Alabama's Lake Guntersville is hallowed fishing ground. Right now, its big-bass reputation rivals that of the great California lakes, and it's a pivotal midpoint stop on the Bassmaster Tour. With two events down and four more to go – and two Bassmaster Classic berths on the line – it's make or break time for middle-of-the-pack anglers who want desperately to make something happen this season.
And it's a pivotal stop for anglers near the top of the Bassmaster points too, because it's easy to blow it on Guntersville. Yes, big fish abound, but they're in certain spots. If you're not on a good spot, you're in trouble and the lake can be so unforgiving, it can instantly dash even the boldest Angler of the Year (AOY) dreams against the bitter rock of despair.
So how's Guntersville fishing? Tough, said the pros who've had 2 full days to practice. Monday delivered strong frontal conditions with rain and hail in some spots. That pushed the water level up at least a foot and dumped mud into many of the major creeks.
The water temperature's a little warmer than it was last year when George Cochran tickled the triple-figure mark with his 99-10, 4-day total. That tournament was held in the same timeframe – almost to the day of this one – and the fish are again in pre-spawn mode. Of course, hydrilla and milfoil provide the dominant cover.
Bassfan Lake Profile
Before getting into more detail, here's a look at the lake itself:
> Lake name: Guntersville
> Type of water: Lowland reservoir
> Surface acres: Approximately 70,000
> Primary structure/cover: Grass (hydrilla and milfoil), ledges
> Average depth: Roughly 10 feet
> Species: Largemouths
> Reputation: Big-bass factory, but groups of winter fish can be tough to locate
> Weather: Post-front conditions with daytime highs in the 50s, but a cooling trend developing that could drop overnight lows by 10 degrees
> Water temp: 48-53 degrees
> Water visibility/color: After Monday's rain, visibility varies from 6 inches in some pockets to 3 to 4 feet
> Water level: About a foot high after rains
> Fish in: 2 to 20 feet
> Fish phase: Pre-spawn
> Primary patterns: Jerkbaits, Rat-L-Traps, Crankbaits, Spinnerbaits
> Winning weight: 80-plus pounds
> Cut weight (Top 12): 38 pounds
> Check weight: 10 to 12 pounds a day
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 3 for Guntersville
> Biggest factors: Will the weather stabilize?
> Wildcard: The right spot – anybody can find it, but anybody can pass right over it too
The Big Change
"I think the fishing's probably as tough as I've ever seen it," Chad Brauer said. He finished 4th here last year. "We had pretty rough weather on Monday, with several thunderstorms and hail the size of golfballs. That's got things stirred up. It may turn them off for a few days, but this lake has so many fish in it, even if the fishing's poor, I think the weights will still be pretty high."
He said the rain didn't keep him off the lake Monday and he didn't encounter any hail problems. "I was just outside of one hailstorm that went by. There was no boat damage for me, and none that I've heard of from other guys."
If the weather stabilizes, which it might, he said that could open up the fishery. "The weather yesterday was real nice – sunny skies, dead winds and fairly warm. It was typical post-front conditions. It's supposed to get colder as the week goes on, which could keep it from being a fantastic week of fishing. Even so, you can still expect some pretty big bags no matter what."
Like last year, the fish are in pre-spawn, but what stage of pre-spawn – whether early or late – is hard to predict. "The water temperature's between 48 and 53 degrees for the most part," he said. "It's hard to tell exactly what they're doing. But I'm assuming the fish are wanting to move up this time of year no matter what the water temperature is."
And the Guntersville decision weighs heavily on his mind. That decision boils down to which spot to start on. Bassmaster allows only 3 days of practice, so most anglers look for a bite here and there. The big question is always what kind of fish the spot truly holds. But his problem right now is finding enough bites to make that decision.
"Honestly, I've had so few bites I can't really say what's going on," he said. "I'll get one shallow, then the next one out in 10 or 12 feet of water. Yesterday, I had five different bites on five different baits. That makes it very tough to judge. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say you'll see a lot of lipless cranks, and if the weather stabilizes, spinnerbaits could be big – basically, anything you can reel over the grass. And of course the jerkbait could be a big factor.
Paul Elias remains positive – he found his pattern last year on the final day of practice.
> His guess on the cut weight: "Judging from the past, and not my practice, I think you'll need a least 18 or 19 pounds a day to make the Top 12. There's enough big ones here that if you get four or five bites, you're still liable to have 20 pounds."
The Jerk Bite
Prior to the start of competition, all eyes are on the jerkbait. That's what Cochran threw last year for his massive catch, and Brauer used it too. But Paul Elias, who finished 10th here last year, hasn't found that bite yet.
"It seems like it's a lot tougher," he said. "I don't know. The water temp is close to what it was last year, but the lake came up quite a bit Monday night, which I think hurt them yesterday. I'm really not finding any of the patterns I fished last year.
"So far I haven't found a jerkbait bite. I caught three yesterday morning, but they weren't anywhere near the quality I was catching last year. A little wind might help it, but the fish just don't seem to be as active. They're pretty sluggish.
"I think it'll be one of those tournaments where a lot of quality fish are caught, but there won't be nearly as many limits – unless something changes."
He said it took 30 pounds to win a local tournament here last week – proof that big bags are present. "They're out there to be caught, you just need to figure it out. You know how these guys are – somebody always figures it out."
But he remains hopeful, since last year his pattern didn't emerge until late in the practice. "I didn't hit my pattern last year until the last day of practice. I'm struggling now like I was then. But I'm thinking positive – hoping I run into them."
Mike Auten said it's all about spots right now.
> His weight prediction: "There's a lot of fish to be caught. It would surprise me if it took less than 80 pounds to win the tournament."
Spot Seeker
The way the bite's shaping up, it could turn out to be a spot-fishing tournament. In the absence of lakewide patterns, a single spot or two spots could well determine the winner. At least that's the bite according to Mike Auten, who finished 7th last year.
"What I'm looking for is a few key bites in a few areas," he said. "Where you get a bite, there's typically more. I've had a few key bites on key places so far, and I'm hoping there's more there. That's what happened last year. I had about five bites in practice, and I keyed on that.
"A lot of it right now is a spot-fishing type of deal. You can establish a pattern, but a lot of the strategies are primarily centered around fishing spots."
He said the pre-spawn fish he's found are on the outside edges of the grasslines, like they were last year. "I think the top three producers will be jerkbaits, Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits. But you'll also see some guys running the outside edges with deep-diving cranks.
"It's mostly an outside bite. In the backs of some pockets the water's 57 degrees, but it's colder in the main lake. The fish are definitely in pre-spawn, but close to their wintering areas. You can catch schoolers with a Carolina rig, but those aren't the fish you need."
> He didn't venture a guess on the cut weight, but did say, "There will be some pretty big weights. Some guys always catch them here – they just do."
The Mud Factor
David Walker, who's leading the Bassmaster points, finished 9th here last year. He said he's surprised at how quickly the lake muddied up. "There was a big change Monday night. We had a lot of rain and the lake came up about a foot. And boy is there some muddy water in spots.
"I'm still trying to regroup from that. I really didn't catch much Monday, and I think the change will play into what's going to happen. Usually when you get a big change like that, you need to figure out what to do to make that help you."
Bassmaster points leader David Walker said entire creeks have turned to mud, but they may clear up.
And some of the important creeks have turned completely to mud. "A lot of the big creeks are really muddy," he said. "I'm amazed at how quickly the mud got all the way through. Maybe it'll clear just as fast – I've never been here when it's like that."
But he doesn't necessarily see the mud as a negative. "The mud to me is the biggest thing going on. The water's warmed up, and it should make the fishing really good. I look for some really good catches."
Launch/Weigh-In Info
Weigh-ins for the first 2 days will take place at Lake Guntersville State Park at 3:00 p.m. CT. Weigh-ins for the final 2 days will take place at Wyeth Park at 3:30 p.m. Anglers launch beginning at 6:15 a.m. from Lake Guntersville State Park on Feb 24–25 and from Wyeth Park on Feb. 26–27.
Notable
> This is the third time BASS has visited Guntersville for a Tour event. The lake was also the site of the 1976 Classic, which Rick Clunn won with 59-15.
> Here's a look at the Top 6 finishers last year with their 4-day weights in parentheses: 1. George Cochran (99-10), 2. Stacey King (90-01), 3. Kevin VanDam (87-03), 4. Chad Brauer (83-13), 5. Mike Iaconelli (66-01), 6. Zell Rowland (60-10). Note the significant gap not only between 1st and 2nd, but also between 4th and 5th.
> Kelly Jordon won the 2002 event with 83-11, but that tournament was in April and the fish were in post-spawn.
Weather Forecast
> Thurs, Feb 24 – Afternoon showers – 59°/46°
- Wind: From the NE 8 mph
> Fri, Feb 25 – Afternoon Showers – 54°/33°
- Wind: From the N/NE at 10 mph
> Sat, Feb 26 – Partly Cloudy – 56°/33°
- Wind: From the N/NE at 8 mph
> Sun, Feb 27 – Partly Cloudy – 61°/39°
- Wind: From the NE at 8 mph
