” Beating the Heat on the “Big G”

Beating the Heat on the “Big G” I always want to chuckle when I pull into one of the many boat ramps on Lake Guntersville in the summer months. You can just about have any parking spot you want and most of the time only one or two people are lining up to put in. Such a different sight than January-May when you better arrive 3 hours before daylight and still wait in line to get in the water. People seem to forget this lake holds big fish and the chance to catch the fish of a lifetime even in the heat of the summer. It’s not like they move north to cool off, they are still there just not as easy to catch as in the spring. Most anglers make a huge mistake on Guntersville thinking all the fish are moved deep in the summer months. Now they are somewhat right, some great catches come from deep water but there is a trick. Deep fish on Guntersville are not as easy to find for “non-local” anglers or anglers that have never seen the lake. I’m not saying an angler that’s not familiar with the lake can’t catch fish deep; the chances are just not as great as other smaller lakes. When I’m asked what I do to catch fish on Guntersville in the summer months or asked for tactics an angler need to do to better his/her chances I always stick with the consistent bite, shallow. I generally fish topwater in the mornings until the sun gets above the trees then break out the flipping stick for the rest of the day. I do fish a couple of other things every now and then and I’m going to break those things down for you here. Let’s start with topwater; I start in areas near the main river channel but not in the backs of pockets like most would think. Smaller pockets right off the channel with grass near the surface or topped out. I like to start with a couple of different baits. I will start with a Lake Fork Trophy Lures “Fork Frog”. I rig it on 30 pound braid with a fast 7.1 Daiwa Steez reel and a Jackall Master Stroke rod. The rod has backbone but a fast action tip to let me cast the bait a long distance. I rig the frog on a weightless Hookerz Tackle hook 4/0 hook. I cast the bait out over the grass areas and reel it slow but steady and every now and then “pop” the frog to give it a little “jumping” action. The next bait I like is one that’s near and dear to my heart. It’s the first bait I ever purchased from Jackall Lures in Japan and the bait that helped me meet and become part of the Jackall Pro-Staff, the Jackall Dagored. This bait is larger topwater “wake type“bait that has a small prop on the rear of the tail that also causes loud noise when “yanked” across the top of the water. This is not numbers bait but it is a great “big fish” bait. I have boated some of my best topwater big fish on this bait including several over 10+ pounds on several lakes in the US. I rig this bait on a Daiwa Steez Swimbait 7’6” swimbait rod with Lake Fork Flourohybrid line. I use this bait in just about any location except where grass is topped out. If I have fish in an area that’s topped out I will still swim it along the grass lines on the edge. The next topwater bait I use and catch a ton of fish on is the SK Grande’ by Jackall. This bait is super easy to cast, work, and almost always produces fish. Clients sometimes think it is too small to catch bigger fish but it’s not. I’ve had many 20-25 pound limits of fish on this bait. It’s extremely versatile and can be worked just about anywhere there is bait fish present. Once the topwater is done and the bite slows down It’s time to break out the big sticks. There are several ways to catch fish on Guntersville when it starts heating up but the best “big fish” bite is a tactic near and dear to my heart, Flipping grass! I normally will head to the main river ledges to flip. I put the boat in 12-15 feet of water on the edge of the grass lines and start by pitching to the outside edges and work my way into the heavy mats. I generally weave back and forth until I get a bite and then I stick to the type of grass I caught the fish in the rest of the day (i.e. outside edge or back in the mats). Also try to target turns in the channel, places that have good areas to hide from fast currents or small underwater points in the channel. I use a Jackall Delta Spec flipping stick topped with a Daiwa Steez 6.3:1 reel and either 65 pound braid or heavy Flourohybrid line. Now when it comes to baits there are several and I will even give you a few new little secret baits I use in a minute but we need to get it ready for bait. First I use a “bobber stopper” made by Bass Pro Shops to peg the weight I am going to use. This is very important to use because if you don't peg the weight sometimes (more often than not) the weight will drop through the grass and the bait will stay on top of it. The weight being pegged pulls the weight down in the strike zone as it falls. Once I get the peg on I use anything from a ½-1 oz Lake Fork Lures Tungsten weight and a 5/0 – 7/0 Hookerz Tackle Flipping hook. These hooks are super thick and can handle just about anything you can connect them to and not straighten out. The knot I use is one that has increased my “hook ups” in the grass ever since I started using it, the Snell knot. I have a video on how to tie the knot on my You Tube Channel, ChrisJacksonAngler be sure to check it out. Once you have everything tied up its time to get the bait on. The choice of baits is endless and a lot of times more what an angler has confidence in. I have several I prefer, Jackall Sasuteki craw, Lake Fork Flipper, Lake Fork Lures Fork Tube, and sometimes big worms and (here’s the secret) a swimbait. If I use a swimbait I use either the Jackall Ammonite Shad or the 5.5 Lake Fork Live Magic Shad. One thing all these have in common is the colors. I stick to natural colors. On the swimbaits always shad colors but the others I will stick to Black and Blue, Green Pumpkin, Watermelon and Bluegill. The one thing with flipping is the time you flip without a bite. This will keep most anglers from doing it. Until you find fish you could flip miles of river channel before you get a bite. Once you do you can duplicate that area on the map and find more fish. The cool thing is once you find one fish you will find a pile of them. They are generally stacked up in a small area this time of year and I’ve seen a lot of doubles and triples on guide trips flipping. Big thing is don’t burn all your fish if you plan on coming back anytime soon. You can pound on them in a section and if you push them too hard they will move and you have to start at square one again. If the flipping bite doesn’t seem to be your thing and you want to cover more water there is one other tactic I use and probably one thing I am kind of known for on Guntersville and that’s “finesse cranking”. I’m not real sure where the term came from but I can tell you how I do it. I start on the grass lines on the main channel (but this can be used just about anywhere) with a good heavy cranking rod with a fast action tip. This rod will help you make accurate cast right to the edge of the grass you can see but still have enough backbone to snap the bait free if it gets loaded up in the grass by mistake. I use Lake Fork 20 pound Flourohybrid line on a fast 7.1 reel. I use the faster reel to take up slack in the line fast when I’m working the bait. Once I make the cast I then raise the rod tip pulling the Jackall Muscle 10+ in the grass. If you don't hit grass during the pull then start reeling while you drop the rod tip. Then you slowly reel until you hit the grass. Once you hit it stop the bait, hold pressure on it and lightly shake it with the rod tip pointed up. This will slowly bend the grass over and then bait will slide right off in a quick motion. That’s when most every bite I get happens. If you don't get a bite you will drive right back in the grass. You then repeat the process until you don't hit grass anymore or you catch a fish. The one thing I tell clients when I am teaching them this tactic is if you bring grass back with the bait your fishing it too fast. This is the number one way to see if you’re doing it right. Most of the feedback I get it the action is a lot like working a worm but with a cranbait attached. When you do get a bite there will be no doubt in your mind a fish hit it. They will knock the rod out of your hand if you’re not careful. It’s a very aggressive bite from very non-aggressive fish. One thing I think makes a difference between this tactics and using a shallower diving crankbait like a square bill is the deeper diver has to be worked slower and gets in the strike zone fast and stays there. The shallow diver just passes over their head and catches the more aggressive fish which are a lot of times smaller. I’m not saying they are always smaller but this tactic will get you several more bites out of an already fished or pressured area. It’s a great way to catch fish behind someone else working the line. These are a few ways I use to catch some great fish on Lake Guntersville and I’m sure if you incorporate these tactics it will increase your chances on catching the fish of a lifetime on this amazing body of water. If you want to see these in action or want to get some personal instruction be sure to give us a call and we will get you set up for a guide trip and get you on the water and in the action. See you on the water and stay cool in the heat. Chris Jackson chris@chrisjacksonfishing.com 205-706-2425