Lake Guntersville Report for the Week

This week has been great and weather for the most part keeping the fish in the areas and eating. I have had several trips this week and clients wanting several types of trips. Some wanting numbers, some wanting to learn new tactics, and some looking for that "fish of a lifetime". Being a guide on Lake Guntersville, I am blessed to be able to deliver a chance to all of this.

My numbers trips have been nothing short of happy with the schoolers eating like it's the fall. We found schools of Spotted Bass, Largemouth, and Stripe in several areas. The Spotted Bass are deeper but coming in huge numbers with an angler being able to catch 30+ and never move the boat as fast as you can get the bait back to them. The Largemouth and Stripe are on the ledges and there are some solid keeper fish mixed in but for the most part alot of smaller fish. On the Spotted Bass, we have boated them this week on a couple of baits. The best being the Jackall Crosstail shad and Flick Shake on a drop shot. I rig this bait on a light 10lb Lake Fork FlouroHybrid line and look for schools of fish in about 20-40 feet of water. Once you find the school then drop the baits down on them(just above the school) and watch it on the sonar. When you see the fish move to the bait on the sonar, set the hook. You really dont have to watch them eat the bait but it's fun and anglers don't miss near as many fish. The Wacky Jig Head rigged with the 5.8 and 6.8 Flick Shake is working well also. The schooling Largemouth have been coming off just about anything you can toss out in them. We have used Jackall Muscle 7+ and 10+ crankbaits in light colors, and SK Grande' topwater baits. The bigger fish have come on the Dagored and Bowstick. You will get less bites but the size is alot better.

As far as the bigger fish bite anglers need to look for deeper drops and hidden grass. The bigger fish are still shallow as well but the deeper fish get alot less presure. I like several tactics for fishing deeper fish. My first choice and what has been the most effective for catching the 6+lb fish has been the Jackall Swimming Ninja and Sride. I have noticed fish will hit the bait before the eat it so keep ing the bait moving after a strike is key. Once I could get clients to do this instead of jerking the bait when hit they flat slammed it and swallowed the bait. One key to know when to set the hook is after the bite keep moving the bait until the rod loads and you feel the fish swimming off with it. Also something that might help is make sure you have a good strong rod. I use the Jackall Rushburn for my light swimbaits and the Daiwa Steez 7'4" extra heavy swimbait rod for the bigger baits. I have seen clients try to fish them on a smaller rod and they just dont have the backbone to set the hook good on deep fish.

Also on the deeper fish we have had some great luck with the Jackall Muscle 15+ and a 3/4 or 1oz football head jig. When the fishing slows or the barametric presure gets high and makes the fishing slower this is the "go-to" baits. I like to hit deeper drops off main river ledges and humps with green grass on them. I have clients take the baits and toss them out, letting them drop to the bottom. Once they are on the bottom one key is not to take the baits up again. Slowlywork the bait and never raise it more than a couple of inches at a time. I have had to let the bait sit for 30-45 seconds before moving it but the fish are eating it. Make sure you use a good trailer on the bait like a Netbait Paca Chunk Sr. that will contrast on the color jig you choose. I like the Black/Blue with a Green Pumpkin trailer. As far as the Muscle 15+ goes I fish it two ways. One, making long cast and cranking the bait as fast as you can. If it hits the bottom don't slow down. I have seen alot of anglers slow when the bait hits the bottom but to get a reaction strike you need to bang it as hard as you can off the structure. The second way is for fish that are pulled off the ledges or humps. Alot of anglers say these are the hardest fish in the lake to catch and I would have to agree to some point but, if you can learn to catch them you can have a great day when others are not. I like to take the bait and after putting the boat in the right position work the bait with the current running it parallel to the drop. I would have to say the biggest mistake I see is most anglers don't trust something new and just plain don't fish it long enough to build confidence in it. If you will fish the baits and trust your sonar to know they are there you will catch fish more often than not.

Hope everyone has had a great week and if you would like to see these tactics in action feel free to contact us and we will get you set up for a trip. Have a great weekend and be sure to check out www.waaytobetterfishing.com for up to date weather on the area lakes as well as a new section which allows you to see my Twitter feeds while on the water and on trips. Also if you are a follower of my Twitter(Fins_N_Grins) and my blog(www.finsngrinsfishing.blogspot.com) you can win lots of prizes each week. See you on the water.

God Bless
Phil.4:13