Turner and Lay Win 2024 ABT Championship at Lay Lake | Bass Angler Magazine

The 2024 Alabama Bass Trail (ABT) Championship was held on October 18-19 at Lay Lake, bringing together 175 teams for a highly anticipated, no-entry-fee event. With a guaranteed $50,000 first-place prize and another $50,000 distributed through the 25th place, the competition was intense. The field included the top 75 teams from the north and south divisions, along with college teams, couple teams, student teams, and divisional tournament winners, all battling it out over two days.

Challenging Fishing Conditions on Lay Lake

Anglers faced tough conditions due to the cool October weather, which scattered the fish and made locating them a challenge. Mornings started foggy, and on Day 2, a 45-minute fog delay disrupted the early bite, with teams missing the chance to target fish in the shallow waters.

Lay Lake, known for its abundant spotted and largemouth bass, required anglers to fish both shallow and deep to secure solid limits. Many teams adopted a strategy they described as “junk fishing,” meaning they used a wide variety of techniques to adapt to the changing conditions. Consistency was key, and the teams that adjusted quickly to these tough conditions found success.

Nail-Biting Weigh-In Finale

The weigh-in on the final day brought high drama as Bret Harrel and Tyler Smart took the Phoenix Boat Hot Seats with a combined weight of 30.91 pounds. As team after team attempted to surpass their total, no one could knock them off the hot seats—until the last team.

Day 1 leaders Nicholas Turner and Joe Lay were the final team to weigh in. Needing just 13.51 pounds to win, they dropped 14.03 pounds on the scales, securing the title of 2024 ABT Champions and walking away with the $50,000 grand prize. Their final weight was 31.43 pounds, making for a thrilling finish to a competitive event.

ABT Champions Turner and Lay: Beating the Local Curse

As locals on Lay Lake, Nicholas Turner and Joe Lay broke the infamous “local lake curse” by winning the championship. They leaned heavily on their local knowledge, fishing based on past experiences. Their approach was simple: “junk fishing,” using a mix of soft plastics, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and trick worms. Turner said, “We really mixed it up,” with rods rigged for every potential scenario on their boat deck.

Turner explained the challenges of the lake: “It just hasn’t got cold enough and the water temp is just not there, there are a few shallow fish they just aren’t all there. There are a few fish offshore, lots of fish are suspended currently floating around and scattered in between.” Their strategy included exploring areas filled with timber, where Turner noted there were “sweet spots in the timber” that could only be found by spending time on the water and learning the lake. Their winning catch came late on Day 2, when they hooked their biggest fish right before pulling up the trolling motor at 3:30, pushing them to the final weight of 31.43 pounds.

Second Place Finishers: Bret Harrell and Tyler Smart

Harrell and Smart, seasoned competitors with three Top 5 finishes in the ABT Championship, had another strong showing in 2024. Despite some setbacks, they ended up in second place, securing a $10,000 payday. The duo shared that they had only two days to pre-fish the lake, finding fish in shallow grass pockets.

Harrell explained, “The cold front moved in this week and the water dropped 12 degrees, and the fish were still in the same places but seemed really lethargic. We just went junk fishing in those areas and caught two or three solid fish in each area.” Their main baits included the Spro Frog and Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver, with much of their fishing in a creek with mixed grass and docks.

Their total after Day 1 was 13.76 pounds, putting them in 15th place, but they surged up the leaderboard on the final day. Reflecting on their narrow loss, Smart said, “We hoped if we do lose, it is more than by a half of a pound because yesterday we lost a fish that would have given us that and maybe more.”

Third Place: Walker Brown and Sloan Pennington

The third-place team, Walker Brown and Sloan Pennington, described their practice as “not good.” Brown, who grew up fishing Lay Lake, was disappointed by the tough conditions during practice. However, on tournament day, they abandoned their practice strategy and went with a new approach. Brown shared, “We didn’t fish a single thing we fished in practice on Day 1, and on Day 2, we didn’t fish a single thing from Day 1.”

The team relied on a Green Pumpkin Davis Shaky Head and NetBait B-Bug for flipping grass. After some tough luck on Day 1, including losing a couple of 4-pounders, they regrouped on Day 2 and finished strong with a total weight of 30.21 pounds, earning them $5,000.

Lay Lake: A Premier Fishing Destination

The 2024 Alabama Bass Trail (ABT) Championship was another successful event, solidifying Lay Lake’s reputation as a premier bass fishing destination. The tough conditions, thrilling competition, and impressive finishes made for a memorable championship. For more highlights and event coverage, visit Alabama Bass Trail.