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By Roger Perkins | Chilton County Commissioner

The Coosa River. A 280-mile-long tributary of the Alabama River beginning in Rome, Georgia and concluding just north of Montgomery. Over 90 % of the Coosa River is inside the boundaries of Alabama. Alabama Power’s hydroelectric dams result in the Coosa consisting of seven reservoirs. Three of these reservoirs contact Chilton County, acting as our entire eastern boundary of the county.

Starting with Lay Lake, a 12,000-acre impoundment located in the northeastern half of the county can be accessed in the county via a public launch, commonly called the “flat lands” by locals, at the end of County Road 607. Heading southward to Lake Mitchell, a 6,000-acre reservoir makes up the majority of the county line. Lake Mitchell offers many boat launches, marinas and restaurants on the water. These amenities are completely encompassed by Chilton County. Lake Jordan, a 7,000-acre reservoir to the southeastern corner off Highway 22, completes the journey through the county.

All these reservoirs are important and contribute to the county in many ways. With the county touching the full run of Lake Mitchell and having so many amenities inside the county, it is by far the most popular of the three to area residents. Lake Mitchell offers a wide range of activities and is also considered an excellent bass fishery, drawing anglers from far and wide to enjoy the resource.

Tournament bass anglers from all over Alabama and neighboring states travel to Chilton County every weekend to participate in events. These tournaments can generate revenue to the local economy in the form of hotel stays, fuel, food and entertainment. Tournament participation is a vital part of revenue for other counties, and Chilton County is no different. However, in November 2024, they came under attack. In particular, tournament bass fishing came under attack.

Fueled by disputed research, the powers to be at the Alabama Freshwater Fisheries Department, sent out an email outlining a proposed change to how anglers kept fish during events. In tournaments, competitors will catch a five fish limit and cull out, or throw back, the smallest as larger fish are caught. These final five fish are then weighed in at a designated time and then are released back into the lake. The Alabama Fisheries Department, through their study, claimed a delayed mortality rate of 45%. They proposed to institute a slot limit on the entire Coosa chain of 14 to 20 inches. This would have meant that a tournament angler could not have kept a fish inside those measurements for weigh in. So, basically any fish between roughly 2lbs and 5lbs would no longer be a legal fish to keep for competition — the size sought after by most anglers.

The proposed slot limit was immediately met with fierce opposition. Lee Holmes, owner of Sylacauga Marine and operator of The Big Bucks Trail, spearheaded the movement against the slot limit. Joined by many other organizations including the Alabama Bass Trail, numerous tournament anglers, Coosa Riverkeepers and outdoor companies bombarded state representatives and the Alabama Fisheries Department for weeks. The dispute was not only over how the study was conducted, but also about the methods and findings. The most disputed part of the study was the delayed mortality rate finding of 45%.

Tournament anglers are penalized for having dead fish at weigh in, so fish care is extremely important. Running aerators, cooling water and utilizing chemicals that rebuild the slime coat and treat wounds are implemented by anglers to reduce the chance of mortality. One such company, Fish Life Fish Care Products owned by Randall Carter, produces this chemical and is located right here in Chilton County. One could argue that fish returned to the lake are in better condition than when they were caught. The opposition to the limit did not stop there.

The Chilton County Commission also played a role in opposing this suggested slot limit. In the way it was written, the slot limit would have been a huge detriment to the area in the form of lost revenue. With the slot limit, tournament organizations would have been forced to reschedule their events away from the Coosa’s chain of lakes in order to have participation. This would have taken a lot of tax dollars off the table for cities and counties, including Chilton County.

I introduced a resolution asking for a letter of opposition to the slot limit to be signed and sent to Montgomery. The Coosa Riverkeepers organization attended the meeting and compiled the letter from Chilton County with the many other cities and counties and presented them to the Alabama Fisheries Department. Not only did our Commission sign the letter, but several of the commissioners also walked through the halls of the State House and lobbied for support from the representatives. After many weeks of deliberations, the Alabama Fisheries Department removed this suggested slot limit proposal from its agenda for consideration.

The vision for the county is to bring bigger and more national events to the area. That will now be able to move forward and continue the progress already made. Just recently the Chilton County Commission voted to sign a three-year contract with a national branded tournament organization. This particular event will bring in popular anglers from across the country to participate. The event will be scheduled for May 2026 and will be hosted by Chilton County and the City of Clanton. Press releases detailing this event should be announced in July of this year.  Also, the Commission will be voting on another contract with The Lady Bass Anglers Association to bring the Woman’s Pro Bass Tour to Lake Mitchell in March 2026. This will be the first major fishing tournament hosted in Chilton County since 2007. The estimated economic impact from just the national event alone is over $ 1.1 million. Using a standard multiplier, the return envisioned is over $8 million invested back into the local economy over the next three years.

It’s important we as citizens understand that these revenues generated from these events are put back into the local economy. These revenues go to improve programs and departments beyond the lake. All residents, including those that never utilize the lake, are benefited from the investment and increase.

The state of the Coosa River is good. With a Commission here in Chilton County committed to expanding the reach of economic development into the tournament world, the county is poised to reap great benefits. Along with improvements to the Parks Department, aggressively protecting the natural resources of the county and utilizing them to be an economic driver will help the Coosa River continue to be a vital and major contributor to the success of Chilton County.