Eufaula, Alabama: a Fishing Town

It should come as no surprise that the mayor of Eufaula, Alabama is a serious bass fisherman. Lake Eufaula, after is, is often dubbed "the bass capital of the world," and folks in the town of the same name, whether or not they fish, obviously value the fishermen who come to town. Mayor Jack Tibbs has fished Lake Eufaula since he was a boy and began fishing tournaments while he was still in his teens. He loves to talk about fishing ad about Lake Eufaula with anyone who wants to exchange fish stories.

I enjoyed listening to Mayor Tibbs talking about fishing a few evenings this week as a group of outdoor writers, fishing pros and folks from the town Eufaula, Phoenix Bass Boats and the Alabama Bass Trail sat together around the dinner table after days on the water. Even outside our our group, I could tell that people in town appreciated visiting anglers and were hopeful that we were catching fish and enjoying the lake and the area.

I also got my first samples of Lake Eufaula bass fishing and learned that as legendary as the lake is for its offshore fishing, it's also a fine place to flip soft plastics or swim a jig around pads and other shallow vegetation. Elite Series pro Russ Lane found a bass that approached 10 pounds within the first hour of fishing while cranking an offshore ledge with another writer. An hour later, when I joined him in the boat, Lane moved shallow and proceeded to catch several chunky largemouths from less than a couple of feet of water before lunchtime.

I definitely was impressed with my first visit to Lake Eufaula and look forward to the next visit!