Bama Division set to open season on Lake Martin
3w • Mitchell Forde • Phoenix Bass Fishing League
Expect big weights as South Carolina Division heads to Santee Cooper
1d • Mitchell Forde • Phoenix Bass Fishing League
Lake Ouachita should provide exciting Arkie Division season-opener
2d • Mitchell Forde • Phoenix Bass Fishing League
Anderson’s Day earns first career win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League event at Lake Hartwell
4d • MLF • Press Releases
Alexander City’s Stihl Smith wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Bama Division opener at Lake Martin
4d • MLF • Press Releases
2025 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Lake Martin weigh-in (2/1/2025)
6d • Phoenix Bass Fishing League
2025 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Lake Hartwell weigh-in (2/1/2025)
6d • Phoenix Bass Fishing League
Expectations high for Choo Choo Division opener on Guntersville
1w • Jody White • Phoenix Bass Fishing League
Cowboy Division hits Toledo Bend at a prime time
1w • Jody White • Phoenix Bass Fishing League
Anderson’s Brent Willey earns first career win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League event at Lake Keowee
1w • MLF • Press Releases
2025 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Lake Keowee weigh-in (1/25/2025)
1w • Phoenix Bass Fishing League
Keachi’s Howe earns first career Phoenix Bass Fishing League win at Toledo Bend
2w • MLF • Press Releases
West Columbia’s Murphy wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League event on Lake Murray
2w • MLF • Press Releases
2025 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Lake Murray weigh-in (1/18/2025)
2w • Phoenix Bass Fishing League
2025 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Toledo Bend Lake weigh-in (1/18/2025)
2w • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

Bama Division set to open season on Lake Martin

Image for Bama Division set to open season on Lake Martin
Jason Abram won shallow when Lake Martin hosted the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit in 2020, but deeper tactics are expected to dominate the 2025 Bama Division opener. Photo by Jody White.
January 14, 2025 • Mitchell Forde • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. — As it has each of the past three seasons, the Bama Division of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine will kick off the year on Lake Martin, with the season-opener set for Feb. 1. While the 44,000-acre impoundment is no stranger to February tournaments, the recent blast of frigid weather in the South could change the complexion of this derby.

New for 2025, the BFLs will feature an expanded slate of Regional events, which will give anglers more chances to qualify for the All-American and further minimize travel costs. This expansion ensures that grassroots anglers can fish closer to home on lakes they know and love for a chance to win a $50,000 Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard as a boater and a new $20,000 cash award as a co-angler, plus qualification into the BFL All-American.

Sign up today!

What to expect

Martin features plenty of points and other offshore structure where spotted bass dwell. Photo by Rob Matsuura

It’s been unusually cold in Central Alabama lately, just like most of the Southern U.S. – and that’s expected to continue with more snow in the forecast.

As a result, Dusty Robinson – who has won two BFL events and lives near Martin in Eclectic, Alabama – believes the lake’s bass will still be holding steady in winter patterns. The fishery has no shortage of shoreline, but Robinson expects most anglers to target spotted bass off points and deep brushpiles.

“It’s probably going to be more relatively deeper fish – deeper brush piles, points and stuff like that on the lower end,” Robinson predicted.

When most anglers hear spotted bass out deep, they probably figure this will be an event dominated by forward-facing sonar. Not so fast, says Robinson. The Alabama bass in Martin behave different from those living in the nearby Coosa River or the Carolinas. Even in winter, they don’t tend to school up and chase bait offshore, meaning those who try to target suspended fish will have to pick off singles.

“The fish seem to be shallower and kind of not in packs,” he said. “They’re just kind of scattered, cruising fish, and it’s harder to pick off five of them out of one pocket than most other places we fish.”

Robinson still expects some anglers to rely on forward-facing sonar and the jighead minnow, but he thinks most will opt for bottom-dragging presentations like shaky heads and jigs. Slow-rolling swimbaits and spinnerbaits could play, too.

The one exception to Robinson’s expectation that most of the fish will be caught deep could come up the Tallapoosa River. He expects a few anglers to wind spinnerbaits and flip around shallow cover in the dirtier water there. Doing so has been known to produce a big bag, but it’s also risky – not a strategy Robinson would advise for someone gunning for Angler of the Year.

“I think you’ll have a lot of people that want to play the points system throughout the year for AOY; play it safe and go down (to the lower end) for the Average Joe weight, 8 1/2 pounds, 9 pounds,” he said. “That’s pretty much doable on any given day down there on that end pretty consistently.”

As for what it will take to win, Robinson thinks between 14 or 15 pounds will get it done. Unless someone can scrape together five largemouth upriver, he believes the blueprint for doing so will be catching a limit of spots early, then adding a couple kicker largemouth throughout the day.

“You’re going to have to have a mixed bag on this one,” Robinson said. “At this time of year, you’re going to have to have two largemouth and three spots. That’s about the way it normally works.”