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Tallapoosa River Fishing Report

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

Alabama’s shoal river: the Tallapoosa runs bass through shoals above Lake Martin.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
218 cfs
Air / High
94 / 95 F
Wind
ESE 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02414500, 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Tallapoosa River stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. The river is running 218 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 95. 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

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

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

Largemouth bassFair

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.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

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 97 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 Tallapoosa River at Wadley.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02414500.

1,5103,9096,308218 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp94 F
High / Low95 / 73 F
WindESE 7-12 mph
Pressure1013.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain4% cloud, 4%
Sunrise / Sunset06:18 / 19:03
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 · Partly cloudy, 95/73 F, wind 7 mph, rain 4%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Tallapoosa River: 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.

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.

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.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Tallapoosa River 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
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
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 Tallapoosa River 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. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 94 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 92 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 92 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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. Black bass regulations apply, with specific protections for native shoal and redeye bass on some reaches: check current ADCNR rules.

Access

Public landings on the river and reservoirs; Horseshoe Bend area and Wadley reaches for free-flowing water.

About this water

A 265-mile river from north Georgia to the Coosa system across east Alabama.

Fishing Tallapoosa River: the full guide

A river through the Piedmont

The Tallapoosa River flows about 265 miles from northern Georgia across eastern Alabama to the Coosa at Lake Jordan, passing through Lake Martin and Yates and Thurlow reservoirs. Its free-flowing reaches hold shoal bass, spotted bass and redeye bass over rock, while the impoundments and tailwaters hold largemouth, striped bass and catfish.

Shoal bass water

The reaches above Lake Martin and the shoals downstream of the dams hold Tallapoosa bass and shoal bass over rock and current, fished with tubes, jigs, crankbaits and topwater. It is wading and kayak water: the shoals are shallow, rocky and rewarding, and the fish are strong for their size. Handle native bass carefully.

Tailwaters and reservoirs

The Thurlow tailwater below Lake Martin holds striped bass, hybrids and largemouth, with generation dictating access. Lake Martin itself is a major spotted bass and striper fishery. Knowing the generation schedule is essential on the tailwater reaches, where flows change quickly and without local warning.

East Alabama logistics

Access is via public landings on the river and reservoirs, with the Horseshoe Bend National Military Park area and Wadley reaches serving the free-flowing water. Alexander City and Dadeville are the base towns. Alabama Power publishes generation information for the dams: check it before wading anything.

Common questions

Where are the shoals?

Above Lake Martin and in the reaches below the dams: shallow rocky water fished by wading and kayak.

Which bass live here?

Shoal, redeye and spotted bass in the flowing water; largemouth and stripers in the impoundments and tailwaters.

Is generation a factor?

Yes: flows below the dams change quickly. Check Alabama Power schedules before wading.

Is fishing good at Tallapoosa River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

West Point Lake25 miLake Martin29 miLake Harding41 miLogan Martin Lake46 miLay Lake55 miWeiss Lake57 mi
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