dinner with live entertainment,” he said. “We encourage people to come and eat breakfast or lunch before teetime, then have a snack after their game. We have lots of tournaments scheduled. I can get people together and organize events that people will enjoy.”
One of the highlights of his time redeveloping the course came in 2021 when Parton got to play golf with Robert Trent Jones Jr., eldest son of the course designer. Junior and his son, Trent, were in Birmingham for an Architectural Summit near Birmingham staged by
Even in the middle of winter, the course is a beautiful sight
Golfweek magazine. They were at Alpine because Golfweek scheduled a day there. This was the first time for either Jones Jr. or Trent to visit the course that Jones Sr. had designed a half-century earlier.
Ray Ferguson, one of the original investors, is maintenance supervisor. He has been involved with the golf course since it opened as Point Aquarius in 1982. “Our goal when we started was to get it up and running,” he says. “Someone had been looking at the property to put a trailer park here.”
Two shepherd-type dogs showed up one day and started following some of the golfers around. Dubbed Bogey and Birdie, they quickly became the course’s mascots. Bogey (the male) died recently, but Birdie (the female) is still there. “Bogey used to follow me home when I’d play golf. He’d stay the night, go back to the course next day,” Parton says.
Inside the clubhouse, Percy Jennings works in the modest pro shop. “I helped dig up the goldenrods with claw hammers and a 5-gallon bucket,” Jennings says. “We sat on our haunches and pulled them up.” He pauses to call out the names of the next players, telling them it’s their tee-time. He staggers the times so as not to crowd the greens.
Probably eight to 10 men are hanging out at the clubhouse today, either awaiting their turns or relaxing after their rounds. There are white-haired men in khakis, golf shirts and ball caps, some with white sunscreen on their noses, cheeks and chins, as if headed for the beach. Younger men in their 30s and 40s enjoy a beer or one of Bogey’s Grille’s famous cheeseburgers. Boisterous laughter erupts now and then, as friends tell tall tales about their golf scores.
Bogey’s is also a full-service bar with your favorite adult beverages. The Grille also serves breakfast sandwiches and plates, hot dogs, chicken fingers and chicken salad. It’s open Tuesdays through Sundays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. You don’t have to play golf to eat there, either. One of the regulars, Bill Camp, 87, drops by at least once a week for a large hamburger, even though he no longer plays. Lester Drummer is 93 and an honorary member. He may shoot a few balls, but mostly fishes in the pond at the back of the clubhouse.
Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, Tony and a “few” of his friends tee off. There aren’t but 26 of them today, but on a warm and sunny summer day, that number goes out the roof. “Last week there were 36 of us,” Ray Ferguson says. “We eat and play golf.”
Parton says he doesn’t have any goals going forward, because he has already achieved what he wanted: To get the golf course opened and people playing there again. He just hopes the former “ghost town,” as he calls it, grows and people continue to enjoy it.
“God is in this,” he says. “I feel like He called us to do it, because this community (Alpine) needs this golf course.” l
From cottages to glamping to luxury covered wagons, experience a unique vacation experience that’s perfect for you.
If you could close your eyes and picture that ideal getaway, what does it look like? Is it relaxing under the stars in the dreamiest glamping tent? Maybe it’s sipping a glass of rosé on the porch of an adorable cottage watching the boats go by? Or embracing your inner cowboy, cozied up in a covered wagon? When you picture that perfect lakeside getaway, consider Angler’s Pointe your destination. Prepare to be entertained in The Yard, enjoy a little retail therapy at The Exchange, or get in on the action at the pickle ball court or the water obstacle course. Whether you’re looking to live large or take things slow, Angler’s Pointe is your little homeplace on the lake. Coming soon, now under construction.
Alpine Bay has a rich history dating back to its days as Point Aquarius, when the likes of Bob Hope and blind Alabama golfer Charlie Boswell frequented the resort.
Name brand entertainment, formal wedding receptions, class reunions and elegant dinners took center stage, and the resort became a destination point.
In the May issue of LakeLife 24/7 Magazine®, look for a full story on the history, recollections and photographs that capture the essence of Point Aquarius. l
Keith Clements’ quest to own a restaurant started when he was just a boy. Raised by a single grandmother in the Pell City area, he fell in love with cooking before he could read and write. “I’ve always had a passion for it,” he said, and that passion eventually took him to culinary school in Cleveland, Ohio.
Nicola Wright, however, never even considered a future in the restaurant business. With a background in sales and managing fitness centers, she’s much more comfortable being a taste tester than preparing a meal to taste.
After recently opening their third restaurant – their second on Logan Martin Lake – the business partners agree that even though their paths were different, they make a pretty good team. After buying the Wake Zone Grill and Bar last December, they opened the restaurant in February with a new menu, live entertainment and big goals.
“It’s right in the middle of the lake, and the middle of the lake needed something,” Clements said of the restaurant at Stemley Bridge. He and Wright believe that “something” is the perfect combination of great food and great fun. After all, it’s the same recipe for success they followed with their first partnership, Lakeside Grill on Coosa Island.
Entertainment is definitely on the new Wake Zone menu. They’ll offer Bingo on Wednesday nights and Karaoke is on tap for Thursdays. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays will feature live music. “We’ll have everything from the 50s all the way up,” Clements said.
Wright said they also plan to have some weekend events at the Wake Zone similar to those they’ve offered at Lakeside Grill to celebrate the start of summer or the end of a great season. “I think the events are what really made me fall in love with it,” she said of the restaurant business.
Hosting music and events aren’t the only ways they plan to spice things up, however. The Wake Zone, like Lakeside Grill, will offer a number of Cajun dishes, including Cajun Shrimp Tacos, Bayou Potato, Cajun Chicken Alfredo and Bayou Alfredo. “Cajun pasta is what we’re known for on the lake,” Clements said. “We brought a taste of New Orleans to Logan Martin.”
Clements’ taste and cooking skills have evolved over
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the years, and both have been heavily influenced by his family. “I grew up cooking with my grandmother,” he said of Viola Clements. “I started when I was 5 years old and I’ve been doing it ever since. I even won some 4-H competitions for the best homemade biscuits and cornbread.”
His other grandmother, Jackie Fuller, influenced him, as well. Clements’ grandfather was part Hungarian, and Fuller taught him to make dishes like Chicken Paprikash. In addition, her sister married an Italian, and they had a big influence on his love for pasta dishes.
“I’ve always liked spicy foods, and Cajun pasta is my favorite thing to cook,” Clements said. “All of our alfredo sauce is made from scratch to order. There’s no canned or bagged alfredo sauce here.”
Given his love of Cajun food, it’s no surprise that the second restaurant Clements and Wright opened, Woodies Grill and Bar, is in the New Orleans area. That restaurant, which opened in November 2022, shares some of the same dishes that Lakeside Grill and Wake Zone have.
The Bayou Potato is an example. Topped with andouille sausage, shrimp, and crawfish cooked in a creamy Cajun sauce, as well as queso and shredded cheese, the baked potato has become a crowd favorite. “I went back to the kitchen and
was just playing around with some stuff and when I brought it out, people all around me were eating off my plate,” Clements said. “I said, ‘Well, that’s a menu item.’”
Although Clements always wanted to own a restaurant, he knew he needed a backup plan, too. “I knew I needed another income because so many restaurants fail,” he said. As a result, he’s been in the construction business for 19 years and opened Lakeside Boathouses in 2011.
But he didn’t stop there. “I own about nine businesses between New Orleans and here,” he said. In addition to the three restaurants he runs with Wright, he also owns an excavating company, a boat rental company, a snow cone business and several rental properties. He also was a partner in two other restaurants before joining forces with Wright.
Wright, whose life was in transition a few years ago, was looking for a new path. She bought out Clements’ previous partner and decided to change careers. “I knew nothing about restaurants at the time,” she said. “I do now.”
The partners’ first venture together was Lakeside Grill, which opened in May 2020. “There’s not many people opening a restaurant in the middle of COVID, but I was the gambler,” Clements said.
It paid off, and shortly after the restaurant opened, Wright came on board. Since then, they’ve hosted a number of community events such as the “Rockin the Island Luau,” and Lakeside Grill has become a fixture on the water. “We’ve had events that have drawn
crowds of 600 and 700 people a day,” Clements said. “We put a big stage down by the water facing the restaurant, and we just pack ’em in.”
While Wright runs the business side of things, she also puts her own stamp on the restaurants and the events they host. In addition to starting weekly Bingo, she’s brought in everything from a 360-degree photo booth to a mechanical bull at special events. One of her first ideas for the Wake Zone is to host a Poker Run between it and Lakeside Grill.
“There’s no better feeling than when an event comes together and everybody says it’s so much fun,” she said. “At the end of the night, you can close up and think, ‘That was good.’”
That’s one reason she’s come to enjoy the restaurant business more than she could ever imagine. “I love the social aspect of it,” she said. “I’ve met so many people through it, and it really keeps me busy. It’s been very good to me at a time when I needed it.”
In addition, Wright said she and Clements work well together.
“Together, we come up with some really good stuff,” she said. Some of the good stuff they have planned for the Wake Zone is adding a tiki bar, expanding the deck overlooking the water and building an outdoor stage. “There’s a lot of potential here,” Clements said.
Although there are some similarities on the Lakeside Grill and Wake Zone menus, there are some dishes that are only served at each restaurant. Lakeside, for instance, has barbecue while Wake Zone has a pork chop and more seafood items, such as crab claws and fried fish on “Fish Frydays.”
In addition, the Wake Zone menu features favorites of Clements’ kids (Cassidy, Riley and Madilyn), Wright’s kids (Brayden and Leelee), and Lakeside and Wake Zone manager Tanya Barnett, known to customers as “Ma.” There’s “Cassidy’s Bangin Popcorn Shrimp,” “Ma’s Meatloaf,” which is a special on Wednesday, and “Bray’s BLT.”
The restaurant family also includes some of the employees in Clements’ other businesses. “Some of the boathouse guys tend bar on the weekends,” he said. “Tanya and one of the cooks came in for construction work, and I put them to work at Lakeside. We turned our staff into a family.”
They’re working on making the whole community family, too. They love to sponsor and host community events, adopt kids at Christmas, provide holiday meals for the community and more. Some summer weekends, they’ll take a grill to Pirate Island, grab some food from the restaurant and feed whoever happens to come by.
“We’re not just a business,” Clements said. “We’re here to create family, a lake family.”
(Makes 20 servings)
• 1 cup diced bell pepper
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 teaspoons garlic powder
• 6 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 6 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 6 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Creole
seasoning
• 5 teaspoons hot sauce
• 4 cups chopped andouille sausage
• 4 cups chopped chicken
• 6 cups medium or long grain rice
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 6 cups water
DIRECTIONS:
Heat olive oil in a stock pot and add peppers and onions. Add all seasonings and cook until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add meat and cook thoroughly. Add rice and liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover, stirring occasionally. Cook until rice is tender.
Serve with shrimp and a lemon wedge.
(Makes 1 serving)
• 1/2 cup cubed chicken
• 1/4 cup broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 3-ounces grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 cup cooked fettucine noodles
DIRECTIONS:
Heat olive oil in a 9-inch skillet. Add cubed chicken, broccoli and garlic salt. Cook chicken thoroughly. Add heavy cream and bring to a light boil.
Add parmesan cheese. Mix well until thickened. Add cooked noodles and toss. Serve with garlic bread. l
First Fridays are the perfect place for art, cars, music and much more
Just like an old friend you haven’t seen in a bit, Downtown Gadsden’s First Friday is back and ready to pick up the conversation – and the fun –where it left off in October.
First Friday returns April 7 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., building on what began with one small business in 2006 to a full-blown tradition that attracts people from multiple states from April to October each year.
“We’re looking forward to another great year,” said Downtown Gadsden Director Kay Moore. From the classic car show to the entertainment, downtown Gadsden becomes a destination point each month for this free, family event.
Broad Street, downtown’s main street, is closed to automobile traffic on First Friday, and food vendors to handle the overflow crowds set up shop in the 400 block. On 2nd, 3rd, 4th and possibly the 600 block, entertainment plays to diverse audiences. “We have jazz, R & B, rock ‘n roll, bluegrass, line dancing, the cowboy church band – a little bit of everything for everybody,” Moore said.
If one block doesn’t quite fit your musical tastes, “just keep walking,” she suggested. “You’ll hear something you like in the next block.”
As has been the custom with First Friday, the classic car show is a huge draw that attracts thousands of car enthusiasts from all points in Alabama and throughout the Southeast. And it just keeps getting bigger and better every year.
Organizations like Main Street Alabama and Main Street America have taken notice of Gadsden’s
successful efforts to bring people back to downtown. Gadsden’s many honors include Top 10 awards for its promotional activities.
“We remind people we have a good downtown,” Moore said. “It’s the heartbeat of the community,” stressing that efforts reach well beyond First Friday. Promotions and events – from a chili cookoff to a St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl –ensure that downtown merchants benefit from the increased activity drawing prospective customers their way on a regular basis.
“They like coming to our downtown,” she said.
Downtown Gadsden Inc. efforts don’t stop there, though. The organization is involved in beautifying and revitalizing the downtown area. The Pittman Theatre stage is being expanded and the ceiling is being dropped to improve its ability to host concerts.
Downtown Gadsden has entered into a public-private partnership with Walnut Gallery and Gadsden Museum of Art, leveraging its own $10,000 grant into a larger pool of $25,000 to place an 18foot kinetic wind sculpture on the corner of 1st and Broad Streets. Just a short distance from the river and recognizing the water’s roots in Gadsden’s history, the sculpture resembles a fish with parts moving with the breeze.
“We’re really, really excited” about the sculpture coming and what the future holds for downtown, Moore said. There is no shortage of “great ideas” from the new mayor and administration that can be part of the planning that lies ahead.
“There’s a lot going on in Gadsden this year,” she added. First Friday and all the rest have been “a huge success for our downtown merchants and everybody else.”
One day a year, it seems everybody’s Irish.
So, pick out your best ‘green,’ gather a few friends and head to downtown Gadsden for the Second Annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl Saturday, March 18, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
It’s a giant party, stretching across block after block of downtown Gadsden where 18 bars and restaurants are hosting the party, inviting one and all to sample their fare and benefit from specials, discounts and prizes.
Gadsden’s only rooftop bar, a perch overlooking the river with a stunning view of the sunset at Jake’s Music Room, will be open and welcoming party goers as well.
The popular pub crawl Tshirts will be on sale on Court Street, and bands will be playing outside some of the bars and restaurants, giving all of downtown a festive atmosphere to revel in the celebration of Ireland’s patron saint.
The pub crawl is held each year on the closest Saturday to St. Patrick’s Day and is a Downtown Gadsden Inc.-sponsored event aimed at bringing people together downtown to experience what the restaurants, cafes, pizza places and bars have to offer.
Kay Moore, director of Downtown Gadsden Inc., anticipates a “big year” for the festivities, encouraging ‘crawlers’ to take advantage of what all these downtown businesses have in store for the celebration. It’s an evening to savor tasty meals and appetizers, enjoy your favorite libations, soft drinks, coffees, lattes and more. And it’s a time for camaraderie with old friends and new ones you’ll meet.
You don’t need a four-leaf clover to count yourself lucky to be a part of it –Irish or not. l
LakeLife 24/7 events compiled by Jackie Romine Walburn
Submit events to: Events@LakeLife247Magazine.com
What: Bowl for Kids’ Sake
Who: Big Brothers Big Sisters annual fun fundraising event
Where: The Alley at 1001 Rainbow Drive, Gadsden
When: Wednesday, March 1, 5 p.m. to 7 :30 p.m.
Why: Bowl for Kids’ Sake is the largest national fundraising campaign for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sign up at www.bbbsneal.org. Teams, sponsors and door prizes are needed.
What: Local farmers selling local produce
Who: St. Clair Farmers Market
When: Every Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Avondale Walking Track
Why: Support local farmers.
What: Local farmers selling local produce.
Who: Moody Farmers Market
When: Every Friday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Moody City Park, 663 Park Avenue, Moody
Why: Farm fresh produce for sale
What: An annual traveling juried art show featuring artwork from students with visual impairments, blindness and/or deaf blindness.
Who: Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama
When: Month of March 2023
Where: Heritage Hall Museum and Art Center, open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment for groups.
Why: Heritage Hall annually features the Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama, providing student artists an opportunity to showcase their special talents and abilities. Contact the museum at 973-868-7798.
What: Ribbon cutting and grand opening of new history museum
Who: Museum of Pell City
When: Friday, March 3, 11 a.m.
Where: Pell City Municipal Complex
Why: Grand opening celebration
What: Live music in downtown Gadsden
Who: First Friday/Downtown Gadsden Gives Back
When: Friday, March 3, 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: Downtown Gadsden, Broad Street
Why: Enjoy free live music in downtown every first Friday evening.
What; MATILDA, JR, the Musical, hosted by CharACTers.
Who: CharACTers Entertainment
When: Friday, March 3, 1 p.m.
Where; Wallace Hall, Gadsden
Why: Another performance highlighting local talent.
What: Show featuring reptiles, amphibians and exotic animals
Who: Show Me Reptile Show
When: Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 9 a.m. entry for VIP ticket holders.
Where: The Venue at Coosa Landing, Gadsden. Why: Tickets are $10 to $15; military, first responders and teachers get 50 percent off ticket price and kids under 12 are free.
What: Weekly art and farmers market in downtown Gadsden, every Sunday
Who: Gadsden Artisan and Farmers Market
When: March 5, 12, 19 and 26, noon to 5 p.m. Where: Downtown Gadsden
Why: Vendors selling fresh produce, baked goods and arts and crafts. Contact errinwilliams1@gmail.com.
What: Mr. and Miss Duran Junior High School
Who: Pell City Center for Education and Performing Arts and Duran North
When: Thursday, March 2, 6 p.m.
Where: Pell City CEPA, 25 Williamson Drive, Pell City
Why: See who’s selected. Contact: cory. oneal@g.pellcityschools.net
What: Monthly support group, meeting every first Saturday
Who: Springville Library Writers’ Group
When: Saturday, March 4, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: Springville Library, 6315 US 11, Springville
Why: All writers age 18+ are invited.
What: See top industry vendors for boats, engines, tackle and more.
Who: East Tennessee Fishing Show and Expo
When: March 10-12
Where: The Venue at Coosa Landing, 201 George Wallace Drive, Gadsden
Why: Seminars and demos plus appearances by pro anglers and fishing experts.
What: Godspell the Musical
Who: Theatre of Gadsden
When: March 10-12 and March 17-19, 7 to 10 p.m.
Where: The Ritz Theatre, 310 Wall Street, Gadsden
Why: A score with chart-topping songs, a book by visionary playwright John-Michael Tebelak and a feature film, Godspell is a sensation that continues to touch audiences Tickets $13 to $20.
What: Second Saturday
Who: Downtown Talladega
When: Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Talladega Bottling Works
Why: Music and more each Second Saturday
What: Free concert featuring the music of Count Basie
Who: Kings of Swing Orchestra
When: Tuesday, March 14, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Mary Hardin Center, Gadsden
Why: Come hear this community group of volunteers play big band, jazz and standards. Table seating will be provided and coolers are welcome. Bring takeout food from a downtown restaurant to enjoy during the show.
What: Third Thursdays in Downtown Pell City
Who: Pell City Chamber
When: Thursday, March 16, 11 a.m.
Where: Historic Downtown Pell City
Why: Look for specials, sales and fun.
What: 5th Annual Spring Garden Symposium
Who: Anniston Museum and Gardens
When: Thursday, March 16, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where: Longleaf Event Center
Why: Experts, including Azalea breeder Buddy Lee, share gardening knowledge. Register online or call 256-237-1766.
What: St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl
Who: Downtown Gadsden Inc.
When: Saturday, March 18, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Downtown Gadsden
Why: Irish good time in downtown Gadsden.
What: Junior High Band Concert
Who: Pell City Center for Education and the Performing Arts (CEPA)
When: Tuesday, March 21
Where: CEPA
Why: Hear students perform.
What: Classic Car Cruise-In
Who: Talladega Classic Car Club
When: Saturday, March 25, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Classic Toys at 515 East Battle Street, Talladega
Why: Classic cars and trucks cruise in every 4th Saturday
What: Birmingham Children’s Theatre presents Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Who: Pell City Center for Education and the Performing Arts (CEPA)
When: Friday, March 24, 10 a.m. to noon
Where: CEPA for Walter M. Kennedy students
Why: Event coordinator, Patrick Dowell, Patrick.dowell@g.pellcityschools.net
What: Evening of Fine Arts Concert
Who: Gadsden State Community College
When: Thursday, March 23, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Wallace Hall, Gadsden
Why: Free event will feature the GSCC Show Band, A Cappella Choir and Singers
What: Pro/AM Boater/Co-Angler format fishing tournament on Neely Henry Lake
Who: The American Bass Anglers Open Series
When: Saturday, March 25
Where: Coosa Landing in Gadsden
Why: Open series events are strictly for the weekend bass angler, not professional anglers, to compete in the divisional championship and perhaps advance to the Ray Scott Championship. Entry fees: Boaters, $210; co-anglers, $105 for one-day event.
What: Easter Egg Hunt
Who: Horse Pens 40
When: Saturday, April 1 and April 8, hourly starting at noon
Where: Horse Pens 40, Steele
Why: Call 256-458-3545 to book a group for free event. Toddlers will hunt eggs separately.
What: Raptor Run 5K and Dino Dash 1K
Who: Anniston Museum of Natural History
When: Saturday, April 1, 8 a.m. start for 5K and 9:30 a.m. start for Dino Dash; registration pick up is March 31.
Where: Races begin at Anniston Museum of Natural History through Museum Drive and LaGarde Park. Park at Anniston City Hall and Anniston Star building and take shuttles.
Why: Awards to top finishers. Registration fees, $30 for 5K and $15 for Dino Dash.
What: Monthly support group, meeting every first Saturday
Who: Springville Library Writers’ Group
When: Saturday, April 1, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: Springville Library, 6315 US 11, Springville
Why: All writers age 18+ are invited.
Who: Smoke on The Falls
Who: Professional and backyard teams from Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Michigan, Mississippi, Maryland, North Carolina, Indiana, Virginia and West Virginia
When: April 7-8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Noccalula Falls Park, Gadsden
Why: Barbecue cookoff
What: Weekly art and farmers market in downtown Gadsden, every Sunday
Who: Gadsden Artisan and Farmers Market
When: April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, noon to 5 p.m.
Where: Downtown Gadsden
Why: Vendors selling fresh produce, baked goods and arts and crafts. Contact errinwilliams1@gmail.com.
What: Biking event benefitting Eagle Rock Boys Ranch in Etowah County
Who: Eagle Rock Easter Classic
When: Saturday, April 8, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Rainbow Middle School, Rainbow City
Why: Cycle the scenic roads of south Etowah and northern St. Clair counties and see all the beautiful sights. $10 to $70 registration. Register at https://www.bikereg.com/eaglerock-easter-classic
What: Second Saturday
Who: Downtown Talladega
When: Saturday, April 8, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Talladega Bottling Works
Why: Music and more each Second Saturday
What: Birmingham Children’s Theatre presents INSIDE OUT
Who: Pell City Center for Education and the Performing Arts
When: Tuesday, April 11, 11:30 a.m.
Where: Pell City CEPA, 25 Williamson Drive, Pell City
Why: Contact Patrick Dowell at Pell City schools.
What: Art on the Rocks, a twice-yearly event celebrating hand-crafted arts and crafts
Who: Noccalula Falls
When: April 15 and 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Noccalula Falls, Gadsden
Why: See everything from paintings to pottery, carvings to candles, jewelry to jellies. 100 vendors. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for kids, seniors and the military. Park season passes are accepted.
What: Divisional Bass Fishing Tournament, sanctioned by BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society).
Who: Alabama Bass Trail tournament at Neely Henry Lake
When: Saturday, April 15
Where: Neely Henry Lake
Why: North division qualifying for the statewide championship tournament at Weiss Lake in October. More than $47,000 in prizes to be awarded at each divisional event. Qualifying in the south division includes May 20 ABT contest at Logan Martin Lake. Teams must fish in all five tournaments in their division. More at www. alabamabasstrail.org
What: Princess Party for girls 12 and under and their mothers
Who: The Princess Project
When: Sunday, April 16, 2 to 5 p.m.
Where: The Venue at Coosa Landing Gadsden
Why: $25 per mother/daughter. Wear your best Princess outfit and pose for photos.
What: Etowah Youth Orchestra Spring Formal Concert
Who: Gadsden Community Arts Foundation
When: Sunday, April 16, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Mort Glosser Amphtheatre, Gadsden
Why: Music from local young musicians
What: Third Thursdays in Downtown Pell City
Who: Pell City Chamber
When: Thursday, April 20, 11 a.m.
Where: Historic Downtown Pell City
Why: Look for specials, sales and fun.
What: Second Annual Birdies for Books golf tournament
Who: Gadsden Public Library
When: Friday, April 21, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Twin Bridges Golf Club, Gadsden
Why: Supporting the 2023 Summer Reading program at GPL. For information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Craig at 256.549.4699, ext. 2120, Rachel at ext. 2126, Amber at ext. 2105, or Carol at ext. 2107.
What: Classic Car Cruise-In
Who: Talladega Classic Car Club
When: Saturday, April 22, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Classic Toys at 515 East Battle Street, Talladega
Why: Classic cars and trucks cruise in every 4th Saturday
What: Looking for a City: A celebration of Southern Gospel music
Who: Theatre of Gadsden
When: April 21-23, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Ritz Theatre in Gadsden
Why: Hear favorite Gospel tunes performed by some of the best local talents.
What: Yard sale from Altoona to Oneonta
Who: Highway 132 Yard Sale
When: April 28-30, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Begins at Brent Clifton Field in Altoona. Why: Finding treasures.
What; Horse Pens 40 Songwriter Fest
Who: Horse Pens 40
When: April 28-29, 5 p.m. to midnight
Where: Horse Pens 40 in Steele
Why: Original music and craft fair. Vendors call 256-538-7439 or email ashleyhp40@gmail.com
Zeke shows off another prize catch
By Zeke Gossett
The months of March and April are my two favorite months to fish on Logan Martin. Warmer and longer days during these months have the fish on the move from their wintertime living quarters to their spawning areas.
Typically, in March, the fish are mainly in their prespawn mood. The fish are feeding and fattening up, preparing to move up to spawn.
Usually, I will target fish in 10 feet of water or less this time of year. Bass on Logan Martin love to stage on points that lead into spawning bays. Also brush and shallow docks are great places to search for fish making a pit stop before they spawn.
A few lures I normally reach for would be a bladed jig, square bill crankbait and topwater walking baits. If the water temperature is still in the mid-50s, I’ll mainly fish with the bladed jig and squarebill, and I will cover as much water as possible.
Traditionally, I target creeks on the lower end of the lake. Generally, this is where the fish will try to spawn first. I also like to target windy banks with these baits, if possible.
Once the water temperature reaches the 60-degree mark, that’s when I will start fishing the topwater walking baits, especially on cloudy, windy days. The fish will usually be in one to three feet of water on points and ready to eat!
Do not be afraid to throw it mid-day if the conditions are right. Topwater baits is my favorite technique to catch these fish, especially in April. The bladed jig and square bill still work great during this month as well.
Make sure to cover water until you find active fish. I usually don’t stay in one area too long if I am not seeing baitfish or some form of activity. If I do not see activity, I will move around until I do.
Try these techniques out because this can be the some of the best fishing days of the year.
The months of March and April can also be the best two months to get out on Neely Henry to fish. Just like Logan Martin, the fish are on the move to start spawning once the days start getting longer and warmer.
The fish love to live shallow this time of year. My approach is a little different, though, on this lake. I typically like to target mid-lake this time of year. My favorite places to find these fish are creeks mouths and small river pockets.
Neely Henry has a lot of bank grass and wood for an angler to target in these short pockets. Also, there are numerous shallow docks that fish like to stage on before the spawn.
My three baits I usually start with is a frog, swim jig and a Senko style bait. Typically, in early March, I’ll fish
with the swim jig a lot more than the other two baits.
Once the water temperature reaches the 60-degree mark, that’s when I’ll pick up the frog. The frog and swim jig combination is a combo that I will fish with all day.
Once April rolls around, I’ll pick up Senko style baits. I generally Texas rig the Senko-type baits on light 5/16 oz. weight. I really fish this bait when I feel like the fish are in full blown spawning mood.
I’ll pitch this bait around stumps and docks or wherever I feel like a fish might be spawning. You might not be able to physically see the fish since Neely Henry’s water isn’t clear. Just fish very slow inside pockets and really pick everything apart.
Try these techniques on Neely Henry in March and April, and you might catch your biggest fish of the year during these two months!
Zeke Gossett of Zeke Gossett Fishing grew up on the Coosa River and Logan Martin Lake. He is a former collegiate champion and is now a professional angler on the B.A.S.S. tour circuit and is a fishing guide. Learn more about Zeke at: zekegossettfishing.com.
Reeling one in for another great day of fishing on the lakes
