How to Enjoy the 4th on the Coosa

The 4th of July is almost here and with the 4th falling on a Tuesday, it will be a 4-day weekend at the lake for many people. That’s a lot of time for fun activities! We culled a couple of recommendations for you! And remember, check Swim Guide before you hit the water to see the latest water quality results, so that when you “call in sick” on Monday it’s just because you’re playing hooky at the lake, not because you’re actually sick. We’ll post the latest data on Friday around noon. You can be the first to know by simply texting ‘SWIMGUIDE’ to 844-83 and you’ll receive a text message once the results are up! Happy 4th!

1. Catch some Fireworks. There are plenty of Fireworks shows this weekend on the water that are viewable by boat and land. A couple safety tips before we share the list of shows… Make sure your navigation and anchor lights are working before heading out to the show, and remember to keep your anchor light on when your motor is off during the show. When the show’s over, go slow and take your time getting out. Let the people on the outskirts of the crowd go first and be careful overtaking and passing other boats. On with the show!:
   • Neely Henry: July 4 at 9pm in downtown Gadsden – viewable from Coosa River.
   • Logan Martin: July 1 at Wood’s Surfside Marina/River’s Edge Marina, July 3 at Clear Creek Harbor (8:30pm), and July 4 at Pell City Lakeside Park (8:30pm)
   • Lay Lake: Actually, we haven’t found any fireworks shows on Lay Lake yet for this year… but we’ll update this page if we hear something.
   • Lake Mitchell: July 3 at 9pm in Cargile Creek
   • Lake Jordan: July 4 at 8pm near Jordan Dam
   • Wetumpka: July 4 at 9pm at Gold Star Park
2. Go for a paddle. If you’re in the Lay, Mitchell or Jordan areas of the river, check out Coosa Outdoor Center and Coosa River Adventures in Wetumpka. They’ll rent you all the gear you need and drop you off below Jordan Dam for a really fun 7-mile paddle that makes a great half day adventure. If you’re in the Logan Martin, Neely Henry or Weiss areas of the river, check out Big Wills Outfitters near Gadsden and Floating Fun or Talladega Creekside Resort in the Anniston/Talladega area for similar adventures.
3. Catch some fish, and learn how to ID them too! Print out a copy of our handy Fish Guide ID chart and take it with you to the lake. Stuff it in your tackle box and when you catch a bass, bream or catfish, see if you can determine exactly which species it is. This is an especially fun game for kids! If you’re having a hard time keeping the kids interested in fishing because you aren’t catching much, we’ll forgive you for switching to live bait like minnows or crickets to fire the bite up. You can find info on our Fish Guide map about places to buy such critters – just zoom in to your area and start clicking on icons to explore. And if you really enjoy ID’ing those fish, we still have our Black Bass Family t-shirts available for sale in a few sizes.