Water Temperature: 83
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
This is a report for Sat, Sunday, an Monday.
I fished the Fishing for a Cure event out of Goose Pond Sat. and they had a great tournament. Alot of anglers showed thier support and that was awesome. We fished the upper mid lake section of the lake all day. With thei event being a 3 fish tournament and most of the anglers I knew that were in it I felt like it would take atleast 16-18 lbs to have a chance. My partner for the day Rodney Treadaway and I headed to some deeper stuff I fish and went hog hunting. We boated fish most all day with Jackall Swimming Ninja swimbaits, Jackall Craws and Lake Fork Live Magic Shads(5.5) in natural colors. My big fish and also big fish for the event(7.00) was boated at 7:15 on the Live Magic Shad. We ended the event with 15.04 taking 4th place and big fish. Huge congrats to all the winners and other contestants for a great job and thank you for being a part of a great charity.
On Sunday got out with a good friend for some fun fishing. The morning bite was awesome and we had a blast teaching him to catch fish on the swimbait. Again we hit deeper areas for the better fish but did find some solid keepers in shallow grass. The afternoon was not as good to us with both numbers and size dropping but still a good day on the lake.
Monday had a trip with a great angler from NC. He wanted to learn the dropshot and swimbait so we hit some section of deeper water I have been fishing. Size was lacking a little but he boated fish the entire trip with a solid 4 lb adv. for the size. All in all a great weekend and wonderful start to the week.
Hope everyone has had a great week so far and looking forward to some awesome weather. Be sure to also check us out on Facebook(Fins-N-Grins Freshwater Adventures) and also twitter(Fins_N_Grins) for on water updates while on trips and some other cool stuff we are doing. See you on the water.
God Bless
Phil4:13
FINS -N- GRINS FRESHWATER ADVENTURES
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Guntersville report 05-25-10
Water Temperature: 82
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Got out today as part of a Corp. trip with an awesome guy from Bham.. He said he would rather go looking for a big fish than catch numbers and wanted to also learn a swimbait. Well we hit an area I have been doing well on a swimbait and after about 10 mins he boated his first. He then smacked a few more then wanted to hit a deeper bite. We made the move and hit some of my deeper spots. After missing a couple he got the hang of it and boated a couple of solid fish. We made a move with 10 mins before time to be back and on the last stop boated 2 more in 5 mins.. A great end to a short trip with a great guy. Hope everyone had a wonderful day and looking forward to a good holiday weekend. See you on the water.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
FINS -N- GRINS FRESHWATER ADVENTURES
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Got out today as part of a Corp. trip with an awesome guy from Bham.. He said he would rather go looking for a big fish than catch numbers and wanted to also learn a swimbait. Well we hit an area I have been doing well on a swimbait and after about 10 mins he boated his first. He then smacked a few more then wanted to hit a deeper bite. We made the move and hit some of my deeper spots. After missing a couple he got the hang of it and boated a couple of solid fish. We made a move with 10 mins before time to be back and on the last stop boated 2 more in 5 mins.. A great end to a short trip with a great guy. Hope everyone had a wonderful day and looking forward to a good holiday weekend. See you on the water.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
FINS -N- GRINS FRESHWATER ADVENTURES
Guntersville 5-26-10
Water Temperature: 83
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Headed out this afternoon to do some looking with fishing partner Rodney while we both had a day off from trips. We fished the same patterns we both have been on the past few weeks but in areas neither of us have touched in a few years. We ended up running from the storms that blew in but had a great day before they hit. Only on the water about 4 hours hitting a place catching a fish and moving. Best five went 21+ lbs and we both found a way to "tweek" the bite a little and shook off several bigger bites. Looking forward to the trips we have lined up in the coming weeks. Hope everyone is having a great week.
Best baits for the day were Jigs(natural colors), Lake Fork Swimbaits(shad colors) and Jackall Swimming Ninja(also shad color). Key today was fishing slower and "feeding" the fish the bait after they hit it the first time.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
FINS -N- GRINS FRESHWATER ADVENTURES
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Headed out this afternoon to do some looking with fishing partner Rodney while we both had a day off from trips. We fished the same patterns we both have been on the past few weeks but in areas neither of us have touched in a few years. We ended up running from the storms that blew in but had a great day before they hit. Only on the water about 4 hours hitting a place catching a fish and moving. Best five went 21+ lbs and we both found a way to "tweek" the bite a little and shook off several bigger bites. Looking forward to the trips we have lined up in the coming weeks. Hope everyone is having a great week.
Best baits for the day were Jigs(natural colors), Lake Fork Swimbaits(shad colors) and Jackall Swimming Ninja(also shad color). Key today was fishing slower and "feeding" the fish the bait after they hit it the first time.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
FINS -N- GRINS FRESHWATER ADVENTURES
Lake Guntersville 5-27-10
Water Temperature: 84
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Headed out as part of a fullday multi-boat trip going from Waterfront. I got to fish with two great guys from Miss.. We started on topwater and to be honest the morning bite left alot to be desired today. We ended up going to swimbaits and started catching fish after we worked on the feel of the bite. They boat ended up doing ok on baits and learning some new tactics. After they were happy with the numbers I made the move to some bigger fish. We hit the deep water and they both culled everything they had in the morning the rest of the day., Best fish are coming on structure in 25-40 feet of water. Had both clients fishing dropshots, and swimbaits but also had a few suspended fish off Jackall Muscle 15+ cranks in shad colors.
Hope everyone has a great Holiday weekend and stays safe. Please remember to be kind to other anglers and boats and drink lots of water. The heat is just nasty right now and doesnt take long to dehydrate. Also have rain gear ready to use, last two days have had some nasty little storms pop up in the heat of the afternoon on some areas of the lake. Stay weather aware.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet
Headed out as part of a fullday multi-boat trip going from Waterfront. I got to fish with two great guys from Miss.. We started on topwater and to be honest the morning bite left alot to be desired today. We ended up going to swimbaits and started catching fish after we worked on the feel of the bite. They boat ended up doing ok on baits and learning some new tactics. After they were happy with the numbers I made the move to some bigger fish. We hit the deep water and they both culled everything they had in the morning the rest of the day., Best fish are coming on structure in 25-40 feet of water. Had both clients fishing dropshots, and swimbaits but also had a few suspended fish off Jackall Muscle 15+ cranks in shad colors.
Hope everyone has a great Holiday weekend and stays safe. Please remember to be kind to other anglers and boats and drink lots of water. The heat is just nasty right now and doesnt take long to dehydrate. Also have rain gear ready to use, last two days have had some nasty little storms pop up in the heat of the afternoon on some areas of the lake. Stay weather aware.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Lake Guntersville FIshing Report(4-26/5-1)
The last week of fishing has been kinda funny between "pop-up" storms, fronts, and high winds fishing has been solid but size has been up and down. We started off the week after returning from Center Hill expecting the fishing to be good and it was. My trips this week have seen some awesome numbers and as the week grew on the size got better as well. Most of the best numbers are being seen still in pockets and in the shallow waters. Our best baits for the solid 15-18 pound bags have been Lake Fork Green Pumpkin Lizards and Jackall 6.8 Flick Shake worms in any color you want to use.
During the week I moved alot looking for the bigger bite and by the end of the week I found it. While the Shad Spawn is only days from kicking off, the ledge bite is getting hot. One key is finding green grass in 8-12 feet of water near shell beds. I got the chance to do some searching and found some grass on this pattern working well with Jackall Muscle 10+ crankbaits(shad colors) and two types of swimbaits. Both the Jackall Swimming Ninja(hitch) and Lake Fork Live Magic Shad(shad) are boating some great fish but the bite is slow as the day wears on.
The Jig bite is also picking up for us on the ledges and mouths of creek channels. I first position my boat on the down river side of the structure and work the bait with the current. After the bite seems to slow down(about a bite every 30-45 min.) I re-position the boat and fish the area again working into the mouth of the channel and dropping off into deeper water. This is also working with swimbaits but the jig seems to get the less aggressive fish.
As far as an outlook for the up coming week the weather will play a factor in the fishing. Brad Huffins of WAAY 31 says the weather will be nothing short of awesome this coming week with lows in the mid 60's and highs in the 80's all week. This should do nothing but more fish moving to the ledge and the topwater bite could get stronger as the week wears on. Ledges are going to be better all week as well as the creek channels where they meet the main river channel. With the big rains up north the TVA "should" be running water hard so finding stumps on the ledges will also be important, as this give some of those tired big fish a place to hide from heavy currents as they feed throughout the day to re-gain some mojo from the spawn.
Also hit the ledges first thing in the morning as well as open water humps looking for shad. I would suggest throwing a spinnerbait with the boat positioned in deeper water and throwing into the shallows. White seems to be the color that has worked best in years past. If you see shad following your bait your in the right area. After working the area solid and catching a few fish switch it up and use a swimbait and then a crankbait to catch a few more. Once the shad spawn starts fishing will be crazy every morning on this pattern for atleast 2 weeks. Once the sun gets up(around 8-9 am) that bite dies and the fish seem to shut down. Even though you should have 20+ pounds by this time you can still work the areas with the jig, spoon, or craw baits and get a few more bites.
Hope this report helps you guys/gals out in the following trips and you get out and enjoy this great weather and resource we have. Please remember to get a few pictures and get those fish back in the water so another angler can have the chance to catch the fsih of a lifetime. Thank you to everyone for thier continued support and please remember to support our sponsors. If it wasnt for them we couldnt be living this awesome dream. ROCK ON!!!
God Bless
Phil.4:13
During the week I moved alot looking for the bigger bite and by the end of the week I found it. While the Shad Spawn is only days from kicking off, the ledge bite is getting hot. One key is finding green grass in 8-12 feet of water near shell beds. I got the chance to do some searching and found some grass on this pattern working well with Jackall Muscle 10+ crankbaits(shad colors) and two types of swimbaits. Both the Jackall Swimming Ninja(hitch) and Lake Fork Live Magic Shad(shad) are boating some great fish but the bite is slow as the day wears on.
The Jig bite is also picking up for us on the ledges and mouths of creek channels. I first position my boat on the down river side of the structure and work the bait with the current. After the bite seems to slow down(about a bite every 30-45 min.) I re-position the boat and fish the area again working into the mouth of the channel and dropping off into deeper water. This is also working with swimbaits but the jig seems to get the less aggressive fish.
As far as an outlook for the up coming week the weather will play a factor in the fishing. Brad Huffins of WAAY 31 says the weather will be nothing short of awesome this coming week with lows in the mid 60's and highs in the 80's all week. This should do nothing but more fish moving to the ledge and the topwater bite could get stronger as the week wears on. Ledges are going to be better all week as well as the creek channels where they meet the main river channel. With the big rains up north the TVA "should" be running water hard so finding stumps on the ledges will also be important, as this give some of those tired big fish a place to hide from heavy currents as they feed throughout the day to re-gain some mojo from the spawn.
Also hit the ledges first thing in the morning as well as open water humps looking for shad. I would suggest throwing a spinnerbait with the boat positioned in deeper water and throwing into the shallows. White seems to be the color that has worked best in years past. If you see shad following your bait your in the right area. After working the area solid and catching a few fish switch it up and use a swimbait and then a crankbait to catch a few more. Once the shad spawn starts fishing will be crazy every morning on this pattern for atleast 2 weeks. Once the sun gets up(around 8-9 am) that bite dies and the fish seem to shut down. Even though you should have 20+ pounds by this time you can still work the areas with the jig, spoon, or craw baits and get a few more bites.
Hope this report helps you guys/gals out in the following trips and you get out and enjoy this great weather and resource we have. Please remember to get a few pictures and get those fish back in the water so another angler can have the chance to catch the fsih of a lifetime. Thank you to everyone for thier continued support and please remember to support our sponsors. If it wasnt for them we couldnt be living this awesome dream. ROCK ON!!!
God Bless
Phil.4:13
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Lake Center Hill Event
Well when asked about Center Hill during my practice last week I was not real sure what to reply. When I arrived I was expecting a body of water along the lines of Clarks Hill or Smith Lake. Those are big water deep, clear, and rocky. Well This lake is deep, clear and rocky but nothing like any other lake I had fished before. The lake level being down about 30 feet didnt help matters much but I can see where this lake could produce some great fish. I was starting out my pre-fish like any other tournament pre-fish I do about a month prior to the event pulling up pictures, maps and reports. Well there is some pictures of the lake and one good map but I had trouble finding any up to date or past reports. This made things alot harder to get a plan together.This is one reason I wanted to write this report. I hope it helps anyone that is headed to the lake.
I arrived on Wednesday at day break to start my first day of on water pre fishing. I decided to put in at the tournament ramp, Ragland Bottom. Make sure you have some dollars for the launch fee which is $4.00. The parking is not the best put very secure. Once in the water I noticed the lake is alot more deep and clear than I expected. I then noticed that south is not down river. If you want to go down torward the dam on this lake you have to go north. Ofcourse I went south before knowing this. If the water was up this lake would have some awesome structure to fish and lots of places for fish to hide. With it being down the only thing I noticed that would hold fish is a change in the type of bottom. I started looking for this change on the banks. Once I located places where there were two types of rock or a section of red clay on the bank I would stop and graph it to see if the lake bottom had the same type as the banks. In most every case I found it did. I also noticed the water temps were ranging from 65-72 degrees. During day one I did alot more riding and looking than fishing but found some things that I would fish later in practice. This is something I always do when on new water. Getting to know areas of the lake and the type of structure around it will help later on putting a solid pattern together.
On day two of practice I got the boat in the water and started to fish. I first went down river and stopped at a section of the lake that the river channel turned in close to the bank. I held the boat in 45 feet of water and started with a C-Rig and Watermelon Top Dog Lizard. Once finding the banks on this lake drop from dry to the core of the earth(just kidding) with no "stair step" type of break while working the rig. I then knew I was in trouble. I did find a fish on the point I found and that was what I needed. I then looked on my Navionics chip and found another point like that one and headed that way. Once there made 3 cast to the bank and boated another solid keeper fish. I then moved again and duplicated the smae pattern for 5 more fish in the same type areas. Things were coming together as planned but I still knew it was going to be a hard event. After picking up my buddy Robert that was fishing the co-angler side, I went looking for spawning fish and a secondary pattern. I found one fish on bed upriver in about 10 feet of water and duplicated the pattern I found down river that morning.
On day three we went looking for some more areas and a better pattern. Well the same thing I found worked everywhere I stopped shaking off bites on most stops. I did go to back to check on the one "bedding fish" I found and she was gone already. Just my luck my "kicker" fish was off bed or being weighed in at the tournament that was going on that day. We put the boat on the trailer and went to get ready for the partner pairing. Once there we found out the event was not going to happen on Saturday due to some really bad weather headed our way. To be honest I really wanted to fish but the tournament director made the right decision for the safety of the anglers. I have to take my hat off to him for that and he is one of the best in the business.
Saturday we spent the day hanging out and doing a few business calls and stopped at the local tackle stores trying to spread the word about some of my sponsors in the industry. Also had to have my boat fixed at the host dealer. Just a note but if you have a chance drop by a dealer and grab a spare switch for your trim. If it goes out while at an event it will cost you alot more than the price of the switch.
Sunday We checked out and launched the boat. I made the decision to stay close to the ramp areas I had found in practice and hope to stay out of the wind as much as I could. On the first stop the winds were stable and ok. I boated one fish quick on a spinnerbait(white 1/4 oz) waking it just under the surface. The fish was short but was hope of more fish to come. I worked the pocket in 30 feet of water with the blade without another bite and started back at the mouth of the pocket with the C-Rig and dropshot. As the winds got worse the C-Rig was all I could feel or get to the bottom. We both boated a couple of short fish and my co-angler lost one that we think would have measured. I then put one in the boat that was small but a start. We worked the area for another hour without another bite before moving.
I then made the choice to move around to the other areas I found. Most every area was getting slammed with high winds but we fished it as best as we could. Boat position was extreamly hard to control. I fished several areas with only a couple more missed bites and short fish before moving further down river. Once I moved to a section that the wind was only blowing around 20 I broke out the 6.8 Jackall Flick Shake and Wacky Jig Head. Many of you know that is my go to bait when I have to boat some fish. Only problem was I am used to fishing the bait near some type of structure and there was none. Well I just tossed the bait out and let it fall down the rock until it hit the bottom. I missed the first bite I got then boated another keeper. I fished the area about another hour without a bite so decided to move again closer to the ramp.
On the run back we saw a boater with motor problems. We tried to give him a jump without any luck. We then put his co-angler in the boat with us as well as a great smallbouth he had and took him to the ramp. After dropping him off we hit an area I found in practice while looking for an emergency plan. Both my co angler and I fished it hard but boated nothing before time ran out. After weigh-in I ended up in 34th place with my 2 fish and some points to make my goal of making regionals at Lay Lake.
I want to give a huge thanks to John Glenn of American Bass Anglers for helping me out while at the event and the guys and gals at Time Out Sports Grill for asking us to hang out with them. We had an awesome appearance there with a great crowd. The next event in this Division is going to be on Old Hickory Lake in June. Looking forward to seeing some more new water and a better finish.
I arrived on Wednesday at day break to start my first day of on water pre fishing. I decided to put in at the tournament ramp, Ragland Bottom. Make sure you have some dollars for the launch fee which is $4.00. The parking is not the best put very secure. Once in the water I noticed the lake is alot more deep and clear than I expected. I then noticed that south is not down river. If you want to go down torward the dam on this lake you have to go north. Ofcourse I went south before knowing this. If the water was up this lake would have some awesome structure to fish and lots of places for fish to hide. With it being down the only thing I noticed that would hold fish is a change in the type of bottom. I started looking for this change on the banks. Once I located places where there were two types of rock or a section of red clay on the bank I would stop and graph it to see if the lake bottom had the same type as the banks. In most every case I found it did. I also noticed the water temps were ranging from 65-72 degrees. During day one I did alot more riding and looking than fishing but found some things that I would fish later in practice. This is something I always do when on new water. Getting to know areas of the lake and the type of structure around it will help later on putting a solid pattern together.
On day two of practice I got the boat in the water and started to fish. I first went down river and stopped at a section of the lake that the river channel turned in close to the bank. I held the boat in 45 feet of water and started with a C-Rig and Watermelon Top Dog Lizard. Once finding the banks on this lake drop from dry to the core of the earth(just kidding) with no "stair step" type of break while working the rig. I then knew I was in trouble. I did find a fish on the point I found and that was what I needed. I then looked on my Navionics chip and found another point like that one and headed that way. Once there made 3 cast to the bank and boated another solid keeper fish. I then moved again and duplicated the smae pattern for 5 more fish in the same type areas. Things were coming together as planned but I still knew it was going to be a hard event. After picking up my buddy Robert that was fishing the co-angler side, I went looking for spawning fish and a secondary pattern. I found one fish on bed upriver in about 10 feet of water and duplicated the pattern I found down river that morning.
On day three we went looking for some more areas and a better pattern. Well the same thing I found worked everywhere I stopped shaking off bites on most stops. I did go to back to check on the one "bedding fish" I found and she was gone already. Just my luck my "kicker" fish was off bed or being weighed in at the tournament that was going on that day. We put the boat on the trailer and went to get ready for the partner pairing. Once there we found out the event was not going to happen on Saturday due to some really bad weather headed our way. To be honest I really wanted to fish but the tournament director made the right decision for the safety of the anglers. I have to take my hat off to him for that and he is one of the best in the business.
Saturday we spent the day hanging out and doing a few business calls and stopped at the local tackle stores trying to spread the word about some of my sponsors in the industry. Also had to have my boat fixed at the host dealer. Just a note but if you have a chance drop by a dealer and grab a spare switch for your trim. If it goes out while at an event it will cost you alot more than the price of the switch.
Sunday We checked out and launched the boat. I made the decision to stay close to the ramp areas I had found in practice and hope to stay out of the wind as much as I could. On the first stop the winds were stable and ok. I boated one fish quick on a spinnerbait(white 1/4 oz) waking it just under the surface. The fish was short but was hope of more fish to come. I worked the pocket in 30 feet of water with the blade without another bite and started back at the mouth of the pocket with the C-Rig and dropshot. As the winds got worse the C-Rig was all I could feel or get to the bottom. We both boated a couple of short fish and my co-angler lost one that we think would have measured. I then put one in the boat that was small but a start. We worked the area for another hour without another bite before moving.
I then made the choice to move around to the other areas I found. Most every area was getting slammed with high winds but we fished it as best as we could. Boat position was extreamly hard to control. I fished several areas with only a couple more missed bites and short fish before moving further down river. Once I moved to a section that the wind was only blowing around 20 I broke out the 6.8 Jackall Flick Shake and Wacky Jig Head. Many of you know that is my go to bait when I have to boat some fish. Only problem was I am used to fishing the bait near some type of structure and there was none. Well I just tossed the bait out and let it fall down the rock until it hit the bottom. I missed the first bite I got then boated another keeper. I fished the area about another hour without a bite so decided to move again closer to the ramp.
On the run back we saw a boater with motor problems. We tried to give him a jump without any luck. We then put his co-angler in the boat with us as well as a great smallbouth he had and took him to the ramp. After dropping him off we hit an area I found in practice while looking for an emergency plan. Both my co angler and I fished it hard but boated nothing before time ran out. After weigh-in I ended up in 34th place with my 2 fish and some points to make my goal of making regionals at Lay Lake.
I want to give a huge thanks to John Glenn of American Bass Anglers for helping me out while at the event and the guys and gals at Time Out Sports Grill for asking us to hang out with them. We had an awesome appearance there with a great crowd. The next event in this Division is going to be on Old Hickory Lake in June. Looking forward to seeing some more new water and a better finish.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Lake Guntersvillle 4-16-10
Got out today on a trip with a great guy from Birmingham. His wife took advantage of the Christmas Gift Cards we sold and today was his trip. We had a blast with him boating fish all day. He had one over 5, pushing 6 and 19 keepers. We lost a total of 3 solid fish and one he said was bigger than the big fish he had. Also missed atleast 7 other bites that just didnt hook up.
We fished the mid-lake area while targeting open water humps and weed lines in 8 feet of water. We also had several fish in some shallow water with the boat positioned in 4 feet or less and throwing to dirt. Lake Fork "Top Dog" Lizards in Watermelon were the ticket for both numbers and size today. We rigged them on a Jackall Master Stroke rod with 20 lb Lake Fork Flourohybrid line and a 3/16 Lake Fork Tungsten weight. We also had a couple of fish on the Lake Fork Live Magic Shad and a few on the Jackall Craw.
All in all a great time on the water and lots of fish throughout the day to keep it interesting. Looking forward to a great weekend and next week is going to be just as good weather wise. We want to wish everyone fishing an event this weekend a great tournament and please be safe. There are alot of boats on the water right now. Also watch out for some stuff floating. We saw several ig logs in the water that would sure mess up a day of fishing if you hit it with the big motor. Stay safe and see you on the water.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
We fished the mid-lake area while targeting open water humps and weed lines in 8 feet of water. We also had several fish in some shallow water with the boat positioned in 4 feet or less and throwing to dirt. Lake Fork "Top Dog" Lizards in Watermelon were the ticket for both numbers and size today. We rigged them on a Jackall Master Stroke rod with 20 lb Lake Fork Flourohybrid line and a 3/16 Lake Fork Tungsten weight. We also had a couple of fish on the Lake Fork Live Magic Shad and a few on the Jackall Craw.
All in all a great time on the water and lots of fish throughout the day to keep it interesting. Looking forward to a great weekend and next week is going to be just as good weather wise. We want to wish everyone fishing an event this weekend a great tournament and please be safe. There are alot of boats on the water right now. Also watch out for some stuff floating. We saw several ig logs in the water that would sure mess up a day of fishing if you hit it with the big motor. Stay safe and see you on the water.
God Bless
Phil.4:13
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