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Neely Henry Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Upper Coosa current: Neely Henry’s grass and rock hold the spotted bass that make this river famous.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Flow
776 cfs
Air / High
98 / 98 F
Wind
E 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02400496, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Neely Henry Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The river is running 776 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings a mixed sky, wind E around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 98. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassFair

Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassSlow

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 102 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Coosa River at Gadsden.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02400496.

2,3455,2588,171776 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low98 / 72 F
WindE 5-7 mph
Pressure1013.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain25% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:20 / 19:06
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 98/72 F, wind 11 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 11 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Neely Henry Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

When to come: the Neely Henry Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Neely Henry Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 95 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 95 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Alabama requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Alabama license. Bass and crappie limits per current ADCNR regulations.

Access

Coosa Landing (Gadsden), Rainbow Landing and Alabama Power public ramps.

About this water

An 11,200-acre Alabama Power reservoir on the Coosa River between Gadsden and Ohatchee, Etowah and Calhoun counties, Alabama.

Fishing Neely Henry Lake: the full guide

A river lake above Logan Martin

Neely Henry Lake impounds 11,200 acres of the Coosa River between Gadsden and Ohatchee, the next reservoir up the chain from Logan Martin. Like its neighbors it fishes as a river: current from Alabama Power generation defines the day, and the Coosa-strain spotted bass that made this river system famous stack on every current break. Largemouth, crappie, catfish and hybrid stripers round out the fishery.

Spots and grass

Neely Henry carries more aquatic vegetation than the lakes below it, which changes the game: bass relate to hydrilla and milfoil edges as well as rock. Work the grass lines with lipless cranks, swim jigs and soft plastics, and the riprap and bridge pilings with shaky heads and jerkbaits when current runs. Spring pushes fish into the creeks and backs of the sloughs; summer sends them to the main-river structure.

The rest of the card

Crappie stack in the brush and around bridge structure: spring and fall are prime, with winter fish deeper on the ledges. Catfish work the channel edges and flats, and hybrid stripers push up toward the dams chasing shad in the cooler months. The upper end near Gadsden fishes more like a river, with current and shoals rather than open water.

Gadsden logistics

Public ramps at Coosa Landing in Gadsden, Rainbow Landing and several Alabama Power access areas serve the lake. Generation schedules are published and worth checking: they determine which end fishes best. The lake sees steady tournament traffic and moderate recreational use, with weekday mornings the quiet window.

Common questions

What makes Coosa spotted bass special?

They fight harder pound for pound than almost any black bass: a three-pound Coosa spot behaves like a much larger fish.

Is there grass?

More than the lakes downstream: hydrilla and milfoil edges are a genuine pattern here alongside the rock and current structure.

When is the best fishing?

March through May and October, with current periods producing the best bites year-round.

Is fishing good at Neely Henry Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Logan Martin Lake34 miLake Guntersville41 miLay Lake56 miTallapoosa River61 miLewis Smith Lake63 miLake Martin76 mi
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