At just over 69,000 acres, and 65 miles from dam to dam, Lake Guntersville can be intimidating when trying to figure out patterns and locations for bass in what is considered to be among the finest bass fisheries in the Southeast. With miles of hydrilla and milfoil grass lines, humps, roadbeds, rip rap, ledges, boat docks, steep bluffs, shallow sloughs and about everything else that can be found in a dream bass lake, it’s hard to know where to start. However, with a few key pieces of seasonal information, a little knowledge of break-lines and a good map, Guntersville gives up it’s secrets, and it fishes primarily the same from season to season, year after year.

Before I discuss seasonal tactics that work well for me, it would be worth discussing a little about how Guntersville bass relate to their constantly changing river environment. The primary obvious cover in Lake Guntersville is grass. As it is on all lakes, grass is a supplemental type of cover. It’s very important to remember that bass continue to relate best to permanent types of structure and cover. Humps, creek channels, ledges, stumps, etc. are what bass use continually. Finding concentrations of bass, and especially bigger bass will mean looking for permanent cover and structure features other than just grass. Grass helps keep the population of food cycle organisms, bait-fish and bass growing, and it is great for keeping bass on shallow cover areas year around, but grass alone rarely holds consistent concentrations of bass. To find the best fishing areas in any grass lake, it’s best to look at the map and pretend the grass is not there, looking for bass in areas they would normally be without grass.

CURRENT

Current is a big factor on Lake Guntersville. While bass can be caught during periods when current is not running, generally current helps the bite, especially during the daytime hours. Current positions bass on the ledges and open water humps. One of my long standing theories is that when current is present, bass have to swim, they expend energy and may as well feed at the same time. During slack water periods bait-fish are scattered, and bass can rest easily, making them less likely to chase a bait. When there is no current, I target the sloughs, as most of the sloughs and protected areas are mostly void of current, and these fish are less current dependent. During hours when power is generated through the dams, I focus on ledges and open water humps where the bass may be more active due to the current flow. When current is running, many people believe it is best to fish a bait with the current, as the bass are facing into the current. I find this not to be true much of the time. I’ll also note that anytime I’ve ever seen a bait-fish swim in current, it is swimming up into the flow, and fishing baits in the same manner tend to look natural to the bass. On the ledges during current flow, I have success fishing against the current and across the current, as well as with the current. I normally find bass positioned on the down river side of humps, or just inside cuts in the grass lines where there is any current break. Even small current breaks can produce big catches, so paying close attention to how the current is flowing around cover is important when fishing during generation hours. The back side of the ledges, or shallow side just over from the lip of the main ledge itself also has less current, and is often more productive than the steep side of the ledge during slack water times.

BREAKLINES

Lake Guntersville is all about getting away from the bank. Much of the good fishing and many of the best slopes to fish are many yards off the shore. Break-lines may be the most important aspect when learning to fish Lake Guntersville. The drops seem to have a consistent magic number formula. Anywhere that drops from 4 to 8 feet within the distance of a long cast is a good break-line. Usually this is the first break-line off the bank. The flats often run off the banks from 0 to 4 feet, then drop off quickly from 4 to 8 feet. I’ve found many bass on Guntersville just keeping the boat in 7 to 8 feet of water, and throwing onto the shallower flat. This varies from season to season, but much of the time bass use this 4 to 7 feet range on lake Guntersville, and keeping the boat just at the edge of this range, working the 4 to 7 foot areas has been very productive for me throughout the year. Finding productive break-lines off of the flats is easy so long as you have a map. I strongly recommend the Atlantic maps, as the colorized contour lines make finding the shallow flats easy. Look for the dark blue or shallowest points, humps and flats, and fish the edge where they begin to drop off into the deeper water. Again, very often if the bass are not right on the edge, sitting on the break-line, they will be right on top of the points or humps. Many bass live on top of these structure features from spawn through late fall, and can be caught in the thick grass mats that cover them during the warmer months.

EARLY SPRING / FEBRUARY – MARCH

Early spring on Lake Guntersville can begin in the first week of February. When the water temps get consistently above 45 degrees I declare early spring. Often during this time anglers are still targeting bass in deep water. Some people will be dragging microscopic plastics and jigs slower than a snail on a salt block in 20 feet of water on 4-lb line. Not surprisingly though, a lot of fish are already in 1 to 4 feet of water on a heavy pre-spawn feed during early spring. Early spring for me often means shallow… super shallow. I look for shallow bays from mid-river and up, especially bays or creeks that get a lot of sun. The N banks of many bays catch the sun and are protected from the winds, and often I find active bass on the N banks of shallow bays. Pockets that have small creeks running into the back of them are prime areas, and I look for the duck grass. Well, I call it duck grass, the brown cattail like grass growing in the backs of pockets where there is spring or swamp water. These areas warm up fast, and have plenty of minnows, frogs, tadpoles and other food bass love during that time of year. Stumps are the primary cover during this time, and big fish looking for bedding grounds will be close to stumps in the pockets. This is the time of year I do beat the banks on Guntersville, and look for super shallow bass. My favorite search baits are a Cordell Spots, Bayou Boogies, Bomber Model-2 As and spinner-baits in light colors. For plastics I stick to a Texas-rigged 6” Riverside lizard most of the time. Even with water temps in the mid 40s, bass will be very active in these shallow water areas. I can’t stress enough targeting shallow stumps this time of year. Shallow points are also good target areas, points around islands, protected shallow banks around islands, and anywhere bass will be looking for bedding grounds. Bass will bed in many of the up river shallow pockets as the water gets in the the upper 50s, and it doesn’t take long for the shallow water to heat up during warm spells in mid-February through March. I don’t over look the steeper banks during early spring periods.

Many of the bass that are not already in the pockets or around spawning areas in the early spring season will be staged on the break-line. That magic break-line that goes from 4-5 feet and drops down quickly can be just that, magic. Fishing the break-line for pre-spawn bass with big spinner-baits, ½ to 3/4oz Cordell Super Spots, and the shallow crank-baits such as the Model-A or the Excaliber Shallow Fingerling series work great for big bass. Fire-tiger, baby-bass and bream colors are good choices for crank-baits this time of year. Fishing the break-line around humps and points, in the mouths of pockets or on the channel ledge itself is very productive for bass that are using the 3 to 7 foot range. Of course the standard 6” Texas-rigged lizard is always a good bet. A black and blue Riverside jig with a craw-bug trailer is also good for some big bites on shallow stump flats near a drop, on the edge of the river ledge around the old hydrilla lines. I stick with a 3/8oz jig probably 95% of the time. Points near deep water or creek channels are productive, and I don’t over look steeper banks with docks or rip-rap when the shallow bite is tough during the early spring period. When water temperatures are changing and falling frequently, steeper banks with docks, rip-rap or other cover can be good. Red clay points with stumps are excellent places to search for staged bass. The bridges and causeways are always good targets when the shallow water bite is tough. Deep running crank-baits and jigs are my favorite baits on the steep banks, and I often do well on big spinner-baits and jigs. Suspending jerk-baits such as the Pro-Rogue are also very productive on the steeper drops during early spring when the water is clear. If bass are very inactive, and the water temps drop back into the low 40s during early spring, I resort back to the winter patterns and slow down the retrieve, or downsize a jig and work the steeper banks very slow.

SPRING SPAWN TO LATE SPRING POST SPAWN / MARCH-LATE APRIL

Spring spawn up to post spawn is one of the most productive times for both numbers of fish and big bass. I firmly believe that many bigger bass spawn first, and they will spawn in cooler water than many people know about. Generally, most of the grass has died out of the shallows during the winter, leaving the spawning grounds clear of most cover other than stumps, lay-downs and docks. I have seen bass and caught bass locked on bed in water temps as low as 57 degrees. We have a long spawn season, a true blessing here in the South, and bass will spawn in temps up to the low 70s, and up through the month of May if conditions stay right. Mid-March through mid-April seems to be the prime time for big bass to be active in the spawning grounds. Many bigger bass will also spawn a little further out than the smaller females, and big bass during the spring pre-spawn and spawn cycle really relate to stumps. However, many big fish do get shallow, and very shallow. Many people would be amazed to know how many big fish are caught by anglers in the know in 1.5 to 3 feet of water during the spring season. In late February through March, depending on the weather, the water temps get into the 50s, and the activity really begins. Everything seems to work in the shallows during this time. I’ve had great days on top-water baits when the water temps are in the mid to upper 50s, targeting very shallow stump flats or spawning areas during warmer days. Spinner-baits are very effective, and probably my two favorite baits this time of year are a 1/2oz Cordell Super Spot, and a Texas-rigged 6” lizard in watermelon seed color. Shallow pockets in the mid-river areas are prime areas for active bass to move into when the temps get into the 50s, and again I target those with small creeks running into them, and of course, stumps. Top-water baits can also be effective in the shallow stump flats anytime the water temps are over 50 degrees, with temps over 55 being the best starting point for top-water baits.

I also target some of the ledges with crank-baits during this time of year. A Bomber Model-2A, or one of the Excaliber Shallow Fingerling series baits worked fast over the growing grass on the open water ledges is a strong tactic for staging bass on open water areas. A 3/4oz lipless crank-bait such as the Cordell Super Spot is one of my best tactics for big bass on ledges before the grass gets to tall, or when working the old hydrilla on the edge of the drops. The crank-baits, and often suspending jerk-baits such as a Rogue are also very productive on the edges of milfoil that is growing on the break-lines during this period of time. Generally the bite begins up river, and moves down over the days and weeks as the water warms. The upper end warms faster, and stays a little more stained than the lower end under normal conditions. I often find the upper end of Lake Guntersville can be as much as 4 weeks ahead of the low end during the spring season. As the big fish begin to drop their eggs, they move off the beds, but often they don’t move far too fast. I find big post-spawn bass in the bedding grounds for several weeks after they spawn, taking advantage of the bream that are moving up to begin their spawn cycle.

LATE SPRING / POST-SPAWN / LATE APRIL-MAY

Fishing just outside the beds or around the deeper beds often produces big bass in the post-spawn phase, and they can be caught before they move to deep water. It’s also worth noting that many big bass are still in the spawning areas during post-spawn as the grass is growing Many of these fish stay in the area as the cover increases, and don’t move out to deep water until late fall or early winter. My two favorite baits for the early post-spawn bite are a Zara Spook, and a 3/8oz Riverside jig in black and blue. A Spittin’ Image or a Poppin’ Image is also very effective. I catch quality fish even during sunny daytime hours over the grass that is growing in the spawning grounds. When the top-water bite is slow, I’ll go to pitching or tossing the jig on the points and humps in the milfoil and growing hydrilla. A lizard or worm Texas-rigged is also productive tossed into the grass. The milfoil grows before the hydrilla, and gets thick on the humps and points during the late spring period. For top-water, I target milfoil that is less than a foot below the surface. Working a Zara Spook or Spittin’ Image over these shallow grass flats around the spawning grounds, or near the break lines is often very productive for both numbers and quality fish. Another popular tactic during this period is “swimming” a worm. Texas-Rigging a 7.5 to 10 inch ribbon tail worm, with a 1/8oz of smaller bullet weight and swimming it over the growing grass has put a lot of big fish in the boat. It is very effective on both the milfoil lines on humps and ridges, and is very effective on the channel ledges as bass begin to relate to the grass lines and drops in open water. Swimming a worm very slow accurately depicts a lamprey, and watermelon or green pumpkin colors work very well, especially when the water is clear. Lamprey are common in the shallows during the spring season, and bass will eat them. The big worms swimming through the grass look natural to big bass and make an effective presentation. The swimming tactic works wonders when the bass are not reacting to the top-water bite, or to a regular Texas-rig worked on the bottom. Another tactic I rely on during the late spring season is pitching a big worm in the hydrilla along the channel ledges. A 10” or larger ribbon tail, Texas-rigged with a 1/2oz bullet weight is my favorite set up. I drift down the ledge in the current, keeping the boat in 12 to 14 feet of water and pitch the worm up onto the ledge in the grass. I let it hit the bottom, shake it a few times then pick it up and pitch it again. It’s a fun method of catching big fish, sort of like hand to hand combat as working the worm as vertical as possible and close to the boat is the key. Junebug or redshad are my best colors for big worms when pitching in the thick grass. Pitching the worm or the jig into thick grass works well from late spring, through the summer and into the fall.

SUMMER – JUNE THROUGH AUGUST

They call them the “dawg days”, but we call them the hawg days. Hot days, warm nights, lots of sun, light winds and grass-gnats so thick you can hear the whine of a billion tiny wings as they drive you insane buzzing around your face. Make no mistake, while many folks are sipping iced tea and kicked back on an easy chair in a cool, air conditioned room, bass are on the hunt on Lake Guntersville. The summer months are my favorite time on the lake. Two main factors create the environment for the good fishing during the summer on Lake Guntersville. Grass, which creates acres of shaded shallow water is one factor, and current is the other factor. The shaded water around the grass and especially the water under the thick milfoil mats in later summer remains much cooler than the main river temps. Grass also keeps active, “catchable” bass in shallow water areas. Current is the other factor. Increased daytime heating means more power generation through the dams to run all the air conditioning units, and the current means bass have to swim, and they have to feed to keep up energy when swimming in the currents. One other factor worth mentioning is the hot, humid days often give way to the late afternoon thunderstorms. This means that during the daytime hours, as the air heats up and begins to lift, the barometric pressure begins to fall off and the big bass get active as if a cold front was approaching. Bait-fish are also growing from the spring spawns and there is bait of every shape, size and flavor being chased by hungry bass. June begins the schooling of both bait-fish and bass. Often during the daytime hours I see huge schools of bait moving up and down the grass lines on the river ledge. A Pop-R or Spittin’ Image Jr is going to get annihilated on the ledge grass when bass are schooling, and often the top-water bite is during the day, and on the hottest of days. In early summer, the willow flies will hatch, and the bite stays very strong as the willow flies are scarfed up by small bass, pan fish and bait-fish. Bigger bass eat whatever is feeding on the willow flies.

Pitching a 10” ribbon tail worm, a jig or a tube along the grass lines will do the trick when the top-water bite is slow. Many huge bass will still be in the shallow milfoil, on humps and in the sloughs. The matting grass provides every thing a big bass wants during the summer, and baits that can be worked over the top of the mat are very effective for some real heavyweight bass. If fishing deep is your fancy, a deep Fat Free Shad crank-bait will get plenty of attention on the deeper roadbeds, points with stumps, creek channel ledges and along outside edge of the grass on the main channel ledge. I don’t use the Carolina-rig much, but it is effective for deeper bass in the 10 to 25 foot range during the summer months. My three primary baits all the way through August are the top-water baits, a jig and a big worm. The jig remains the best tactic for me when hunting fish over the 7-lb mark, but many big fish come on the top-water presentations and often during the daytime hours. I like to work the top-water baits off the edge of the thick hydrilla mats, and pitch the jig and big worm around the edges of the thick hydrilla mats. I often have great luck pitching the same, 3/8oz jig with a craw trailer along the edges of matted milfoil on humps and points, and of course, go to the rat on top of the thicker milfoil mats.

EARLY AUTUNM – SEPTEMBER THROUGH OCTOBER

September begins the season of change in North Alabama. Cold fronts begin to get more severe, and the cooling nights and cooling water temps signal the beginning of the fall moments. Mature grass is beginning to break up in many areas, and the cover is changing day to day for the bass. Matted milfoil remains a prime target for big bass during the early fall season. Big bass are actively feeding on big bream, and schools of big bass are roaming the humps, points and ledges. The scum frogs, big tubes or other slop baits worked over the matted milfoil in shallow water are very productive. Pitching a black and blue jig around the edges of milfoil humps remains a favorite tactic of mine during this season as well. Many of the deep water bass are also active, and deep crank-baits on the deeper structure or creek channel edges can put bass over the 8-lb mark in the boat. I prefer to stay shallow, but there are always some good bass in deep water. Jerk-baits on the edges of grass lines work well, using the suspending models on the deeper ledges, and the shallow, floating models over the submerged grass. As the river grass breaks up, top-water baits and small spinner-baits worked very fast over the top of the grass beds on the ledges are very productive. This is the time of year I break out the smaller spinner-baits, ¼ to 1/8 ounce, and rip them over the grass beds. As the water temps fall back off into the prime bedding ranges, some bass will bed in the fall, so I often find some big fish in the springtime bedding grounds, and around shallow boat houses. A Poppin’ Image or Pop-R is also a great choice for working the edges of grass lines, and around the docks in the pockets or in the creeks. I’ve caught a lot of big bass on top-water baits during the fall, and schooling activity is frequent in the pockets and on the main ledges.

WINTER – NOVEMBER THROUGH JANUARY

As things change for the winter season, bass are on the move and finding them can be difficult. If the milfoil mats stay together and the weather stays warm the rat and frog fishing over the thick mats is always good in the shallows. Some huge fish are caught on rats under the mats during the winter months if conditions are right. Spinner-baits over the milfoil are always good and of course, a jig on the steeper break-lines. The coots here for the winter season tear up a lot of grass, that along with the grass that is naturally breaking up due to the colder season makes it tough to fish some baits at times. If the weather stays mild, I fish shallow and target fish on grass lines. If things get cold, I target deeper bass on rip-rap, bluffs and on the channel ledges. Jigging spoons are a great choice under causeway bridges where the shad gather, and they’ll get plenty of attention from stripe and yellow stripe. Spoons and deep cranks worked slow along the channel ledges from 15 to 25 feet deep work well, especially around rock points or bluffs. Places where the creek channels intersect with the main ledge also hold deep winter bass. You’ll catch plenty of spots and even a stray smallie during the winter months if you fish deep. Small baits such as 1/8 or 1/4oz jigs, finesse worms and tubes work well around boat docks and marina areas for bass in the winter. Grubs, tubes and other small plastics in shad colors work great when used on light line and a small jig head around the docks and marinas. Suspending jerk-baits such as the Pro Rogue work well along the steep rock bluffs for both spots and largemouth during winter months if the fish are active.

FINALLY

Lake Guntersville is probably one of the most diverse systems in the nation, and again one of the finest lakes to fish in the Southeast. With acres of grass, miles of ledges, roadbeds, creeks, humps, sloughs, bluffs etc, you can fish it about any way you like to fish. The best part is that there are almost always good fish in shallow water during any time of the year. Lake Guntersville has incredible scenery, abundant wildlife and plenty of accommodations around the lake for the entire family. It’s well worth the visit any time of year.