Thurlow and Yates
 |
Fish and Fishing in
Yates and Thurlow Reservoirs |
 |
|
Yates and Thurlow Reservoirs are located in east central Alabama about 30 miles northeast of Montgomery. These are small reservoirs, relative to other Alabama Power Company impoundments. Yates Reservoir covers 1,980-acres and is located immediately downstream from the much larger Lake Martin. Just downstream from Yates Reservoir is the 585-acre Thurlow Reservoir. Below Thurlow Dam, the Tallapoosa River is free flowing to its confluence with the Coosa River to form the Alabama River. |
Looking at Yates dam and across Thurlow Lake from Hwy 14.
|
|
Water released from Lake Martin is cool and infertile, which dictates the character of Yates and Thurlow Reservoirs. The cool water results in a shorter growing season for fish in Yates and Thurlow. Low fertility means that shad, the main forage of game fish, are not as abundant in Yates and Thurlow as in many other Alabama reservoirs. In spite of these points, fishing in Yates and Thurlow is often quite good, mainly because these reservoirs are relatively unknown outside the local area. |
|
Bass fishing is very popular at Yates and Thurlow. The fishery includes both spotted bass and largemouth bass. Other species of angling interest include: striped bass, white bass, black crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish and channel catfish. Large striped bass prefer cool water, so these fish can often be found in the upper end of Yates Reservoir, below Martin Dam. This is one of the best locations in Alabama to have a chance to catch a striped bass exceeding 40 pounds. Yates and Thurlow also have a reputation for producing large redear sunfish (shellcrackers) and bluegill. |
|
Access to Yates Reservoir is available at the Yates Dam Park, maintained by Alabama Power Company, which includes a boat ramp, parking and picnic tables. Travel north from Tallassee on Elmore County Road 44 (North Ann Street) for three miles to the entrance road to Yates Dam. A more primitive ramp is located close to Martin Dam, off Alabama Highway 50, on the west side of the reservoir. This provides quick access to the Martin Dam tailrace, but be careful, the upper end of Yates Reservoir is shallow and rocky. |
Primitive access near Lake Martin dam. Additional access is near Yates dam.
|
|
Access to Thurlow Reservoir is available at a park maintained by the City of Tallassee, located on Roosevelt Street, just off Gilmer Avenue (Highway 229). This park includes a boat ramp, parking, restrooms, picnic tables and a handicapped accessible boardwalk along the water’s edge.
Links (disclaimer): |
|
Fishing license information may be found at: www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/license/; annual fishing licenses are good for 365 days. Instant licensing is available via the Internet (2% fee), via the telephone by calling 1-888-848-6887 ($3.95 fee), or at 900 vendors and probate offices in Alabama. All youth age 15 and younger fish for free.
Possession and creel limits for Alabama public waters are listed at: www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/regulations/
Being small and relatively unknown, few bass tournaments are held in Yates Lake or Thurlow Lake. The bass club tournament results that are submitted are found here.
If you are a member of a bass club, please consider being a part of our Bass Angler Information Team. We use information from clubs to help better manage your lakes for fishing. We need more information on Yates and Thurlow.
State fish management information and Alabama reservoir location, size and elevation are listed at: www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/where/reservoirs/
The Geological Survey of Alabama has interactive maps showing the locations of boat ramps at: www.gsa.state.al.us/gsa/GIS/boataccessdetails.html
Alabama Power Company provides information through www.southernco.com/hydro/home.asp.
Additional information about the local area is available at: www.montgomerychamber.com
Bass fishing reports for Yates and Thurlow may be available at: www.wmi.org/bassfish/reports/alabama/.
Current water levels may be found for Yates Dam at: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/al/hydro.html
It shall be unlawful to intentionally stock or release any fish, mussel, snail, crayfish or their embryos including bait fish into the public waters of Alabama under the jurisdiction of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries as provided in Rule 220-2-.42 except those waters from which it came without the written permission of a designated employee of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources authorized by the Director of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries to issue such permit. The provisions of this rule shall not apply to the incidental release of bait into the water during the normal process of fishing.
The Fisheries Section's District Supervisor can answer specific questions about Yates Lake or Thurlow Lake by sending mail to: Chris.Greene@dcnr.alabama.gov.
Prepared by: Fisheries Section, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. This site is presented for information only; the Fisheries Section cannot be responsible for the quality of information or services offered through linked sites, disclaimer. To have your site included, send your URL, email address, or telephone number to the Fisheries Web Master, doug.darr@dcnr.alabama.gov. The Fisheries Section reserves the right to select sites based on relevant and appropriate content, of interest to our viewers. If you discover errors in the content or links of this page, please contact Doug Darr. Thank you.
|
