"Trapping Grass"--Lake Guntersville Style

While working the Birmingham Boat Show at the Marks Outdoors booth I was approached by several people who ask the age old question “how do I catch fish in the late winter/early spring on Guntersville?” So After talking with Mark we decided to put it in writing and give everyone a couple of the tricks to catching that once in a lifetime fish on Guntersville during this time.
Fishing late winter/early spring on Guntersville is a true test of an angler’s endurance and ability. Between braving the cold fronts and high winds it can wear even the best anglers patients thin and cause them to go home without even a sniff from a fish, but for those that know they are in the right area and using the right equipment they can go home with the thought of them hooking that dream fish we all search for. When fishing with clients I see more times than not they don’t have the equipment they need for the style of fishing they are going to need to do to help them catch that “BIG G Toad” So lets start by getting the right stuff for the job.
I like to make sure that people understand it is not just the lure they will be throwing but what they are tossing it with. I like the NEW Jackall Rushburn for this bait a lot. With this rod you can throw everything from a ½ oz to a 1oz. lipless crankbait till the line runs out. With this 6’11” rod you can toss the bait a mile but it has tons of backbone needed to load up and pull those big fish from the grass. I top the rod of with a Daiwa high speed Zillion reel and Daiwa Samurai 40lb.braid which helps cut the grass as you rip the bait through it. As the fish get weary due to high pressure and I need to slow the bait down some I switch to the new Lake Fork Flourohybrid line in 26lb test. On the same equipment and have found it will allow me to get a few more bites from the same area.
Now that we have the right equipment let’s talk about baits and presentation. I use two types of lipless crankbaits here on Guntersville that have worked great. First I will start with the Jackall TN/70 in either the Aurora black or Craw Fish (red) which have an awesome rattle/sound chamber in them. If that doesn’t seem to be getting results then I switch to the Jackall “Mask VIB70” which does not have a rattle built in, I use either the Ghost Minnow or the Black Chartreuse colors.
As far as how to fish them the first thing is to be in the right area on the right grass. If you have read the last article I did on finding the right grass that will come into play now. I move to an area where I can keep the boat in about 6-9 feet of water and toss the bait up onto the grass flats and work it across small ditches that run thru the flats. The first presentation I use is “ripping it”, which is throwing the bait as far as you can then “burn it” back to the boat as fast as you can turn the handle on the reel. When the bait hits the grass and it starts to load up jerk the rod hard like you were setting the hook, this is where the braid line comes in handy; it will cut through the grass like a weedeater and help free your bait faster. If I know the fish are in the area and they don’t seen to want what I am doing I then switch to the Fluorocarbon line and slow it down using a “yo-yo” type retrieve. Just tossing the bait out and letting it fall into the grass with the rod tip at about 7 o’clock then with one smooth motion pull the bait up till the rod reaches about 10 to 11 o’clock and stop. Once the bait starts to fall again reel down back to the starting position and repeat this back to the boat. I will work an area like this using both baits I mentioned and if there are no takers then move to another area. Keep in mind that Guntersville is a huge impoundment where the upper end of the lake will be completely different from the lower end so don’t give up on the lake entirely if you are not getting bit, just move up or down and I feel sure if you use these techniques you will find what you’re searching for. Also if you would like to see first hand how we trap on Guntersville give us a call and we can set up a date for you to fish with us and let us show you to that fish of a lifetime.


Capt. Chris Jackson
Fins-N-Grins
Freshwater Adventures
205-706-2425
www.finsngrinsfishing.com