NEWS

Lake Jordan Feature Story

Noah and Cole Godwin Preview Lake Jordan 

By Jason Duran 

The Alabama Bass Trail 2024 season kicks off at Lake Jordan. 225 ABT South teams will all be fishing for an increased payday of $15,000 for first Place. The ABT Started the 2020 season on Lake Jordan in March and the Team of Noah and Cole Godwin dropped a 20.33 pound bag on the scale for the win. They are looking to repeat this year, but practice has been tough and they for sure have their work cut out for them. 

Noah and Cole Godwin have been fishing their entire lives. They are well known as a team to watch when they show up to fish. 2020 was only their second year fishing the ABT and they were 19 and 17 years old at the time. The previous year they didn’t even cash a check and were really on the fence about getting back in for a second year. Thankfully they did get back in. Not only did they win the first even of 2020, but they also won the last event on Lay Lake. In 2022, when they came only a few ounces shy of winning the ABT Championship on Lake Jordan, they quickly made a name for themselves in the ABT History Books. 

When asked about how the lake is setting up for this year they shared, “Typically, this time of year you would see big bags of spotted bass that are more current related. These fish are mainly up towards the dam. I am sure you will still see some big bags weighed in from up there. However, currently it is just fishing different than it has in the past few years. With 225 boats it’s going to fish tough anyway. We do think there will be a big winning weight of 18-20 pounds. But through the rest of the field the weights will probably fall off fast.  I don’t think it will take a lot of weight to get a check. There only seems to be a few areas of the lake that are producing right now. We can’t really explain why it is so tough. The water color and the current is right for how we like to fish. The bigger weights will probably be caught out of the same areas. Boat draw can be important if a team can find an area where they are grouped up. We really have not found an area where they are grouped up like they were in 2020 when we won.” 

The lake can be broken down in a couple areas. The area up near the dam is typically a current driven area and spotted bass are prevalent in those areas. The mid lake area can also have some current, but the area is also full of pockets and off the river areas that proved a good largemouth bite. The new lake area is often thought of as a large spawning flat since it is a large shallow lake.

Noah and Cole shared a few baits that could play into this weekend, “The fish have been lethargic, and the water is muddy. Teams will have to hit fish on the nose with their baits. We won last time throwing a crankbait and that is always a good bait here this time of year. A spinnerbait will also be a good bait especially since the water is dirty. Teams will also have success fishing a jig. Any other muddy water bait will be good to use this weekend.” Teams that are here for the first time could, “focus on fishing the current because the big spotted bass are in the current and its no secret the big spots live in the current and get caught in the current.” They went on to say, “The areas up river would be key for that.” The key this weekend will be finding the four pound bites. Teams have been reporting they are not catching numbers of fish but they are catching quality fish when they do bite. 

The Pre Tournament meeting will be held February 9, 2024 at Wetumpka Civic Center at 410 S. Main Street, Wetumpka, AL 36092. Check In: 4:30 P.M. – 6:30 P.M. Pre-Tournament Meeting: Everyone seated by 6:30 P.M.

Blast Off & Weigh In: February 10, 2024 at State Boat Ramp 600, State Boat Ramp Road, Wetumpka, AL 36092. Blast off will be will be at 7:00 A.M. or safe daylight. First flight due in at 3:00 P.M. All friends and family are welcome to attend this event, bring lawn chairs, and see some of the best bass teams in the country cross the stage. Everyone can watch the live weigh-in and over 4 hours of on-the-water live coverage on the ABT Facebook page, YouTube, and the ABT website.

The 2024 Alabama Bass Trail Sponsors Include: Phoenix Boats, AMFirst, Landers – McLarty Chevrolet, McGraw – Webb Chevrolet, Rapala, VMC, Crush City, Buffalo Rock, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Jack’s, Garmin, Alabama State Parks, Halo Fishing, Snag proof, NetBait, Bait Fuel, TH Marine Supplies, Power-Pole, Pro Guide Batteries, American Trailer Rental, Yamaha, Anheuser-Busch, Big Bite Baits and FishAlabama.org