Yates Lake fishing offers about 2,000 acres of lightly pressured Tallapoosa River water near Tallassee, Alabama — an Alabama Power hydro pool impounded in 1928 between Lake Martin upstream and Lake Thurlow below.
Yates Lake is the small hydro pool that sits between Lake Martin and Lake Thurlow on the lower Tallapoosa River, named for Eugene A. Yates, the Chief Engineer Alabama Power hired in 1912 to oversee the dam-building era on the Coosa and Tallapoosa. The dam was impounded July 1, 1928, replacing an earlier hydroelectric structure first built in 1902 — the first hydroelectric dam in Alabama. At roughly 2,000 acres the pool is compact and river-shaped, running through Tallapoosa and Elmore counties near the town of Tallassee. Fishing pressure is light compared to the massive Martin pool upstream. That thin pressure is the lake's main advantage: Coosa-strain spotted bass, largemouth, and catfish work the main-river structure without the weekend tournament crowds that define Martin. Alabama Power maintains one public access site on Yates. Anglers who make the effort to put in find a quiet pool that fishes best in spring and fall when water temperature swings draw fish shallow.
“Yates Lake holds fish in patterns you can set your watch to. The bite isn't a secret — it's what most fishermen don't know about where the grass thins onto a hard ledge.”
Alabama Fishing Atlas Editorial
Fishing Yates Lake on video
Fishin Yates dam & jaybird boat ramp (Alabama)
Yates Dam angler footage
Fishing the Tallapoosa River in Alabama with Matt Lewis
Major and minor solunar windows shift daily with the moon’s transit. Fish the windows above, or check the Seasonal Playbook below for Yates Lake’s current pattern.
03 · The Calendar
Seasonal Playbook
March through May water temperatures climb from the mid-50s into the low 70s on Yates Lake. Pre-spawn spotted bass move to main-river secondary points and rocky transitions in 8-14 feet — a jerkbait with a long pause or a 3-inch swimbait on a 1/4-ounce head covers both depth ranges effectively. Largemouth push into any pocket water and flooded shoreline cover on the upper end of the pool near the Martin tailrace inflow, where warmer oxygenated water arrives first. Spawn timing mirrors the Martin-Thurlow chain: beds appear on flat gravel and sandy pockets in late March through mid-April when water temperatures hit 62-68°F. Light fishing pressure is the defining Yates advantage in spring — fish see far fewer artificial presentations than their Martin neighbors upstream. A wacky-rigged stick bait or drop-shot on sight-fished beds will produce in the shallows with minimal competition from other boats.
June through August Yates Lake does what small Tallapoosa River impoundments do — fish go deep and shade up. Spotted bass stack on main-channel points and the Yates forebay in 15-30 feet when surface temperatures push into the low 80s. Drop-shot with a small shad-colored worm and shaky head on a 3/16-ounce head are the practical finesse presentations for this depth range. Generation current from Martin Dam upstream regularly pushes cooler, oxygenated water into the headwaters end of the pool and concentrates baitfish near the inflow; that current seam rewards a swimbait or underspin fished just inside the faster water on the calmer side of the current break. Catfish go active after dark on the river channel — live bait or cut shad on the bottom in 10-20 feet of water in the deeper river bends. Night fishing is lightly pressured and produces well on both catfish and spotted bass during summer.
September through November is the best all-around window on Yates Lake for spotted bass. Falling water temperatures from the mid-70s through the mid-50s pull spots out of deep summer staging and into creek-mouth transitions, main-river points, and the upper-pool shad flat in 4-18 feet. Lipless crankbaits and walking topwater baits on calm mornings produce the sharpest reaction bites when surface schooling activity appears. The pool is narrow and the shad school up quickly in a confined body of water — watch for birds and surface commotion, then run to it and cast a Spook or Fluke into the melee. Spotted bass in fall Yates are aggressive and less spooky than summer fish. By late October the water cools into the 60s and fish stack tighter to main-river rock on the mid-pool channel swings. A medium-diving crankbait in shad color works the 8-14 foot rocky transitions all day long through November.
December through February Yates Lake fishes slowly but rewards patient anglers who work the deep main-channel structure. Spotted bass hold on the deepest available rock in 20-40 feet — drop-shot with a small morning-dawn or shad-colored worm and blade bait fished vertically are the primary winter presentations. The Yates forebay directly above the dam concentrates bass in winter when generation pulls current and depth stacks fish against the rock face at the dam. Slow down every presentation: count the bait down to the fish level, move it twice, and wait. Catfish stay active in the deep river bends through the cold months — live bait or stink bait on the bottom in the 15-25 foot channel. Light pressure means wintertime spotted bass on Yates are generally less finesse-pressured than fish on Lake Martin upstream. On bright, calm afternoons after a warming trend, fish sometimes push to 12-18 foot rock where sunlight warms the substrate and triggers a feeding window.
12-month calendar
Tap any month to expand pattern notes. Legend: B = Bass · C = Crappie · S = Striper · Cf = Catfish.
Tournament pros have been decoding Yates Lake for five decades. Every tip on this card is cited to the original weigh-in recap or angler interview — no paraphrased fluff, no invented quotes.
2026 · spring
Alabama Power Shorelines — Yates lake operations record
Yates Lake reservoir facts page
Yates Dam was impounded July 1, 1928, named for Eugene A. Yates, Chief Engineer hired by Alabama Power in 1912. The pool is approximately 2,000 acres between Martin Dam upstream and Thurlow Dam downstream on the Tallapoosa River.
The pattern: Yates is narrow and short — you can cover the productive water in a morning. Plan two anchors: the Martin Dam tailrace at the top (current, oxygenated water, shad) and the Yates Dam forebay at the bottom (deep rock stacked against the dam face). Between those two zones, mid-pool channel swings carry Coosa-strain spotted bass on the same rocky structure that defines the chain. Check Alabama Power Shorelines for Martin Dam generation schedule before launching — when the generators are pulling, the upper end turns into river-current habitat and the bite shifts to the top.
2025 · summer
Wikipedia — Tallapoosa River chain record
Tallapoosa chain history record
The Alabama Power Company began to develop the Tallapoosa River in 1923 and in the following ten years three power plants built by the Alabama Power Company were built along the Tallapoosa River. Composed of the Thurlow Dam, the Yates Dam, and Martin Dam, these power plants have a combined capacity of 269,000 horsepower.
The pattern: Yates is the middle dam of the Tallapoosa three. Generation pulses start at Martin, roll through Yates, and exit into Thurlow. On a heavy Martin release, the Yates upper pool turns into river-current habitat — throw jerkbaits, swimbaits, or inline spinners on rocky current breaks. On slack conditions, drop down to the Yates Dam forebay and fish deep rock.
2024 · fall
ADCNR Outdoor Alabama — Tallapoosa River fishery
ADCNR Tallapoosa chain fishery note
The Tallapoosa River and Yates Reservoir also host spotted bass, largemouth bass, and striped bass.
The pattern: Striped bass are an underused Yates species — the fish migrate up from the lower Coosa-Alabama system and stack in the Martin Dam tailrace when generators run. Throw a big swimbait or live shad on the current seams at the top of Yates in spring and fall for the least-pressured striper bite on the Tallapoosa chain.
Fishing the Tallapoosa River in Alabama with Matt Lewis
Source: YouTube, Matt Lewis — Tallapoosa River
06 · Planning the Trip
Stay & Eat
Where to Stay on Yates Lake
Lodging near the ramps. Some links below are affiliate partnerships (Booking.com, VRBO) — they cost you nothing extra and help keep the Atlas free. Full disclosure →
Wind Creek State Park Lodge & Cabins
state park-lodge · Alexander City
4325 Alabama Highway 128, Alexander City, AL 35010
Closest full-service state-park lodging to Yates Lake — 7 air-conditioned camping cabins plus 586-site campground, 25-30 minutes north to the Yates access. Reserve via https://reserve.alapark.com/wind-creek.
East-side Lake Martin resort with full-service marina — about 35 minutes from the Yates Lake access but convenient when combining Martin and Yates trips on the same weekend.
4325 Alabama Highway 128, Alexander City, AL 35010
586-site campground on Lake Martin ~30 minutes north of Yates — primary Tallapoosa chain camping base. Improved sites, primitive sites, modern cabins, swim beach, full-service marina.
Historic lakefront restaurant on the south end of Lake Martin — open since the 1940s. Closest fishing-trip dinner stop for anglers running Yates from the Martin side. Walk-ins only.
SpringHouse at Russell Crossroads
12 Benson Mill Road, Alexander City, AL 35010 · Southern, fine dining
1,444-acre lakeside state park on Lake Martin — 586-site campground, swimming beach, marina with boat rentals, fishing pier, 6-lane ramp, zipline, and trails. Largest state-park camping footprint in Alabama.
Creek War battlefield on the Tallapoosa River — site of the decisive March 27, 1814 Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Free admission. About an hour north of Yates.
National Historic Landmark at the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers near Wetumpka — French colonial fort reconstruction plus Andrew Jackson–era fortifications. About 35-40 minutes southwest of Yates.
South-end Lake Martin village with SpringHouse, Catherine's Market, the Stable, and trailheads — good rain-day fallback when a Yates trip blows out.
07 · Launch Day
On the Water
Boat ramps
concrete rampOpen
Yates Lake Alabama Power Public Access
Tallassee
Parking
20 spots
Fee
Free
Alabama Power maintains one public access site on Yates Lake near Tallassee. Verify current status and directions through Alabama Power Shorelines (apcshorelines.com) before launching.
5-fish combined (largemouth/spotted/smallmouth) · 12-inch statewide minimum (no lake-specific slot)
Crappie
30 per day · 9-inch minimum
Striped/White Bass
Yates Lake is an Alabama Power hydro reservoir — check apcshorelines.com for current shoreline access and generation schedule before launching. Release schedule affects headwaters current near Martin Dam tailrace.
Alabama fishing license required for all anglers over 16. Always verify current rules before your trip.
Yates Lake holds Coosa-strain spotted bass, largemouth bass, channel and blue catfish, crappie, and bream. Spotted bass dominate the main-river structure — the same Coosa-Tallapoosa chain genetics that produce tournament fish on Lake Martin upstream.
Yates Lake is on the Tallapoosa River near Tallassee, Alabama, in Tallapoosa and Elmore counties. It sits between Lake Martin upstream and Lake Thurlow downstream on the lower Tallapoosa River chain.
Alabama Power impounded Yates Lake on July 1, 1928. The lake is named for Eugene A. Yates, the Chief Engineer hired by Alabama Power in 1912 to oversee dam construction on the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers.
Yates Lake offers lightly pressured spotted bass and largemouth fishing on the Tallapoosa River chain. The pool is small at roughly 2,000 acres, which means less boat traffic than Lake Martin but the same Coosa-strain spotted bass genetics working the main-river points and rocky structure.
Fishing regulations, water conditions, and seasonal patterns change. Alabama Fishing Atlas provides informational content only. Verify all regulations with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before fishing, keeping any fish, or launching watercraft. We are not liable for decisions made based on information published here. Full disclaimer →
Citation
Data sources
—Wikipedia — Tallapoosa River (Yates Dam section, impounded July 1, 1928, named for Eugene A. Yates)
—Alabama Power Company — Tallapoosa River Hydroelectric System (apcshorelines.com/lake/yates/)
—Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) — Coosa-Tallapoosa chain spotted bass fisheries
—USGS StreamStats — Tallapoosa River basin hydrology
—Wikimedia Commons — File:TallapoosaRiverYatesDam.jpg (Public Domain, Mike Cline)
