BassFan 3 For 3: Arey, Davis and Canterbury on Lake Martin

Stark contrast on tap compared to Lake Guntersville

February 11, 2026 By Todd Ceisner

The second stop of the Bassmaster Elite Series season kicks off Thursday at Lake Martin and it couldn’t be a more stark contrast to last week’s season opener at Lake Guntersville.

For starters, the field will be able to utilize live sonar and it’ll certainly be a primary tool for a lot of competitors on the deep, clear 44,000-acre impoundment on the Tallapoosa River. Last week, live sonar was not permitted.

At Guntersville, 20-pound bags were plentiful and 5-pound bass were common. At Martin, a 20-pound bag would be an aberration and a 5-pound kicker, heck even a 4-pounder, will be hard to come by.

The water at Martin is approximately 7 feet below normal for this time of year so it’s taken a fair amount of shallow cover out of play. Water temperatures are hovering in the upper 40s to low 50s and with some sun in the forecast it could keep rising.

The last time Bassmaster visited Lake Martin was in mid-October 2024 for the final Bassmaster Open of the year. Floridian Bobby Bakewell caught 35-15 over three days to claim the win. The most recent Elite Series stop at Martin occurred in February 2018 when Takahiro Omori relied on a shallow cranking bite to win with a four-day total of 59-08.

We caught up with three anglers – Matt Arey, Will Davis Jr. and Scott Canterbury – to get their view on how they’re approaching this event.

What do you see as the biggest challenge this week and why?

Matt Arey: “Making a decision on whether and when to switch from spots to largemouth. It’s such a timing deal on finding an above-average specimen that’s willing to bite. Right now, 10 pounds is hard to come by on spots. That’s the goal. I’m going to beat the spotted bass horse until 12:30 or 1 o’clock. If I have 10, I might bail on it. If I don’t, I’ll try to cull up to 10 or so. Catching two-pounders is at a premium right now.”

Will Davis Jr.: “Finding the right fish and knowing you’re going to have move a bunch. There is not a lot of big fish in this lake. It’s always been one of those deals where you have to catch a big one or two to win a Saturday derby. When I say big, I mean 4 to 5 pounds. There are some big largemouth in here but all the little Kentucky spots eat up all the bait.”

Scott Canterbury: “Getting a kicker largemouth bite. With the water as low as it is, I guess that cold hurt it more than I was expecting it to. It’s really clear. I live 90 minutes from here and I used to fish it all the time, but it’s changed a lot. It’s fishing really, really tough for some reason. The water is warming up but I don’t know if they know it’s warming up. We’re going to get some sun, which will be good, because that’s what these fish on these clear water lakes like.”

Describe your level of confidence entering this event?

Arey: “I am confident that I’m dialed into a zone and a bait that I need to focus on to put myself in a position to get a better than average bite, which is a 1-13 or 1-14. I’m not joking. There 1-06s and 1-08s everywhere. I’m trying to key in those more isolated bigger fish.”

Davis: “I’d say my confidence is a 9 out of 10, but I say that very lightly. I feel good about it. It’s setting up the way I like it. That said, you have to have one or two big ones here.”

Canterbury: “I’m optimistic. It’s been a really tough practice. I’m hoping some things are still changing. If it changes quick enough remains to be seen. If I can get a good start and have some more practice time, I’ll feel good.”