Coosa Riverkeeper celebrates our 15th anniversary this month. That’s thousands of days we’ve patrolled 220 miles of river, monitored popular recreation sites all summer long, including your favorite lake, and educated countless families about the Coosa!
We began like most riverkeeper organizations: with a handful of people. After learning the Coosa River had been named the 10th most endangered river in the United States by American Rivers, a small group of local environmental leaders gathered and took action on behalf of the river, her communities, and her critters. Since our beginnings in a storage shed circa 2010, we have grown exponentially, introducing our Swim Guide program in 2015 and now celebrating its 10 year anniversary! Our Angler Advocacy & C.R.E.E.K (Coosa River Environmental Education for Kids) programs were introduced later in our 15 years of Coosa Riverkeeper, which continue to educate folks all across the watershed about our mighty river and its unique characteristics.
Our boat is small, but 3,500 members join us through their support for every patrol and water sampling. They are the fuel behind our work to answer simple questions like, “What can I do to make the Coosa healthier for my community?” to ensure the public is aware of water quality impacting the river, recreation, public health, and property value.
Rivers bring us all together, so let’s look after our River like it looks after us!
Psst… You can find downloadable coloring books and nature-themed reading ideas for kids and parents. Enjoy! Visit CoosaRiver.org/Education
Follow Coosa Riverkeeper on Facebook & Instagram @CoosaRiverkeeper For more information, swim over to www.CoosaRiver.org.
Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Graham Hadley Submitted photos
Beyond the typically Southern fare of barbecue, fried fish and chicken comes a new contender to stake a claim on a piece of the dining landscape around Logan Martin and Pell City.
In relatively short order, Kami Thai, Sushi and Asian Fusion has opened and expanded to accommodate a growing fan base.
Monalisa preparing a shrimp tempura appetizer
Located inside a storefront across from Publix, Kami – Japanese for divine being – is becoming a culinary destination point that marries flavors and traditions together in a celebration for the senses.
Much like Asian fusion cooking itself – one can only expect the unexpected. Technique, imagination, cultures and innovation combine to create this culinary adventure.
You might say the experience is a reflection of the Monalisa Gibson’s own journey from native Bali, Indonesia, all the way to a home in Alabama. She married a Clay Countian, Bobby Gibson, whom she met through friends.
She has been working in the restaurant industry for 20 years as sous chef and pastry chef, having been involved in the start-ups of other restaurants, including eight years at Shiki Thai and Sushi in Birmingham. “I supported three restaurants, and I wanted to do my own.”
She finally decided with the encouragement of friends and family that it was her turn to be the entrepreneur along with her business partner, Kadek Ani Tresna Dewi, she opened Kami. Her husband works in Pell City, and they and their family live nearby, so they decided on Pell City as the place to open this new venture.
It was the right choice, she said. “The people in Pell City have been so welcoming. It’s something new. They don’t have Thai, so I thought we would open here and give them something new.”
It’s a sharp departure from the typical Southern menu. “We use more spices” and different methods of cooking, she said. “Here, everything is fried.”
Her favorite to make is “Fusion Beef Rendang – beef stew cooked for hours with coconut milk and aromatic yellow rice.” With a nod to the South, there’s a Thai catfish on the menu – a mix of southern fried catfish with a Thai sauce.
Spicy Thai beef salad
On the menu, you’ll find “the best of Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and beyond. Indulge in fresh sushi, soul-warming ramen, bold Thai curries, rich Indonesian specialties and Asian-inspired cocktails.”
Dig a little deeper and find appetizers like Panang Curry Pot Stickers, vegetable and pork dumplings served with a panang sauce, and Crab Angels, crab and cheese-stuffed deep friend wontons with Thai sweet creamy sauce.
Try one of the coconut soups. There’s chicken, shrimp and tofu to choose from.
Noodles and rice are prepared in varying ways as are the entrees and Ramen.
A vast array of Sushi, popular Japanese dishes that feature raw fish are prepared nigiri and sashimi style. What’s the difference? Nigiri combines sushi rice with the fish, while sashimi presents thin slices of raw fish or other seafood without rice, served with wasabi and soy sauces.
Kami’s famous cinnamon bread pudding topped with ice-cream and chocolate, another local favorite
The choices for rolls are abundant. A roll is wrapped in sushi rice and with the seafood as the filling.
For the less adventurous, there are cooked rolls as well, like the popular California Roll. Some even have a familiar ring to them even if the ingredients might not – the Logan Martin Roll is cream cheese, fried shrimp tempura, topped with crab stick, eel sauce, cream spicy sauce, Smelt roe and green onion.
On the other side of that culinary coin, Gibson has her own American favorites, more specifically, Cajun: “Shrimp Po’ Boy and Gumbo,” she said without hesitation. But a Southern staple, Peach Cobbler, ranks up there as well.
The restaurant had its soft opening in March in a smaller space and was able to expand next door before having a grand opening for both in May. “I don’t want to disappoint,” Gibson said. “I want people to enjoy themselves. I don’t want them to wait a long time to sit.”
Creamy Crab Angel wontons
So, when Celeste Boutique closed next door, Kami was able to claim that space, expand the bar and offer a more spacious dining area to seat 70-80 people. “It was a good sign when the space next door opened up.” But after investing so much in the initial renovation and opening – the kitchen was built from scratch to enable preparation of the expansive menu – “it took faith to make it happen.”
But, she concluded, “Things happen for a reason.” As she gestures toward the new dining room and bar, she notes, “it was a good opportunity. It felt so good for people to be comfortable and have space to sit down and enjoy their food.”
Her desire is that “when people come here, I want them to feel at home.”
Story by Carol Pappas Photos by David Smith Submitted photos
At 97 feet high, Logan Martin Dam towers over the lake it created 60 years ago.
It casts quite an impressive shadow on the water below, but its impact on the region casts a much wider net – on its economy, recreation, residential, business, tourism and of course, electricity.
It was commissioned in 1964 as the second dam constructed during Alabama Power Company’s program in the 1950s and 1960s to further develop the Coosa River as a source of hydroelectric power. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed into law the authorization to build the dam as part of the Coosa River Project.
Downstream view of spillway construction
The Coosa River Project included Weiss, Neely Henry and Bouldin dams and the redevelopment of Lay Dam. At the time Logan Martin was being built and opened, Neely Henry Dam wasn’t named yet. It was just referred to as Lock 3.
During the planning stages, Logan Martin Dam was called Kelly Creek, named for the nearby creek that flows into the Coosa River. Later, it would bear the name of Logan Martin Jr., a circuit court judge in Montgomery and former Alabama Attorney General. In 1921, Alabama Power named him general attorney for the company his brother, Thomas Martin, co-founded.
When the floodgates closed, it would create Logan Martin Lake in 1965. By the numbers, the lake is 17,000 acres with 275 miles of shoreline along its length of 48.5 miles. Its deepest point is 69 feet. Its elevation above sea level is 465 feet, and its area of watershed draining into the reservoir is 7,700 square miles.
The concrete section connecting St. Clair with Talladega counties and forming the dam on Logan Martin Dam Road stretches the length of more than two football fields at 612 feet. Three turbines power generators, producing more than 400 million kilowatt hours annually.
The story unfolds
Old newspaper clippings tell about the evolution of the dam transforming this part of the Coosa River from a long, skinny river system to a much more expansive lake.
Guy H. James Construction Co. of Oklahoma City, OK, won the contract, according to the December issue of Shelby County Reporter, for the “concrete powerhouse substructure, concrete spillway and approximately 1.5 miles of earthen kikes. The cost cited was $28 million, exclusive of the land. Peak employment on the dam project was projected at 450.
The January 5, 1961, St. Clair News-Aegis reported that the construction would begin the following week on “gigantic Logan Martin Dam.”
The story predicted “A vast recreational area will be opened up with Pell City as the center when work on Logan Martin Dam is done. It will be a fisherman’s paradise with boating, skiing, camping and other outdoor type recreation expected to draw hundreds every week …”
When they ‘backed up’the water
Of course there were challenges along the way. The News-Aegis story went on to tell about the fate of the town of Easonville. “Highway 231 will be routed around Easonville, which will be under water after competition of the dam. The bodies in two or three cemeteries in the Easonville community will be moved to other burial places.”
Main construction area looking east
It certainly didn’t happen overnight. It took four years to build. “After completion of the dam, from one to three weeks would be required to fill the lake,” that same story reported. Locals called it “backing up the water.”
By April 4, 1965, The Anniston Star was reporting about the rising of the water. “Don’t look now, but Logan Martin’s filling,” wrote John McCaa Jr. “Yes, within a month, “Old Coosie” will have swelled back of Logan Martin Dam, lost her sluggish, muddy look and fingered out into cleared land to form a full lake for the first time since the gates closed last August.”
He went on to set the scene. “Newly built piers and boat launching platforms which have appeared so strange sitting high and dry for the past several months will soon be doing their job in easing thousands of area waterbugs into Alabama’s newest water recreation area.”
McCaa said most would see the reservoir as a “fishing and watersports wonderland. But behind the four years of construction and seven months of waiting for the filling process up to summer pool level, is a threefold purpose and a $46.1 million investment.”
In the April 14, 1963, edition of Talladega Daily Home (now, The Daily Home), “Expenditure for Logan Martin Dam on the Coosa River near here, now under construction and scheduled for completion in 1964, is the largest addition contemplated by the Alabama Power Company this year.”
The report was based on the testimony of R.L. Harris, company vice president in charge of electric operations, before the state Public Service Commission. Some may think the name familiar. It is. R.L. Harris Dam on Lake Wedowee was named for him. In this bit of history, though, he was testifying in a hearing on the company’s petition to issue $16 million in first mortgage bonds and $5 million in preferred stock.
Build it, and they’ll head this way.
By 1964, a “big real estate boom” was underway, according to the Birmingham Post Herald. It ran a photo of one of the new developments on the lake. “It is known as Treasure Island and contains both residential and marine developments,” the caption said.
One new resident at the time commented for the paper. “I’m just 40 minutes from Birmingham via the expressway and that isn’t bad at all when you consider what I have at the lake.”
Placing head covers on Unit No. 3 turbine
Prices, the story noted, range from $500 for the least desirable plots of ground to more than $5000 per lot for the choice sites.” Average lot price today – $150,000 to $250,000, say lake Realtors.
“Commercial enterprises such as the Pine Hill (Harbor?) marina and Treasure Island marina are rapidly going up on Logan Martin shores to meet the demand of boating and fishing crowds,” the story said. “New roads are rapidly appearing all around the lake as new homes go up and service enterprises are built to serve the residents.”
A story in the Birmingham News Jan. 5, 1964, displayed photos of the newly constructed dam and the “new” Stemley Bridge, connecting Pell City and Talladega.
“Flood gates of the Logan Martin Dam will be closed this week – and a beautiful 20,000—acre lake will begin to fill up,” wrote Jack Hopper. “This waterway of the Coosa, when completed, also will provide a mecca to industrial prospects and will be one of the most beautiful recreational spots in the Southeast.”
Underscoring the early growth, Hopper noted, “This area is already showing indications of the favor it will meet with thousands of persons as recreational site. Many cabins already have been completed and owners are awaiting next May, when the lake reservoir will be full.”
Pell City Mayor Sam Burt predicted the potential impact, citing 600 waterfront lots purchased at the time, and homes and cabins already going up. “I think we will have the most beautiful lake frontage on the Coosa River,” he said. “And our closeness to the metropolitan area of Birmingham will be a big help.”
Prominent businessman and president of the Chamber, J.D. Abbott said the water was attracting a number of industrial prospects. “We are going to purchase an industrial park and will have everything ready for industrial prospects. Pell City is now doubling its water supply and will be ready when the dam is completed.”
The story goes on to talk about construction in “the near future” on a $500,000 marina on the lakefront, named Pine Harbor Marina. The property would eventually house a restaurant and motel as well as an 18-hole golf course.
The Dam Road
Even the Dam Road captured headlines. “Talladegans will soon have a more direct route to St. Clair County across Logan Martin Dam,” The Anniston Star reported Sept. 16, 1965. “A new half-mile section of road, plus a section of the dyke road, is being constructed by county crews under a negotiated contract with the state for $100,000, including engineering and inspection services. According to District 3 Commissioner John Giles at the time, the new road would provide easier access to the lake and a shortcut to Birmingham for residents in the Renfroe area.
Dam Dedication
Gov. Lurleen Wallace was unable to attend the formal dedication of the sam because she had been hospitalized, and Lt. Gov. Albert Brewer spoke at the ceremony held on a rainy Saturday, June 24, 1967.
Early construction of Logan Martin Dam in 1961, showing the Coosa River, which runs through the middle of today’s lake
He called the dam and reservoir project a “vote of confidence in the future of Alabama,” according to an Anniston Star article that covered the event. “ …A few years from now, water may well be our most valuable commodity.”
Today’s Reflections
As officials reflect on the face of today’s region with the benefit of those six decades, it is easy to see that being in the right place at the right time makes all the difference.
“To say the creation of Logan Martin Lake was a transformational event for Pell City would be an understatement,” said Pell City Manager Brian Muenger. “It provides an irreplaceable benefit to our residents, as well as the hundreds of thousands of guests that flow into the City each summer.”
The numbers bear him out. St. Clair County tax data shows more than 3,800 lots within 100 feet of the lake, the assessed value of which is more than $800 million. That figure is for the county as a whole, but nearly half of that value is within the city limits of Pell City.
Only 1,800 of the 3,800 lots claim a homeowners exemption, which indicates that around 53% of owners are part-time or seasonal residents.
Over the past three years, the lake has averaged more than 1.5 million visits each year. Monthly visits during peak season, May to July, are more than 2.5 times higher than off-peak months, November to February.
St. Clair County Economic Development Executive Director Don Smith agreed with Muenger’s conclusion that the lake’s creation was transformational for the region.
“Pell City and Riverside have had three very impactful events in 60 years – the construction of I-20 in the 1960s, the creation of Logan Martin Lake in 1964-65, and the opening of the Honda plant in 2001,” Smith said.
“All three have brought increased wealth into our communities with the lake generating an incredible amount of property tax from the new lake homes and sales tax from tourism,” he said. “More and more communities are investing in ‘placemaking’ projects to make themselves a more desirable location to visit and live, but our communities already have it because of Lake Logan Martin.”
Pro fishing tips on Logan Martin Lake and Neely Henry Lake with Zeke Gossett
Logan Martin
Logan Martin can be a tricky lake during the months of July and August. However, these two months are still great times to fish if you know where to look.
Specifically talking about July, there are still plenty of offshore fish to be found. Fish may be in offshore brush piles or actual schools. If you find schools of fish, they tend to move around a lot this time of year, so you may have to play chase with them!
You must keep an open mind and use your electronics to stay on them. The schools may move from where you previously found them, but they will usually stay within eyesight from where they were.
Once I’ve found a school, I will typically try to catch the active ones first. Usually, the biggest in the school will eat first.
My first bait of choice is always a deep diving crankbait. The reason the crankbait is always a good first choice is it allows you to get back in a school more quickly if the fish choose to bite.
If the school doesn’t seem to want to bite, or maybe there’s a lack of current in the system, I will reach for either a flutter spoon or a hair jig. These two baits are a little more subtle than the crankbait and will trigger bites if the fish are not as active.
Transitioning into the month of August, for me, brush piles and docks start to play a major role in catching bass. Once the schools start to break up after being pressured all summer long from being fished on hard. These fish will usually branch off and start getting in brush more heavily.
My favorite depth to target these fish is in anywhere from 10 to 15 feet of water. A couple of baits you might want to try are a crankbait or a finesse jig. I let the fish tell me what they want.
If you have a low pressure day (during the week), usually they’ll be more in the mood to chase the crankbait down and eat. On the other hand, the jig is a lot better option if it is slick calm, sunny and a lot of boat traffic.
Give these tips a try during the hottest part of the year, and you might find the dog days of summer are not so bad after all.
Neely Henry
Neely Henry has always been a good summertime lake in years past for me. Anglers can catch fish from a foot of water all the way out to 20 feet of water.
Typically, my better than average size fish will come shallow, especially early in the morning. I will usually target the area from the Highway 77 bridge section down.
Early in the morning I will always start with either a hollow body frog or swim jig, trying to cover as much water as possible. This allows me to pick off those active fish in the lower light.
I will either look for willow grass or seawalls on the main river to start with. If there is plentiful cloud cover, I will stay shallow either a lot longer or all day if the fish are still showing activity.
If the sun does decide to show up, that’s when I’ll move a little deeper. Historically in July, there will still be schools of fish to be found. These schools can be found on road beds, long points and ledges. My first cast in these schools – just like Logan Martin – will be a crankbait. Once the school shuts down, I will play cleanup with either a jig or a drop shot.
Once August rolls around, I will still have the same morning routine as July. The only difference is that I will start mixing in a lot more dock fishing. The reason is, much like Logan Martin, the schools are broken up from either pressure or maybe even lack of oxygen out deep if there hasn’t been any rain.
I will usually keep my bait selection pretty simple. I will start out with either a finesse jig or Texas rigged senko. These two baits will get bitten no matter what the conditions might be.
I will target docks anywhere from one foot to 10 feet. You have to let the fish tell you what they’re doing on any particular day.
Keep an open mind on the dog days of summer on Neely Henry and let the fish tell you where you need to be.
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.
Rivers have a head and a mouth, but don’t have a voice to speak for themselves.
That’s why Coosa Riverkeeper exists – to be a voice for the river and the many communities who live, boat, swim, jetski, fish, recreate on, and rely on the Coosa River.
We do this in a variety of ways: patrolling the water, educating the public, and advocating for the Coosa River.
Because everyone has the right to know what’s going on across the Coosa basin, and how it impacts you, your loved ones, your property value, and Alabama’s economy,
Coosa Riverkeeper performs multiple services and provides information free to the public.
The Coosa River is so special, which is why we must protect and conserve this mighty River, together.
So, that’s where you come in.You give this river a voice!
Support our work while you help strengthen your community by ensuring your friends and family can safely jump in! Make ripples across the Coosa Basin by starting or renewing your membership today!
Membership is easy and budget-friendly.
Making a $5, $10, or $25 monthly gift helps us keep our boat (the Olive II) afloat.
Learn more and stay up to date on our Swim Guide results & events by swimming over to our website below!
LEARN MORE AT COOSARIVER.ORG
Follow Coosa Riverkeeper on Facebook & Instagram @CoosaRiverkeeper For more information, swim over to www.CoosaRiver.org.
Porky Pirate Barbecue, Logan Martin’s newest eatery, is dropping anchor at Coosa Island.
Offering a bounty of smoked delights and hearty fare, the new restaurant is expected to be open in May after months of extensive renovations and improvements.
Owners Brandon and Amy MacDonald plan a soft opening around Cinco de Mayo, debuting a brand-new look, feel and dining experience at their waterfront location.
“We’re excited about this family friendly restaurant,” said Brandon. “It’s not a bar first and food secondary,” although alcohol will be served.
The menu is “scratch made and upscale” with most cooked on a fire. “We’ll smoke all our own meats out there. Our smoker holds 700 pounds of meat at time,” he said.
Chef Lee Wiggins
Inside, you’ll find a new, 54-seat dining area and full-service bar. Outside is covered deck dining, an open lawn and a rooftop patio with a spectacular view. The rooftop patio is available for private events. The lawn features a place for games, uncovered seating and even a pirate ship playset for the kids.
Their motto is “Island Vibes with a Southern Soul,” and from the sound of the plans, it’s an ideal descriptor.
They’ll have live music during the day on weekends, and the whole place is open and inviting, giving it a communal feel.
It’s not the MacDonalds’ first venture in the restaurant and hospitality business. Brandon owned seven restaurants in the Birmingham area. Amy managed one of the restaurants, and that’s how they met. They’ve been together for 16 years and have two daughters they home school. Brandon has a son who is a freshman at Mississippi State and is a counselor at Camp Cosby in the summers.
An entrepreneur by nature, Brandon said he can see a location or space and ideas start to flow, and a concept materializes. “I like designing or creating something and making it come to fruition.”
That’s the momentum behind the Porky Pirate – laid back, but exceptional food and service. Amy’s dad was a commercial fisherman, and she “grew up” on a shrimp boat. Fast forward, and they were keeping their own boat at Coosa Island.
The old restaurant space was available, and the wheels began to turn. He used his own experiences as a company director of operations traveling around the country to develop the menu.
It will have Texas style brisket like you would find in Dallas – “the same caliber.” There’s smoked pork, Carolina style, mopped during cooking with a vinegar sauce, pulled and then served with a mustard-based sauce.
Smoked wings and chicken will feature a white sauce. St. Louis ribs will be smoked with a dry rub.
Other dishes include catfish, chili lime dusted shrimp, smoked sausage and grits, reverse seared steaks, rum glazed salmon and three different smash-style burgers. A Caribbean-Southern slaw is on the menu, too. “We have unique takes on things,” he said, noting the creativity behind such dishes as fried Oreos and smoked bacon maple bread pudding or the bacon wrapped smoked honey buns and smoked bologna.
They have a full kids’ menu with healthier options than normal children’s fare, and on Mondays, they eat for free.
Island parties can be held on the rooftop, which seats 10-12 people, and it has fixed menus to choose from. Reservations are already coming in.
Weekly specials are planned, including Bingo and BOGO Tacos on Tuesdays and half price wings on Wednesdays.
And for convenience for busy lifestyles, they’ll feature a grab and go menu with dinners for four – meat and two sides, dessert and sauces – for $38. Smoked turkeys and hams will be available during the holidays.
Chef is Lee Wiggins, who was on the leadership team of Dave & Buster’s. While his specialty is desserts, he has extensive experience in catering.
The restaurant will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner and on weekends, breakfast and brunch will be served in season beginning at 8 a.m. Plans call for being open year-round.
They’re even providing space on the patio deck for church services on Sunday. “You have to meet people where they’re at,” Brandon said, giving them a place to worship if they’re not into traditional church. He likened it to the church services held at the coast’s Flora-Bama that are growing in popularity.
“This will be more casual and less intimidating but give an opportunity for the Lord to touch your heart. We’re doing things the right way – putting the Lord first,” he said.
Amy agreed. The restaurant is a place to “break bread together – fellowship. We want this place to be a blessing to all those around us.”
Southside Landing and Coosa Landing kayaking and paddle boats
Pedal Boats are back!
Just in time for Spring Break in March, a parade of pedal boats made their second season appearance, returning to their home base at Gadsden’s Coosa Landing.
Brightly colored swans, a duck and even a dragon can be seen making their way around the harbor area near the River Walk and the bait shop, powered by pedalers.
The boats can hold five people – two pedalers up front and three on the fully enclosed, rear bench seating.
Anyone interested in renting the boats can visit the Coosa Landing bait shop, located at 200 Lake Street, starting at 9 a.m. The last rental of the day is at 4 p.m. Rentals are available Monday through Sunday.
Renters must be at least 18 years old and bring an ID. Life jackets are required, and the city has some available for approved passengers. The rental fee is $20, which provides access for up to one hour. If multiple hours are needed, the first hour is $20, and each hour thereafter is $15.
No rentals with winds higher than 10 mph.
For more information, call 256-549-4677.
Kayaks for rent in Southside & Gadsden
Want something a little more challenging? Try something new at Southside Landing and Coosa Landing in Gadsden for seasoned kayakers and novices alike.
The cities have partnered with Rent.Fun to launch a self-service kayak rental program at both landings
Available for rent are kayaks with paddles and vests. The cost is $25 for two hours and $15 per hour thereafter.
Just use the mobile app online at rent.fun for each city, pick your kayak, grab your vest and paddle away!
League of extraordinary citizens offer lake protection
Story by Roxann Edsall Photos by David Smith Submitted photos
The water’s up, and the boats are out. We’ve been missing the warm days splashing in the water with friends and family, the cookouts and gatherings on the lake, the nighttime cruises and the early mornings fishing on the lake.
If you live on or near Logan Martin Lake, you may want to take a moment to thank a small group of people who have helped to make all that possible.
These agents of change are a league of ordinary people who are truly extraordinary citizens. Their shirt says Logan Martin Lake Protection Association (LMLPA), but “League of Lake Protectors” might be more fitting. In the nearly 30 years of LMLPA’s existence, these lake protection superheroes have been working to keep lake life great 24/7 for all who live near, work near, or play near the waters of Logan Martin.
If you’re confidently splashing in the water with friends and family, you may not realize that LMLPA constantly conducts water testing to ensure that it is safe for swimming.
Board member Isabella Trussell oversees that project and has since 1996. “At that time there were no women on the board, so I joined and said I’d take up water quality testing,” said Trussell. “We got ahold of the people doing Lake Watch at Lake Martin and learned how their program worked. Now we have 25 monitors who do chemical and physical tests monthly with an EPA-approved protocol and sponsored by Alabama Water Watch out of Auburn University.”
Lighted buoy program has greatly enhanced safety on lake
The cookouts and gatherings on the lake can happen for more months of the year now that the winter water level only goes down three feet, instead of five. More areas are still accessible by water, with fewer mud flats in the late fall and early spring when the weather might still be favorable for outdoor activities.
Linda Reuthemann has been a member of LMLPA for 23 years and currently serves as treasurer. She says the association was heavily involved in discussions about the changes in the winter lake level. “People didn’t want the lake to drop five feet in the winter,” Reuthemann said. “They wanted to be like Neely Henry and just drop one foot. We’ve been to the dam and have talked to everyone who would listen at the Army Corps of Engineers. We ended up with the three-foot drop based on these discussions.”
The higher lake levels have made some areas previously inaccessible by water in the winter available for fishing and for winter tournaments. Tournament fishing typically begins while it is still dark, so lighted buoys are a great safety feature on Logan Martin. Nighttime pontoon cruisers also benefit from being able to see lake hazards heralded by the presence of a lighted buoy.
Former LMLPA president Bud Kitchin works on the buoy program, kicked off in 2019. “We got the first one in the water in the latter part of 2020,” Kitchin says. “We knew our sister association on Lake Martin had started a program three or four years earlier, so we talked to them, then brought the idea here. We launched the program in conjunction with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) marine division.”
The group started by asking for buoy sponsors to raise the money to purchase and maintain the buoys. In the beginning, they were only able to purchase a few buoys, and none were lighted. Those have since been replaced with lighted ones. Right now, they have 70 lighted buoys installed and have ordered 15 more.
“The cost of the buoys has gone up significantly this year,” says Kitchin. “Each buoy, including maintenance is costing about $700 and every summer, we have to replace two or three that get hit or vandalized.” They have yet to reach their initial goal of 100 buoys installed. Placement of the buoys, he adds, is determined by recommendations, accidents or issues and is decided by ALEA.
Lake Cleanup
Safety for people is not the only focus for the work of the LMLPA. They help to protect wildlife as well, through their fishing line collection and recycling program. Eagles, osprey, ducks and other birds around the lake can get caught in the fishing line left in the water or along the shorelines.
Randy Sparks manages the six fishing line stations set up at Riverside, Lakeside Park, Town and Country, General Lee, Poor House and Clear Creek. “We collect it and ship it to a company in Iowa that recycles it,” says Sparks. “The spools are also recycled and most of this is made into plastic tackle boxes.”
Managing the annual lake cleanup is also a major project for LMLPA. Each March, for the last 26 years, they have worked with “Renew Our Rivers,” a lake cleanup program sponsored by Southern Company on each of their hydroelectric dam lakes. Each year, a staggering 10 to 12 tons of trash and other large debris are removed from Logan Martin. Volunteers meet at one of six locations from Clear Creek near the dam to Lincoln to pick up bags and gloves and return the trash to the same location.
Lincoln’s Landing is the first site to see the benefit of the association’s latest project to obtain and install accessibility lifts. “I’d seen an article on these lifts,” says project coordinator Arlene Johnson, “and I thought we might need to do some of these. I thought of Lincoln’s Landing. The idea is to provide access to people who are handicapped to be able to use a boat and enjoy the lake.”
Johnson found a vendor and a local supplier, got board approval and in May of 2022, the lift was installed at Lincoln’s Landing. The lift itself was paid for through a grant from The Noble Foundation and the City of Lincoln.
Pell City’s Lakeside Park is the next location to receive an accessibility lift. “We just have to figure out where to put it,” explains Johnson. “It has to have a non-floating dock to be attached to, so we’ll either need to find a place or build one.”
The goal is for LMLPA to be able to add a third lift, which would be installed on the lower part of the lake at Double Cove Park.
Superhero work sometimes comes from regular folks. These are ordinary people, but through the LMLPA, these residents and friends of Logan Martin are showing their extraordinary passion for this body of water and the people who love it.
The group is small with just 175 members, so the workload is heavy. If you would like to show your dedication to protecting Logan Martin, they would appreciate your help. Support their efforts or join the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association at www.lmlpa.org.
Membership is $25 per family. You’ll feel like a superhero, or at the very least, extraordinary.
If you can’t imagine a Fourth of July celebration without fireworks, that’s because it has been part of the tradition since nearly the beginning of America’s birth as a nation.
During the early months of the Revolutionary War in 1776, delegates to the Continental Congress debated whether the 13 colonies should declare independence from Britain and King George.
On July 1, 12 of the colonies did so. New York, the 13th, would follow suit on July 9. On July 2, with independence plainly in sight and final drafts of the Declaration of Independence being revised, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail:
“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival … It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”
And as Adams predicted, it was. On July 4, 1777, the first organized 4th of July celebration was held in Philadelphia. The next day, the Pennsylvania Evening Post reported: “The evening was closed with the ringing of bells, and at night there was a grand exhibition of fireworks (which began and concluded with thirteen rockets) on the Commons, and the city was beautifully illuminated.”
Two hundred and forty-eight years later, the tradition continues. Our lakes are popular venues for the nighttime show beautifully illuminating the waters below. Here’s a roundup of fireworks shows throughout the lake region:
Logan Martin Lake
City of Pell City, Pell City Lakeside Park, July 4, around 9 p.m.
River’s Edge Marina, July 5, Event kicks off at 6:30 p.m.; fireworks after dark
Back Porch Grill/Clear Creek Marina, July 3, after dark
City of Lincoln, July 5, Lincoln’s Landing, after dark
City of Talladega, July 4, Battery Park, after dark
Neely Henry Lake
City of Rainbow City, June 28 event starts at 5 p.m. with food trucks, live music, Kia Sports Complex, 625 Kinizie Lane; Drone Show begins at 9 p.m. (ideal for sensory sensitive audience).
City of Gadsden, July 4 event starts at 6 p.m. with vendors, live music, and fireworks visible after dark; First Street, Riverside Drive. Fireworks show hosted by Gadsden-Etowah Patriots at Riverwalk Park at Coosa Landing, 108 North Hood Avenue
Pro fishing tips on Logan Martin Lake and Neely Henry Lake with Zeke Gossett
Logan Martin
Logan Martin’s water levels will be changing during the months of May and June, and in turn, the patterns of bass will be changing during these months as well.
Early on in May, you can still see bass on beds and also catch fish out deep. Typically, in May, bass will be very spread out and in very different phases of the spawn. However, for the majority of the time in May, your better fish are still going to be shallow.
The water on Logan Martin is just starting to rise and get to summer pool. The fish will follow this water up and stay shallow during May. There are a couple of key baits I like to use in order to catch fish while they’re in their post spawn funk.
The first bait I’m going to reach for early, especially in the morning, is a swim jig. What I like about the swim jig is that it is very versatile. This bait is great around almost any kind of shallow structure, such as docks, trees and grass. The swim jig allows me to cover water fast and efficiently in order to capitalize on the daylight bite.
Once the sun finally starts to get up, I’ll start casting to isolated structure with a wacky rigged worm. This is a great way to just get bites and get those post spawn fish to bite. I usually target really shallow docks with this bait, along with casting to what bedding fish might be left.
Once we start getting into the month of June, the water temps will begin to rise, and the shallows will begin to slowly lose oxygen, especially if there is a lack of rain. The fish will start schooling up on the end of long points and humps anywhere from 10 to 20 feet of water.
I also like to target brush piles in this depth as well. My favorite bait to target these fish are a deep diving crankbait and drop shot rig. Some of the biggest offshore fish I catch all year will come on the crank bait most of the time. The crankbait is an awesome way to really fire up a school of bass and get more fish to bite in the school.
The drop shot seems to excel a lot more in brush piles because it is more of a reaction type bite if you drop it right in the brush pile. I feel like the drop shot is always my best chance to get bit in the brush pile no matter what size of fish might be in the pile.
These fish are typically more lethargic since they’re usually pretty beaten up from the spawn.
Give these techniques a try and you will find success during these months on Logan Martin.
Neely Henry
Neely Henry is a shallow fisherman’s paradise during the months of May and June. On top of that, a few deep fish will start showing up as well.
During these months, you will still catch your better fish shallow. I love to fish around shallow grass in the mid-lake region with a swim jig and frog. I typically keep my eyes peeled for bream beds as well.
Also, another great way to catch fish on Neely Henry is super shallow docks. When I say shallow docks, I’m talking any docks with five-foot depth or less of water.
I let the weather tell me what I need to throw around them. If it’s in and out clouds, typically I like to throw more of a moving bait like a bladed jig or squarebill crankbait. If it’s slick calm and sunny, I’ll pick up some type of Texas rigged worm and drag it on the bottom around the docks.
Now, moving into the month of June, some fish will make their move out to deeper water. Most of the time on Neely, I’ll find fish in that mid-range depth around the 10 to 15-foot mark. You will most of the time find these fish off the end of long points or in brush piles.
I will use my electronics in order to find these fish as well. I will keep my bait selection simple if I’m wanting to figure out fast if the fish are doing this pattern.
One of my favorite baits to pick up first is a football jig. The football jig is a very versatile bait for offshore angling. I like to either keep it close to the bottom or if I’m wanting to cover water fast, I’ll just swim it close to the bottom.
Another great option if things are tough is a drop shot. A drop shot will produce bites when nothing else will.
Keep an open mind this time of year and don’t be afraid to try something new. It might surprise you how good the fish can really bite on Neely Henry even when the fish might be in in their post spawn funk.
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.
