December Bass at Wedowee

with Lee Byrd

     Many bass fishermen get so involved with the holidays they don’t think much about fishing from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  That is a mistake.  Some of the best bass fishing of they year is in late November to the end of December and Lake Wedowee is one of the best lakes to catch heavy stringers this time of year.

     Wedowee is the newest Alabama Power lake and is officially known as R.L. Harris Reservoir.  Completed in 1983, it was formed by damming the Tallapoosa River.  It covers 10,660 acres and has 270 miles of shoreline and most of the upper lake on both the Tallapoosa and Little Tallapoosa Rivers are winding channels and steep banks.

     Spotted bass are very common in the lake to the point the Alabama DNR has places a special slot limit on largemouth only.  You must release all largemouth between 13 and 16 inches long.  When first implemented this slot limit also applied to spots but they were removed two years ago and it only applies to largemouth now. Anglers are encouraged to keep spots of all sizes, especially the smaller ones.

     Lee Byrd grew up fishing in Georgia with his grandfather. He says they went “junk” fishing for anything that would bite.  He started concentrating on bass when about 12 years old and joined the Marietta Bass Club, one of the best clubs in Georgia the week he turned 18. That was natural since his father Bill Byrd was a member and a well know bass fishermen throughout the state.

     Lee moved to Birmingham 12 years ago and now concentrates his fishing on Alabama lakes. He is in the Birmingham Bass Club and fishes the Bama BFL and plans on fishing the Weekend Series this next year. He also competes in some local tournaments.  He is on the Grammer Marine fishing team and is sponsored by Champion Boats.

     Lee started fishing Wedowee in the mid-1980s, as soon as if filled.  Then four years ago a friend, Bill Roberts, from the Washington, DC area started visiting in late November for some fishing and they chose Wedowee as the best lake for this time of year.   Each year they catch a lot of big bass. Last year the first day of their trip Lee’s best five weighing 27 pounds.  The next day his best five weighed 23 pounds.

     There are some quality largemouth in Wedowee and Lee tends to focus on them. That is a results of his tournament fishing where largemouth usually weigh more than spots.  He does catch a lot of spots, too, but most of the better spots weigh two to three pounds.

     Lee says the bass are easy to pattern in late November and all during December. He concentrates on three types of structure, all related to deep water and channels.  Points where the channel swings near them, bluff banks on the main lake and creek banks where the channel swings against them all produce bass this time of year. 

     You can catch fish on almost all such places right now but Lee refines his fishing more. He looks for transitions. Changes hold bass so he wants to find a point of bluff where the rocks change to clay or where the water color changes.  Temperature changes can be just as important. Lee says he will often run up a creek and watch his temperature gauge.  If there are two bluff banks where the temperature is 58 then the next three show lower temperatures, around 51 or so, he will concentrate on the second and third bluffs where the temperature changes.

     A variety of baits work well and temperature controls what Lee throws to some extent. If the water temperature is still in the upper 50s he sticks with more active baits like crankbaits and spinnerbaits. When it hits the low 50s he relies on a jig and pig to catch most of his fish at Wedowee.

     Crankbaits with a tight wobble are Lee’s choice and he likes them in shad colors.  A Baby Little N or a Suddeth work well and have the wobble he likes.  Wooden baits are good and seem to do better, especially if the fishing is tough. Also, as a change-up, he will throw a bright chartreuse crankbait. That will sometimes produce hits when the shad colors are not drawing attention.

     Lee makes his own jigs and likes a three-eights to one–half ounce jig.  He will throw a quarter ounce jig if the fishing it tough and he wants a slower falling bait.  When the sun is out he fishes a brown or green pumpkin jig with a Zoom Super Chunk in green pumpkin or blue.  On cloudy and rainy days he uses a black jig and blue trailer.  Black and blue works better in off-color water.  For some reason Lee has found black and blue is good in very clear water, too.

     The bass are usually holding eight to 25 feet deep this time of year so Lee works those depths until he zeros in on a more specific depth.  If you are regularly catching fish at a set depth, concentrate on it.  Sunny or cloudy days don’t really affect the bite much other then which color Lee throws. He says a little wind helps move the baitfish so wind blown banks can be better.

     Lee concentrates on the upper one-third of the Little Tallapoosa and Tallapossa Rivers but there are some good areas down the lake, too.  You can pick and area to launch and stay nearby, there is no need to run all over the lake to find fish.

     The following ten spots are some of Lee’s favorites.  They are on different parts of the lake so some will be near you wherever you launch. Check them out and you will find many similar places nearby.

     1. N 33 21.098 – W 85 30.851 – Just upstream and across the river from the mouth of Wedowee Creek is an excellent example of the kind of  point Lee likes to fish this time of year.  It is on the upstream side of a cove that has a single small dock with a tin roof way back in it.  There are no houses on either side of the cove that you can see and both points are natural woods.

     The upstream point is at the end of a bluff wall and is a transition from a steep rock face to a flatter clay and rock bottom.  The channel runs right along the outside of the point but it is flatter on top and the point runs out shallow across the mouth of the cove for a short distance.

     Start with your boat on the river side and cast a crankbait across it, fishing it shallow to deep.  Fish all the way around the point making fan casts to cover all of it.  You can do the same with a spinnerbait if the water is in the upper 50s. Try hopping a jig and pig down the point from all angles if the water is in the lower 50s.

     2.  N 33 20.544 – W 85 30.572 – Run into Wedowee Creek and the channel makes a sharp bend to the right.  On your left you will see a white dock at the start of the sheer rock bluff.  Start fishing at this dock and work down the bluff, past a deck that is just above the full pool mark.   Not far past the deck is a small cove. Fish around it past the small gray house sitting on top of a concrete vertical foundation.  There is a fish feeder at it and you will see some small pine seedlings in the gutter.

     Keep your boat parallel to the bluff and work your crankbait and spinnerbait parallel to the rocks.  Cast right to the bank and fish the bait at an angle that keeps it close since the bottom drops off very fast.  Also try hopping a jig and pig down the face of the rocks.

     3.  N 33 20.523 – W 85 30.692 – Across the creek there is a point and a bluff wall where the creek makes a bend back to the left.  Start at the wooden dock on your right on the point.  It has a shingle roof and the house up on the point has a big deck around it. It is near where the bottom changes from a flatter clay area to a sheer vertical rock wall.    

     Fish all your baits along this bank, trying different speeds and depths.  You can fish all the way around past the five docks to the next transition where the channel moves to the left and the bottom flattens out a little more.  All along here watch for changes – a tree in the water, a change in water color or even the shadow from the docks to fish hard since the bass will hold on any change.

     4.  N 33 19.577 – W 85 32.117 – Headed down the river the channel makes a big “U” turn, swinging to your left then back to your right. On the outside of the “U” two coves cut back in offering a change.  Start fishing on the downstream point of the upstream cove.  It has some big rocks out in the water off the bank so stop way off it and ease in until you learn how far out they go.

     You will see two big whitish rocks at the top of the rock wall just downstream of the point. They sit right at the high water mark.  This point makes a change from big rocks under water to a steep rock bank.  I caught a chunky two pound spot just downstream from the point in early November on a jig and pig.

     Fish from the point down the bank, staying on the outside of it.  Fish the rocks on the point with a variety of baits then fish down the rock wall to the floating dock with a yellow slide and blue diving board on it.  On the downstream side of this dock is some brush that will still be in the water if it is not too low. The brush makes a nice change to fish and it holds bass.

     Fish on down past the deck at the high water level working crankbaits and spinnerbaits parallel to the rocks and hopping a jig down them.  When fishing a steep wall like this cast your jig and pig to the bank and let it hit bottom. Work it back with tiny hops of your rod tip, barely moving your rod tip. The jig will fall several inches to several feet with just a tiny movement of your rod tip.

     5.  N 33 19.451 – W 85 32.250 – The point at the end of the bluff wall in hole #4 is another good transition.  The bluff bank stops and a flatter point extends out, dropping off fast on both sides but with some shallow water on top. There is a floating dock attached to a dock on post with lattice around it. There is also a yellow boat house with a wooden ramp in front of it.

     Back off the point and make long casts with a crankbait and spinnerbait to cover the water from the top of the point down. Fish all the way around it, hitting it from all angles. Then go back around it with a jig and pig. You can make bigger hops here since the bottom does not drop quite as fast.

     6. N 33 17.703 – W 85 37.674 – If you put in on the lower lake the banks look very different but the channel swings still hold bass. Go in behind the big islands on the north side of the lake.  Be careful in this area there is lots of standing timber here. With the water down you can see most of it and know where to keep your boat.

     If you are coming downstream and go in behind them on the upstream side you will see a hump on your left with a danger buoy on it. With the water down it will be lying on top of the hump. All around the hump is standing timber. Across from this hump the channel makes a sharp turn to your left and there is another marked hump on your right. 

     Ease over to this hump that marks the end of a long point. The channel swings in on both sides of it, making it an excellent place to catch bass.  The best areas are where the channel swings in closest and the bottom makes the steepest drop.  Work all around this hump and point, keeping your bait out in the timber and fishing back.

     The bass might be holding suspended down along the tree trunks so fish your spinnerbait and crankbait through the timber as well as working the bottom.  It is harder to fish a place like this but it often pays off in bigger fish.

     7. N 33 17.961 – W 85 38.141 – Shad move into the creeks when the water temperature is below 60 degrees, according to Lee, and the bass will follow them.  Run into Fox Creek past the ramp and power lines.  The creek makes a fork and the point between the two arms is an excellent point to fish.  As you go up the creek one arm goes ahead and to the left and another makes a sharp turn to the right.  On top of the point is a dead kudzu field and a dirt track comes down to the water on the left side facing it and goes up the right side where people come to the bank to fish.

     Start fishing on the left side of the point facing it and work around it.  There are smaller points sticking out from the main point and some rock piles on them.  All make transitions where the bass hold. On the upper side the channel swings in then back out, making another transition area to fish.  Crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jig and pig are all good here.

     8.  N 33 20.313 – W 85 35.855 – Up the Tallapoosa River are some good spots, too.  There are fewer houses up this way and the channel is actually narrower then the Little Tallapoosa.  There is also a lot of standing timber along the banks.

     Run up past Indian Creek on your left and watch for a cove on your right.  The upstream point of the cove is the end of a bluff wall.  There is a sign nailed to a tree standing in the water across the river from the point advertising “Camping and Restrooms” with a phone number and arrow pointing upstream.  The fish often stack up on the point and they will also hold along the bluff bank upstream of the point. Work around the point with all your baits then fish up the bluff bank some, too. 

     Lee says the fish change year to year and even day to day.  If you found fish on the point the last time you fished there is a good chance they are still there, or on structure nearby. Vary your bait color, speed and depth of retrieve until you find them.

     9. N 33 21.174 – W 85 34.994 – Up the river on your right is a cove with a sign on a point back in the middle of it saying “Ratley’s Cove.”  The upstream point of the cove had a bunch of mallard decoys on it when I was there and there are big orange balls floating in the water off both points of the cove.

     Fish the bluff wall starting at the upstream point and working up. There are a lot of docks along this bluff wall and you should try all your baits, fishing all the way to the next cove. Watch for anything that is different and make casts to it.

     This bank as others on the east side of both rivers will stay shady for a good while during the day. Shade can also be a transition area and sometimes the bass like to hold in shady areas go check them out.

     10.  N 33 22.241 – W 85 35.873 – Head upstream to where the channel makes a sharp bend back to your right. There is a creek entering here and the mouth if full of standing timber. There are two big trees standing out in the water and one of them has an osprey nest in it.  A bluff bank runs above and below this creek. Fish both sides along the bank, working your baits on the rocks as well as in the trees.

     Here and in the other bluff banks Lee says to keep your boat in 25 to 40 feet of water when fishing a jig and pig. Make short casts ahead of the boat and hop your bait down the bank. Don’t get in too close. Let your jig fall on a slack line so you don’t pull it away from the bottom on each hop.  Let is sit a few seconds them make another small pull. Your jig will fall several feet even on slack line on a very small pull of your rod tip.

     These ten spots show you the kinds of places Lee likes to catch Wedowee bass this time of year.  Try them, see what he is talking about and you will find many other similar places all over the lake to fish.

with Brian Randall

     September can be a mean month for bass fishermen. The water is as hot as it gets all year and the oxygen content is at its lowest level. Bass are often sluggish and not feeding much. But some lakes like Logan Martin give us a chance to have good catches even now.

     Built in 1965 by Alabama Power on the Coosa River east of Birmingham, Logan Martin is 48.5 miles from dam to headwaters and has 15,263 acres of water filled with river ledges, grass beds and docks.  Water releases and power generation at the Logan Martin dam as well as from the Neely Henry dam upstream create current that helps make the bass feed.

     There is a good population of largemouth in the lake but spotted bass seem to dominate tournament catches.  In the BAIT survey for 2007 Logan Martin ranked first in percent of angler success and third in bass and pounds landed per angler day.  The average bass weight and hours to catch a bass over five pounds ranked 19^th.  So expect to catch a lot of keeper bass but bigger bass are harder to come by on Logan Martin.

     Brian Randall grew up in Tuscaloosa and is a fire fighter there now.  He is also sales manager of Grammer Marine in Vance and sells Champion, Blazer and Express boats on the days he is not on duty at the fire station.  He has fished Logan Martin all his life.

     In the mid 1990s a friend got Brian started tournament fishing and he has done well.  In 2001 he won the Neely Henry BFL and the Bama Division point standings for the year.  In 2002 he fished the Stren Series and finished 8th in his first tournament on that trail and then finished 15^th at Eufaula after leading on day two.  He got married the next year and took a year off from tournament fishing but is getting back into it now, fishing the Dixie BFLs, where he is in 10^th place overall for the year, and the Grammer Marine trail.

     Brian took me fishing on Logan Martin the last day of July, showing me how to catch bass there.  He said the bass are on their summer patterns from now on through most of September and you can catch them on ledges, brush piles and docks.  Near the end of September the bass will follow the shad back into the creeks and coves but you can still follow them and land them from docks and grassbeds.

     Logan Martin is a very versatile lake where you can always catch bass shallow, according to Brian.  The abundant cover and shallow structure mean bass don’t have to go real deep and current helps keep them in easier to fish areas. From now to the end of September Brian expects to catch bass 10 to 15 feet deep during the day on ledges.  He also catches fish on top early each morning and around docks during the day.  Those three patterns will serve you well.

     For topwater fishing Brian had a Spook, Jr., a Rico popper or a buzzbait tied on. He fishes them around grassbeds, rocks and docks until the sun get on the water.  Cloudy days will hold the fish shallow longer and fish will hit topwater around docks later than they will on open grassbeds or rocks.

     For ledge fishing Brian likes a big crankbait like a Norman or Poes. For the shallow ledges 10 to 12 feet deep he goes with a Deep Little N then switches to a DD 22N for deeper fish.  He says the Poes is a forgotten crankbait that will still catch bass and he likes it on the more shallow ledges.  All his crankbaits are shad colored with gray backs, like the citrus shad or gray ghost.  The gray back is a key for all his crankbaits.

     Crankbaits are thrown on 10 pound P-Line spooled on a bait casting reel. All his rods are Castaway Rods, one of his sponsors.  He makes long casts and the 10 pound line helps the plug get down deeper.

     A Castaway spinning rod with a reel spooled with eight pound PLine Fluorocarbon line is kept ready with a shaky head jig and a Net Bait worm for fishing brush when the fishing is tough.  He will also throw the shaky head around docks.

     Sometimes the fish on the ledges just don’t seem to want a crankbait and Brian will throw a Net Bait worm on a Caroliana rig to them.  He will also keep a football head jig ready to drag on the ledges for those tough days.

     The following ten spots will hold bass for you this month. Brian and I fished them and caught about 15 bass, all but two were spots. Brian’s best five that day weighed 13.5 pounds and included a 4 pound, 1 ounce spot.  We quit early in the afternoon and missed some of the good bite, but it was still a very good day.

     1.  N 33 31.765 – W 86 17.015 – In Cropwell Creek the peninsular that separates the cove at Lakeside Landing and the creek itself is a good place to start early in the morning. Run around to the creek side and you will see a series of seawalls and small coves. Start fishing on the point between the creek and the cove in front of the brown house with a weather vane on top and work up the creek side at the seawall. 

     This rock seawall runs along the bank and there are rocks out from it. You will fish a variety of seawalls, docks and cuts with some grass. Fish all the way up to the point that runs way out, Be sure to cast your topwater right to the seawall and work it out.  When you got to grassbeds throw a buzz bait in them, working all through them.  Fish along the outside edges of docks, too.

     2.  N 33 30.862 – W 86 17.767 – Run down past the opening to the river, staying inside the creek, and watch on your right for a long dock running upstream on a point.  The dock is on an island that has a causeway to it and is in front of a white cabin with a screen porch and a chain link fence. Start on the back side of the island near the causeway and work toward the point, casting topwater right on the bank. Fish this side, hitting the docks there and the  brush in the water.  Work around the point and fish the dock on it.

     As you round the point you will see a big cement ramp. Fish it and then start working the docks down this bank.  We missed several fish here and Brian got a solid spot that weighed just under three pounds and I got a two pound keeper spot.  We also saw some schooling fish here.

     The first dock past the ramp has a lot of brush around it.  Fish over it with topwater and work on down the bank until the fish quit hitting on top. Fish between the docks, casting near the bank and working back along the edges of the docks. Be sure to cast to any rock or grass on the bank between the docks.

     After fishing the docks go back to the brush around the first dock and try your shaky head or Carolina rig. Brian likes a light jig head to work through the brush without hanging up, and be ready to set the hook and reel hard to get the fish out of the brush.

     3.  N 33 32.202 – W 86 16.522 – Head to the back of Cropwell creek and you will see some ball fields right in the back. To the left of the fences you will see a roadbed entering the water. That roadbed runs down the creek and makes a perfect ledge with cement rubble on top. Brian runs back to the little island on the left across from the area they are clearing for a new subdivision on the right bank and starts fishing.

     You will see two danger markers ahead of you, toward the back of the creek. Keep your boat on the outside of the roadbed in about 10 feet of water and work toward the back of the creek. Stay where you can cast all the way across the roadbed and bring your bait up one side, across the top and down the other.

     Brian fished a Norman’s Deep Little N here and warned you will get hung a lot on the rubble from the road. He keeps a spark plug with a clip on it to drop down his line to shake the plug loose and also keeps a Hound Dog type plug knocker with short small ropes on it to run down his line to pull his plug off hang-ups.

     I caught a two pound spot on a Texas rigged worm here and Brian got a slightly bigger spot on his crankbait the day we fished.  Both of us missed several hits but we did not stay very long.

     4. N 33 29.720 – W 86 14.641 – Run out of Cropwell Creek and head up the river.  Go through the big “S” bend past Powell’s Campground and watch for another area that is being cleared for a new subdivision on your left.  In front of it is a cove with an island on the upstream side. Stop out off the downstream point of this island in about 21 feet of water. A ledge runs along the island and the downstream side of the point and comes up to about 14 feet deep. Stay out and cast up on top of the ledge and work a deep running crankbait, Carolina rig or football head jig back down the drop.

     This ledge is a hard clay bottom without much cover on it so you won’t get hung up much. Fish from the middle of the cove upstream until you are even with the island.  Make very long cast so your bait has a chance to get down deeper.  You need to hit bottom for the best results, and Brian will sweep his rod when his plug hits bottom, making it dig along and draw a strike.

     Brian likes to sit deep and cast up shallow on all the ledges he fishes.  He is looking for active fish that have moved up to feed and thinks he does better fishing in that direction. He says he is also less likely to get hung up fishing from shallow to deep.

     5.  N 33 30.353 – W 86 13.605 – Heading upstream around the next bend you will see the bridge ahead of you, a house on a steep cleared hillside with a big cement wall between it and the water on your right, and a small creek entering on your right upstream of the house.  A roadbed crosses the mouth of this creek, creating a ledge, and it has concrete rubble on it from the old bridge or a house foundation.

     Stay out in 20 feet of water and cast up onto the roadbed that tops out about eight feet deep.  Brian will break off rather than go get his bait in a tournament because he feels getting on top of the shallow water spooks the fish. If you need to get your bait, or if you want to idle over the spot to see how it looks, it is a good idea to leave and come back later to fish it.

     6. N 33 33.732 – W 86 10.774 – Run up into the mouth of Choccoloco Creek, staying in the channel past the islands on your left. Straight ahead is a steep bank where the creek runs right by the shore on and outside bend.  There is a big house up on the hillside with several turrets and roof pinnacles.  There are some big white rocks on the bank on the left side when you are facing it and granite riprap on the right.  Stop out in front of this house. 

      Here you want to fish the ledge on the inside bend of the creek channel. Keep your boat in the channel and throw your baits downstream toward the river.  There is a shallow point just to your left if you are facing out from the big house and dock and you will be casting up into about 12 feet of water while sitting in 25 feet.

     Work all along this ledge.  Brian keeps a marker buoy on the edge of his casting deck and kicks it over the side as soon as he hooks a bass to mark the spot. That way he can go back to the exact same spot. That is important because bass stack up on these ledges in small areas and you should catch several anywhere you get one.

     Brian told me he caught a bunch of 1.5 pound fish here in the recent BFL and finally just gave up and left biting fish because they were not culling anything he had.  He caught three here on crankbaits the day we fished, all about 1.5 pounds.

     7.  N 33 33.533 – W 86 10.215 – Go up the creek around the bend and the creek runs straight for a long way.  Stop about even with the point on your left out in 25 feet of water and start casting toward the bank on that side, fishing up the creek. You will be downstream of a white house with red shutters. There are a lot of stumps along this creek ledge.

     Work up the creek, casting up into six feet of water. Brian says he thinks this was the area some of the pros caught fish in a big tournament and he landed the 4 pound, 1 ounce spot here. It hit his Deep Little N crankbait.

     Fish all the way up to the last dock on the point where the creek makes a bend again. This is over 200 yards of ledge to fish and they may be holding anywhere along it.  You will get hung up on all the stumps but they are why the fish are here.

     Brian will start fishing this ledge and others making casts across it at a 90 degree angle. Then, especially if he catches a fish or two, he will move in and change the angle he is fishing a little, casting up or down the ledge and coming across it at a different angle to show the fish something a little different. This will often trigger more strikes.

     8.  N 33 34.451 – W 86 12.834 – Heading up the river you will come out of a fairly  narrow stretch of the river and Dye Creek will open up on your left. Ahead you will see a power line crossing. On the left will be a danger marker sitting way out from the bank.  This hump has rocks on it and it a good place to fish a crankbait, Carolina rig or football head jig.

     Work all around this hump probing for rocks and bass. When you catch one mark it and fish that spot hard. If the current is running the downstream side of the hump is usually better.  Current and wind blowing across this spot make the fish bite better since both move bait across the hump.  Both help on any of these spots.

     9.  N 33 34.989 – W 86 13.120 – Go up to the power line and stop out from the small island with the power line tower on it on your right. A good ledge starts just downstream of this pole and runs up to the island on that side. It is a sloping ledge without a steep drop and Brian says it is usually better in the morning. Most sloping ledges seem to pay off for him better in the morning.

     Fish from the power line tower upstream, working crankbaits, Carolina rigs and football head jigs from shallow to deep.  Bright sun actually helps this and other ledges.  Cloudy days seem to make the fish scatter more and Brian says he does better on them when the sun is bright. It positions the fish in one area and they are easier to catch.

     10. N 33 36.943 – W 86 11.362 – Run up the river above the three bridges and watch to your left. There is a small creek with some houses on the downstream side and one of them has a tower. There is a green roof and an orange roof dock in front of these houses.  On the upstream side of the small creek you will see a white post of some kind in the water near the bank.     

     Start fishing out from the upstream point of the pocket and fish up past the white post working upstream. This area of the river has steep ledges and drops fast. There are a lot of stumps along this ledge. I hooked two small largemouth here, the only two we saw all day. Both hit a worm.

     11. N 33 37.348 – W 86 10.160 – A little further upstream you will see a brush top out way off the bank on your left. A good ledge runs along this side from the brush top all the way to the next creek entering on that side.  It is covered with big stumps.  Fish it the same way as the others, casting crankbaits, Carolina rigs and football head jigs from deep to shallow. 

     Give these spots a try to see the kinds of places Brian fishes this time of year. Once you get the idea you can find many other similar spots all over the lake. Catch bass on these then find others all your own to catch bass.  It is hard to beat Logan Martin this time of year.

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Water release info – 1-800-525-3711

with Captain Mike Gerry

See Captain Mike Gerry’s weekly fishing report here

     October is a great month for catching bass all over Alabama but Guntersville is hard to beat.  The lake is full of big bass in shallow water that will hit a variety of baits right now.  And you can be more comfortable fishing for them all day now that cooler weather is here.

     A dam 94 feet high and 3929 feet long was completed on the Tennessee River in 1939 to form Guntersville.  The lake has 67,900 acres of water and 890 miles of shoreline, but the average depth is so shallow that most of the lake holds bass in easy to reach cover. 

     The water level stays stable to provide a navigation channel, fluctuating only two feet between summer and winter pool.  This allows different kinds of grass beds to grow and get thick most years, and the bass use them for cover all year long.  A 15 inch size limit insures a good population of smaller bass that grow into bragging size fish.

     In the 2007 Alabama Bass Anglers Information Team report Guntersville had the highest average weight for bass caught in tournaments of all reported lakes, and it took less time to catch a bass over five pounds at Guntersville than any other Alabama lake.  Numbers of bass caught were not as impressive but the 15 inch size limit makes it harder to catch keepers.

     Mike Gerry moved to Alabama in the early 1970s and coached high school football for many years.  He loved fishing the area and participated in many tournaments, fishing on Guntersville starting in 1974. After a boating accident while fishing a night tournament and three tough years of rehabilitation he started guiding on Guntersville full time in 1997.  He lives on the lake near the ramp at Waterfront Grocery and Tackle and is on the lake about 200 days a year now.

     Mike netted the lake record 14 pound, 8 ounce bass for his partner Charlie Betus several years ago.  His personal best from the lake is an 11 pound, 2 ounce hog most of us can only dream of catching.  And his best five fish limit weighed 27 pounds.  He catches lots of bass and big ones.  He won the Guntersville Civitan Big Bass contest this past  June with a 7 pound, 4 ounce largemouth and got his best of the  year, an 8 pound, 14 ounce beauty, in mid August.

     Mike says this is an unusual fall for Guntersville because the grass mats are not as common and thick as normal.  Last February was real cold so the grass did not get a good start, and unusually strong winds all summer kept it broke up.  The rat bite is usually one of the strongest patterns on Guntersville in October but it will not be as good as usual this year.

     The water started cooling early this year and the bass started moving into the creeks and coves. Mike says they follow mussels and baitfish. The mussel beds offer a variety of foods for the bass as do the baitfish. Most of his fishing this time of year is from the mouths of creeks back in them.  He started catching good bass on this pattern this year in mid August and the 8-14 came on it.

     Early each morning Mike likes to start with topwater baits and says a fast moving bait like a buzzbait is his choice.      He will run it over hydrilla and milfoil that is not covering the surface, trying to draw an active bass up and out of the grass to feed.  If he finds a solid patch of grass on top he will fish a rat or frog on it.

     As the sun gets up Mike switches to crankbaits, spinnerbaits, a jig and pig and a Texas rigged Paca Craw.  He fishes the shallow running crankbait or a Punisher Lures spinnerbait over grass that is several feet below the surface, concentrating on edges where channels or ledges drop off and the grass stops.

     If the bass won’t chase the crankbait or spinnerbait he will make short pitches with the other two baits, let them fall to the bottom, then pop them up two to three feet and let them fall again.  He only pops them up one time since he gets almost all his bites on the initial fall.

     To get down through the grass he uses a black and blue one-ounce Tightline jig with a black or blue Paca Craw trailer.  He will go lighter for a slower fall with a Paca Craw rigged with a one-half ounce sinker if the fish seem to want a slower falling bait.  Both baits are pitched about 20 yards from the boat then reeled in for another pitch after one hop.

     The following spots have been holding bass for several weeks now and they will get better and better as the water cools more.  Give them a try to see the kinds of spots Mike looks for this time of year.

     1. N 34 31.400 – W 86 10.327 – Beshart Creek is the first creek on the west side upstream of the ramp at Waterfront Grocery and Tackle. It goes in and turns and there is a big bay with the Highway 79 causeway running along the west side. The bay is shallow and full of grass with a good channel running through it and Mike likes to start here with topwater baits in the morning.

     Run into the creek and you will see the causeway ahead of you. It is broken by an island with trees on it and you want to stop out in the middle of the bay about even with the island.  Watch your depthfinder and you will see the creek channel snaking across the flat running about nine feet deep. It has hydrilla on the edge of it forming a good grassline to fish.

     Keep your boat in the channel and make casts up to the shallow grass and run a buzzbait over it. There are some solid mats here to work a rat on, too. Fish the rat pretty fast to draw a strike.  Work along the channel from even with the island all the way to where it makes a turn toward the bridge.

     If nothing hits on top try your jig and pig or Texas rig, dropping it into holes and popping it up.  Mike uses Suffix monofilament 20 pound test on both jig and Texas rig. The mono is better in the clear water but you need heavy line to pull the fish out of the grass.

     The water in here is normally very clear and it is due to the hydrilla.  Hydrilla filters sediment out of the water more than milfoil so you can expect to find clearer water where hydrilla is present.  We caught four or five bass here on top early the day Mike showed me these spots a few weeks ago.

     2. N 34 29.787 – W 86 09.740 – Come out of the creek and head downstream across the lake, staying on the downstream end of the big hydrilla bed and shallows in the middle.  You will see two long riprap points running off the east bank where they used to fill barges with coal.  Upstream of the upstream one is a cove with a small island in it that Mike called Murphy Hill.  The downstream point of this cove has a good grass flat running out from it.

     Stop on the outside of the point and start fishing with your boat in about 13 feet of water, casting up onto the shelf that is four to five feet deep on top.  Work over it on top and try your crankbait and spinnerbait along the drop, too.  Work all the way around the point back into the cove then fish back around it, dropping your jig and Texas rig into the grass. You may need to get in closer to fish those baits.

     Mike says wind blows onto this point and pushes baitfish up on it, making it better. Some wind blowing into grassbeds helps concentrate baitfish and bass this time of year.  Current moving across them helps, too.

     3. N 34 30.162 – W 86 08.723 – Go upstream around the island and point into the next big cove. Mike calls it Church House Cove and you will see a pocket filled with big lily pads on your right as you round the point.  There are big stumps mixed in with the pads and grass that grows way out from them here.

     No matter what time of day, if Mike sees any movement in the pads from baitfish or bass he will work a frog or rat through them.  He throws it on 50 pound Power Pro braid to get the fish out of the thick stuff.  You can work all around this whole cove fishing pads if the fish are up in them.

     If not, start on the point staying out from the pads and pitch your jig or Texas rig into the grass.  Remember to fish fast, dropping the bait into holes you can see and popping it up high. Be ready to set the hook if you feel a bass as you start your pop, they will often grab the bait when it hits bottom and hold it, and you won’t feel them until you start to move it.

     If you hit a stump cast back to it again once you have it located. Big bass love to hold on the stumps surrounded by grass.  You can fish this whole area since it is filled with cover. Bass will often get in small areas within a big flat like this and you have to find where they are located, then you can often catch several.

     4. N 34 31.980 – W 86 08.562 – Back across the lake, again avoiding the shallows in the middle, go upstream to the Daylight Marker 373.2 on an island on that side.  Just upstream of this marker there is a cut running behind the island and the upstream point is clay.   You will see a big standing dead tree on the inside of this point and another one lying on the bank.

     If you idle across the mouth of this pocket the bottom will drop off to 14 feet then  come back up on a hump five or six feet deep. Baitfish and bass often stack up in the cut between the two and run up on the point to feed.  Current coming down the river will also make a good eddy here that attracts bass.

     Start out off the point with your boat in 14 feet of water and fish the top of the point with all your baits.  Mike says he usually finds bass here in the first 30 yards going into the cut so he usually does not fish all the way back unless he is catching fish.  This is a good schooling spot so start with a crankbait.  Work in with one bait then work out offering them something different.

     5. N 34 31.924 – W 86 07.354 – Back across the river there are a series of islands on the upstream side of the mouth of South Sauty Creek.  Stop downstream of the first small island off the willow grass point and fish upstream.  The point of the first island runs out shallow but there is a “U” shaped pocket between it and the next big island upstream. These “U” shaped pockets are a key to what Mike is looking for.

     Mike says a good depthfinder and GPS are essential for his type fishing and he uses Lowrance products, one of his sponsors.  Watch your depthfinder as you work upstream and you will see the bottom drop from about six feet deep off to 10 or more then come back up. This area has good access to deeper water and Mike says it is a good spot hole.

     Fish all the way up to the outside of the big island, working all your baits over different depths and through the grass here. Watch for schooling bass, too. I got a bass here on top right in the middle of the day when a small school busted shad within range of my popper.  Have something ready to throw to schoolies if they come up.

     6. N 34 31.863 – W 86 06.790 – Go around the islands into the mouth of South Sauty and there is a big bay to your left. The creek channel makes a sharp bend on this side and there are flats and humps all around the channel.  This is a huge area that holds bass this time of year.  Get your boat in the channel and work the edges as it cuts across the flat. Concentrate on the outside bends in it.

     Be careful as you go across this area with your big motor. Some of the spots come up to a couple of feet deep.  Use your trolling motor to fish the area until you learn where the drops and high spots are located.  You could easily spend a whole day fishing this area, starting on top then pitching jigs and Texas rigs into the grass.

     7. N 34 32.116 – W 86 06.197 – If you look up toward the bridge in South Sauty you will see a point to the left of it with houses on it. There is a cove to the left of this point that has grass in it that comes out then drops off into about seven feet deep.  On your right will be a gray double door boat house with a screen room on it and on the left point of the cove you will see a duck blind.

     Start out even with the dock and fish across the mouth of the cove, keeping in about seven feet of water and casting a crankbait up shallow and working it back. Mike got a nice 5.5 pound bass here on a crankbait the day we fished and another bass on the very next cast.  He was throwing a Bagley square lipped shallow running crankbait that stayed over the grass.

     Work across the mouth of this cove with the crankbait then try your other baits while fishing back across it. If you catch a fish make multiple casts with different baits to the same area.  You might get an active bass on the crankbait then pick up some other less active fish from the school on a jig.

     8. N 34 32.324 – W 86 06.227 –  On the other side of the point with the duck blind on it is a good example of the kind of “U” shaped cove Mike looks for this time of year.   The bottom contour swings back forming a pocket that drops off into the middle.  They show up on a map or GPS like a horseshoe.  Wind blowing into these kinds of pockets concentrates the baitfish and bass move in to ambush them.

     Work across the mouth of this pocket just like the one beside it. Keep your boat in about seven feet of water and follow the contour, throwing your baits up from deep to shallow.  Fish all your baits here before leaving.

     9. N 34 31.144 – W 86 06.335 – Head to the right point on the downstream side bridge in South Sauty.  A point runs out downstream from the end of the riprap and bass stack up on it, especially when it is cold, according to Mike.  It is six feet deep on top but quickly drops to 25 feet deep.

     Start out deep and throw your crankbait across the top of this point.  Work all around it with a crankbait then try a jig or Texas rig on the bottom.  Any current coming under the bridge when they are pulling water creates an eddy around this point that makes it even better.

     10. N 34 30.107 – W 86 06.524 – Go under the bridge and run up to the mouth of Yellow Creek where it splits off to the right.  Be careful here, the creek channel swings in near the bank and there are rock piles and shallows even out in the middle of the creeks.  Stop way out off the point where you see a grassbed on the bank in the edge of the water with your boat in 10 to 12 feet of water.  The ledge between the creek channel and bank comes up to four to five feet deep on top.   

     You can work this bank all the way back to the bridge.  There are a series of humps and shallow flats off the bank between it and the creek channel.  Mike says this is an excellent place in the fall to sit deep and throw a spinnerbait or crankbait up on the flat and work it back across the drop.  There is usually a lot of bait here in October to bring the bass in and hold them.

     Check out these spots then look for similar places to catch Guntersville bass this fall.  These spots hold bass but similar places all over the lake are good, too. Once you get the pattern you can find many more to fish.

     Contact Captain Mike Gerry at or visit his web site at to set up a guided trip to see first hand how he catches Guntersville bass.

with Damon Abernethy

     Catching spotted bass weighing three or more pounds is a thrill anytime.  When they hit in the dark it is even more exciting.  Jordan Lake just might be the best lake in Alabama to catch a big spotted bass at night right now and it is accessible to most fishermen in the state.  Plan a May trip to Jordan for some fast action.

     Jordan is a 6800 acre Alabama Power lake on the Coosa River 25 miles north of Montgomery.  It backs up to the Mitchell Lake dam and connects to Lake Bouldin with a short canal.  Jordan was built in 1928 and Bouldin added in 1967.  Bouldin is a good largemouth lake but the big spots live in Jordan and are the target of most bass fishermen.

      Since Jordan is very fertile there are excellent populations of baitfish in the lake.  Much of the shoreline of the lower lake is lined with cabins and docks but the river up toward the Mitchell Dam is more natural shoreline.  The banks of all the lake are very rocky with steep drops in most areas. 

     A good bit of natural wood cover from blowdowns and stumps has been increased by numerous brush piles and dock posts.   Almost all of the shoreline looks “fishy” and you can catch spots all over the lake, but the bigger spots tend to feed in specific kinds of structure and cover this time of year.

     Damon Abernethy loved fishing so much while growing up in northern Alabama he decided to become a fisheries biologists.  He went to Auburn and got a Masters in fisheries biology. After a few years working in South Carolina he moved back to Alabama and now works in the Montgomery office of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as the Fisheries Development Coordinator.

     One of Damon’s jobs is to compile the Alabama Bass Angler Information Team (BAIT) data so he keeps up with bass fishermen and tournament results on a daily basis. He is in charge of state public boat ramps and the past year has kept him very busy trying to keep them open with the low water levels.  Damon also coordinates the reservoir sampling program so he knows about the populations of fish in Alabama lakes.

     Damon has fished all his life and bass fishing it his passion.   Jordan is close to his house and he really likes it this time of year.  Damon helped me set up the lakes for these articles and, when asked which his favorite lake was, did not hesitate in saying Jordan at night in May.

As a member of the Prattville Bass Club Damon fishes many state lakes in their tournaments.  He also fishes the central Alabama Fishers of Men tournament trail and enters some of the pot tournaments on Jordan, especially this time of year. On most of his days off he will be on Jordan studying it and looking for new spots to catch spots.

 Jordan had produced several spots weighing over five pounds for Damon in the past few years. His best is a 5.5 pounder and his best five-fish limit of spots from Jordan weighed 23 pounds.  He has a seven-pound largemouth but does not target them on Jordan. The fishing for big spots is just too good.

“In late April most of the spots have spawned and are moving to deeper water,” Damon said.  They follow predictable patterns of movement and feed heavily from late April through May.  Although you can catch spots all day this time of year, night fishing is by far the best way to catch the grown ones.

Damon looks for steep banks near spawning areas that drop fast into deeper water. Wood cover helps as do rocks.  The bass are holding on these steep banks and feed all night long but Damon usually fishes from about an hour before dark until midnight or 1:00 AM. He says the fish will hit later than that, especially later in the year, but he just gets too sleepy to keep fishing.

You need only two rods rigged and ready to fish at night, according to Damon. One will be rigged with a three-quarters ounce black spinnerbait with a big #6 Colorado blade and a dark colored Zoom Swimmin’ Chunk.  The other rod will be rigged with a half-ounce spinnerbait and chunk in the same colors. That is all you need.

Both of Damon’s Calcutta reels will be loaded with 20 pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon line.  You can get away with the heavy line at night and need it for the big fish around cover.  Damon does not use braid because he says it causes too much trouble at night. If you get a backlash you can not see it to pick it out.

Damon showed me the following ten spots he likes at night. We fished in early April and the night bite had not started. Most of the spots were on the bed. Damon said it was his worst day ever on Jordan but we still had ten keeper spots with two better than three pounds each, even fishing in the daylight.

1. N 32 38.237 – W 86 15.926 – The last big creek on the left heading toward the dam is Sofkahatchee Creek and YMCA Camp Chandler is in it.  Damon said most folks call this “Swayback Creek” because of the swayback bridge up the creek a ways. 

Run in past the marked shoals and two small islands to the first small creek to your left.  The upstream point of this creek runs way out across the mouth of the smaller creek. The point has a metal seawall or bulkheads around it and there is an open metal roof dock on the inside of this point.  A concrete walkway goes up the hill from the point.

The main creek channel runs in on the outside of this point and hits it well up from the point.   The point runs out between the big creek and the smaller one and drops off good on both sides. There are rocks on the point and along the bank upstream of the point itself.  The smaller creek is a good spawning areas.

This is an excellent example of the type place Damon likes to fish at night.  He will keep his boat in about 18 feet of water and throw up onto the top of the underwater point, slow rolling his spinnerbait back to the boat.  Work out 100 to 150 feet until the point ends.  Then fish on up the bank where it drops off, too, fishing it the same way.

Damon says to hit places like this several times each night.   You may fish it at dark and not get bit then come back two hours later and catch a 20 pound limit.  Spots move up onto the points to feed and a school will feed together, with a lot of fish active at the same time. Don’t give up on a place after a few casts.

2. N 32 37.405 – W 86 16.521 – Run across the lake to the cove just upstream of the canal.  As you go in you will see a lone tree growing on an underwater hump out from an island just off the bank. The island has a big tree and a smaller tree on it and there is a walkway going to it from the shore.  The island has a metal seawall around it and the point just inside the cove past it has concrete poured around it, with some areas broken up into slabs.

Start on the point of the island and work around it then into the cove. Fish the next main point with the concrete around it. Stay out deep and fish your spinnerbait right on the bottom all the way back to the boat. Damon says cast to the bank since the spots will often be very shallow at night but keep your bait in contact with the bottom out to about 15 feet deep.

Damon got a nice 2 pound spot here on a Fish Stalker jig head with a centipede worm on it here when we fished. That is one of his favorite baits when fishing during daylight but he would not be using it at night. If fishing during the day you can catch spots on most of these holes but they tend to be smaller and you need to use jig head worms and other baits.

  3. N 32 38.479 – W 86 17.552 – Back across the lake and upstream you will see a cream colored house with a bright red roof on your right going upstream.  The point upstream of it has a green house on it and it is the downstream point of a big cove.  This is another place the big spots stack up as they move out of the cove after spawning.

Start where the rock riprap on the point starts and work around the point and into the cove. There is a big flat on the inside of the cove out from an island that sits just off the bank. Damon will fish the outside of the main point all the way to the outside of the island at night, keeping his boat in deep water and casting up toward the shallows, but he says the outside of the main lake point is the best area.

4. N 32 39.763 – W 86 18.697 – Run upstream to the second point on the right past the mouth of Weoka Creek.  There is a rock and wood house on this flat point and it has a streetlight, bench and two deer on it.  The point goes way out and Damon says this is an excellent example of a main lake point where the bass hold after spawning.

Stay way out until you learn how the point drops off and cast your spinnerbait up onto the point, working it back to deeper water. Damon says he likes to tick the bottom fairly often to know he is right on the bottom when slow rolling his bait back.  He wants to feel the thump of the big blade as it turns and the bump of the bottom to know where his bait is. 

Depending on how fast the bottom drops, Damon will go with either the three-quarter ounce or half-ounce bait.  The bigger bait keeps in contact with a fast dropping bottom better but will get hung more. If the bottom has a flatter slope or lots of wood cover the lighter bait will not get hung up as much.  You can fish the heavier bait a little faster.

5. N 32 39.915 – W 86 19.649 – Across and up the lake a little is a cove with the remains of an old marina and restaurant in it.  The point is flat where it has been graded off and is covered with brush. It has a steel sea wall around it and there was a chair sitting on it when we fished. Near the chair is a monument sign that is made for reading while standing in front of it and another sign you can read from the water saying “Hungry Horace Restaurant” nearby.

Start on the outside of the point keeping your boat in about 18 feet of water and slow roll your spinnerbait from the bulkhead out to deep water. Work into the cove on the back side of the point. Damon says this is a good night time spot but he has not caught many fish here during the day.

     6. N 32 40.277 – W 86 19.854 – Just upstream on the left you will see a rock and wood house with a pretty green yard around it. Damon says this homeowner keeps his yard in pretty shape all year long.  There is a wood seawall with a walkway built on it going around the point.  Just upstream of the seawall the bank is very deep and drops fast.  A lot of brush has been cut on the bank and fallen into the water, giving a lot of cover here.

     Damon will stay about 25 feet off the bank and the water will be 20 feet deep. He makes short casts to the shallows and works his bait back. He usually wants his bait to hit within a foot or so of the bank.  When fishing close to the shore where there is a lot of wood he will sometimes turn on a light to help make casts that don’t get hung up.  He uses the black light type fluorescent light but only when he needs to see where to cast.  Normally he likes to let his eyes adjust to the dark and he can see well enough without any kind of light.

     Fish up this steep bank to the next pocket and work the docks and brush in the pocket, too.  It is a small cove with several docks in it and another secondary point that is worth a few casts before leaving.

     7. N 32 41.222 – W 86 20.156 –   Upstream on the right you will see a green roofed dock on a steep bank at the mouth of a small creek. There is a small wooden dock with white caps on the posts and a block seawall here.  Big rocks are on the bank here, too.

     Start fishing in front of the first dock and work around the point, slow rolling your spinnerbait down the bottom. The bank and bottom is very steep between the docks and this is a good spot to find bass holding.  Work the point carefully before leaving.

     Current helps here and on all other spots on the lower lake.  You are more likely to find current here since the lake has narrowed down a lot.  Current can come from the generation of power at the Jordan dam or from upstream from the release of water at the Mitchell dam.  There should always be a little current since there is always one generator on-line at the Jordan dam, according to Damon. Stronger current will make the bass bite better.

     8. N 32 45.389 – W 86 22.764 – The last three holes are really river holes and bass are hard to catch unless there is a good current. These spots do offer good places to try later in the month. Damon says river bass stay shallower later since the water is cooler and current makes them move up and feed.

     Run upstream until you see an airplane on a dock on your right. You will run a long way and not see any docks or houses then this one will be on your right.  It is on the upstream side of the mouth of Pinchoule Creek.  Damon says he has never seen the airplane move but if it is gone the heavy dock with wooden ramp is plainly made for an airplane. Also, on the point there is a wide concrete ramp with a divider in the middle, probably for the plane, and a smaller boat ramp.

      Start just upstream of the airplane and dock and work up.  This bank is rocky and drops fairly fast but you will be sitting in about 14 feet of water 30 feet off the bank. Fish upstream to the next point, a long way upstream.  Cast close to the bank and work your bait out some but Damon says most bites will come near the bank here so be ready for a hit as soon as your bait lands in the water.

9. N 32 47.520 – W 86 25.645 – Head upstream past the underwater pipeline crossing and the river makes a sharp bend to the right. When you come to this bend you can see the Mitchell dam, the bridge and the above water pipeline crossing.  There are some docks on the right and the current makes an eddy here since it is the inside of the bend.

Bass hold in the brush and rocky bottom off the first two docks. Start out about even with the first dock with a mercury vapor light on it near the gravel on the bank and fish upstream to the next dock with a mercury vapor light. The water will not be real deep here but it is deep enough to hold good fish feeding in the current.

10. N 32 48.177 – W 86 26.389 – On the right side of the dam facing it you will see two signs.  There are some big rock walls here running down into the water. Start fishing just downstream of the second sign and fish down to the rock point outcropping. There is a rock shelf that runs out under the water here and bass often hold on the drop and move onto the shelf to feed.

Damon says there is usually not much current here at night but the bass still feed well in this area.  If there is some current it might be better to start on the downstream end of the bank and work upstream. Make fairly long casts and work your spinnerbait across the rock shelf and over the drop.

Rig up a couple of rods and head to Jordan at night for some fantastic fishing.  Fish Damon’s spots then find similar places all your own. You don’t have to do much experimenting with baits this time of year, just fish your spinnerbait on the right places to catch some of Jordan’s magnum spots.

with Ed Reeves

     July can be a tough time for bass fishing in Alabama but Mitchell Lake offers a variety of cover and structure where bass will feed this month.  The spots and largemouth there feed well during the summer and you can catch them in a variety of ways.

     Mitchell is a 5850 acre Alabama Power lake on the Coosa River between Lay and Jordan Lakes.  It has 147 miles of shoreline and there was a lot of wood and rock cover left in the lake when it was dammed in 1922. The lake is very fertile and has a good population of bass and the baitfish they feed on.

     In the Alabama Bass Angler Information Team report Mitchell ranks seventh in the state in numbers of bass caught per angler day, a good indication of the numbers of bass in the lake.  There were not a lot of tournaments reported on the lake but in those reported the average bass weighed 1.67 pounds.

     Ed Reeves grew up in Wetumpka and still lives there.  He has fished Mitchell all his life, starting as a kid with his father and now fishing tournaments on it.  Following his family tradition of law enforcement he works for Montgomery as a police officer in the K-9 unit. 

     About five years ago a friend invited Ed to partner with him on the Fishers of Men Central Alabama trail and he was soon hooked on tournament fishing.  He bought a Skeeter bass boat in 2004 and now fishes with the Prattville Bass Anglers club as well as some other local tournaments. He is also fishing the BASS Weekend Series this year.

     A few years ago Ed started pouring his own jigs and now sells them through his W-3 Tackle Company.  He fishes both shaky head jigs and a jig and pig a lot so pouring his own was a good way to save money and an interesting hobby.  So many people in his club wanted to buy his jigs he started his business.  His Tip-Up shaky head and his Finesse skirted jig are favorites that he uses a lot.

      “By late June almost all the bass have come out of the spawning areas and are setting up on their summer holes,” Ed told me.  You can pattern them and catch them consistently on places where they live all year except for the spawn.  Some of these spots are subtle and it takes a lot of time on the lake to find them.

     “Spots on the lake especially like main lake rocks and wood on steep banks,” Ed said.  They like a place they can move up and down in the water column quickly and feed.  Rocks are a favorite but they will also hold on wood cover.   Largemouth can be found in the same cover at times but they tend to like more wood and grass, and Ed says he usually catches four or five spots to every largemouth in the places he fishes.

     Ed also likes to fish docks, especially on sunny bright days when the fish seek shade.  There are not a lot of docks on the lake but they are in clusters and Ed will often get on a line of docks and fish them all.  Brush around them helps and most docks are on posts but the shade is the main thing Ed fishes.

     Ed usually has four rods rigged and ready. All his rods are Walt Higgins Custom Rods, one of his sponsors, and he likes Pflueger bait casting reels for all his baits.

     He will have a three-sixteenths ounce Tip-Up head rigged with a dark plastic worm on 15 pound test Big Game line on one and one of his Finesse jigs, a three sixteenths ounce skirted jig with a crawfish trailer on another. Two more rods will be rigged with a spinnerbait and a crankbait on them. Most of the time in the summer he throws one of the two jigs.

     A few weeks ago Ed showed me the following ten spots where he catches summer bass.  We had about ten keepers that day, including two spots about 2.5 pounds each and a largemouth about the same size. We lost several good fish that threw the bait, too.  And the fish were just setting up on these spots.

     1. N 32 54.670 – W 86 29.747 – Head upstream to where the lake widens and there are several big islands, not far downstream from the Lay Lake Dam.  The first island you come to is Bo Lee Island and it is an excellent place to start first thing in the morning and any time there is current.

     As you approach the downstream end of the island you will see the end of a log sticking out of the water a long way off the bank to your right.  The right side of the island has grass on it.  Ed likes to go to the upper end of the island and fish back down this side with the current. He will throw a topwater popper like a Pop-R some but his main baits is the spinnerbait.

     Current is important on many of these spots but this hole is dependent on it.  If the current is not running Ed usually does not fish it.  Stay well off the bank and throw right to the edge of the grass with a topwater bait or spinnerbait. Fish either one back quickly since the bass will be in a feeding mood in the current.

     Ed chooses a Strike King Premiere white three-eights ounce spinnerbait with two silver blades for this spot. The bass will be holding near the grass and wood cover and feeding on shad as the current moves them down the bank and this combination spinnerbait imitates them.

     2. N 32 53.803 – W 86 29.172 – Going downstream from the island watch for a high rocky bank on your left with a small creek entering just downstream of it.  Just inside the creek mouth there is a big pine standing above all the bushes on the bank to your left and on the right side you can see where bank fishermen have camped. 

     Ed calls this “Cottonmouth Cove” because of the two huge snakes he has seen here.  He hates snakes but still fishes here because it holds fish, and we both had keeper spots here when we fished.  Start on the main lake point on either side and fish all around the mouth of the pocket, working a jig from very shallow to about 15 feet deep.  Bounce the jig down the rocks and jiggle it at each stop.

     Ed does not go way back into the creek but concentrates on the mouth of it this time of year.  The fish will have moved out to the deeper water and be holding here by now.  This spot is good without a current but current will make it and all others even better.

     3. N 32 52.594 – W 86 28.999 – Heading downstream the river will start to bend to the left and you will see a line of docks starting on your right. Just upstream of the first dock is a small creek and the upstream point of it is an excellent place to catch a spot, according to Ed.  There is a small grass bed on it and it runs out a short distance across the mouth of the pocket.

     Start by fishing the point, working a jig head worm or jig and pig along the sloping bottom. Fish it from the edge of the grass out to 20 feet deep or so.  Hop and shake either bait as you fish them along the bottom.

     Back in the pocket there is a good blowdown to fish. You are more likely to catch largemouth back in pockets around wood cover like this.  It is worth your time here to fish on around the downstream side under the overhanging trees to the dock. This bank is rocky and drops fast. Fish it with either bait to the dock.

     4. N 32 52.031 – W 86 28.123 –  The line of docks starting at the pocket in hole #3 runs all the way to the mouth of Walnut Creek and is one of Ed’s favorite dock areas to fish.  He usually waits until the sun is bright to drive the fish under the docks then works the line of docks, fishing every one. 

     Ed usually starts at the Walnut Creek end at the first dock upstream. It is blue and white striped and he will fish it and the others until he runs out of docks at the small creek in #3.  Fish the outside of the docks first, probing for brush, then move in and cast under them.  Don’t move in too close until you fish around the dock or you will spook bass holding in the brush in front of them.

     If you see shad around the docks or see fish swirling try the spinnerbait or a shad colored Bandit crankbait.  Work them along the sides of the dock and across the front of them. Bass holding in the shade will run out to hit a bait moving along the dock.

     If there is no activity Ed will start with his jig head worm and fish it, then try the jig and pig.  He says he catches more fish on the jig head worm but the jig and pig produces bigger bass and not as many little ones, although the bigger ones will hit the jig head too.  Ed caught our biggest bass of the day off one of these docks on a Tip-Up head and worm.

     5. N 32 51.346 – W 86 26.639 – Downstream on your left there are several islands in the mouth of Hatchet Creek.  Ed starts on the downstream point of the first one, near the small clump of dirt with one tree in it that is surrounded by grass, off the downstream end.  He will fish upstream across the small gap between the island and the bank all the way up to the mouth of the next pocket where a fish attractor sign is on a tree.

     This bank all along here is the outside bend of the river and drops off fast. There are rocks and blowdowns to fish as well as smaller dips and juts in the bank.  Bass hold all along it and we caught several here and lost a couple, too.  You can spend a lot of time here if you fish slowly and carefully.

     The upstream end of the island at the gap has some good rocks on it and bass often hold on them and in the gap. As soon as you cross the gap you will start fishing some blowdowns, some that run way off the bank. Fish them slowly to get your bait down to the outer ends in deep water.  Both kinds of jigs work well here.

     6. N 32 50.855 – W 86 26.722 – Across the mouth of Hatchett Creek the downstream point has two logs laying on it at a steep angle. They show how fast the bottom drops. You will be sitting three boat lengths off the bank and be in 50 feet of water where the channel swings in right by the bank.

     Start at the two logs and work into the creek, fishing everything along it until you get to the next point with a brush top on it.  Fish this bluff bank by casting either jig right to the bank and moving it very slowly so it falls along the rocks.  Bass will suspend along the drop and you have to get your bait in front of them for them to hit.

     If there is current moving across this bank Ed will get in close and cast a crankbait, paralleling the bank with it. Bass will move up shallow enough to hit the crankbait when current is moving baitfish along this drop.  You will often find a big school of bass feeding here.

     7. N 32 50.268 – W 86 27.116 – Downstream on your left is Airplane Slough.  There is a big house with a brown roof on the upstream side and a gazebo near the water.  On your right as you go in a small cut will run off downstream. Start at the inside point of the cut and fish the steep bank with your jigs, working back into the creek to the next point where the creek opens up.

     Work a jig under the overhanging brush down the steep rocky bank. There are also a couple of trees in the water along here to fish. 

     When you get to the next point you will be across from a dock in front of a house that has a brick lower level.  Jump across and fish this and the next three docks. There is a little brush in front of some of the boat houses but try to get your bait back under the dock into the shade.  Fish both jigs on these docks to the dock with the three fish on it.  We took a couple of keepers off them when we fished.

     8. N 32 49.076 – W 86 27.350 –  Head down the river and you will pass Finger Slough on your left and the mouth of Cargile Creek on your right. You will see a big red roof house with cream colored walls running down to the water and a power line crosses the river.  Just downstream of the power line on your left watch for a big rock on the bank.  About 75 yards downstream of this big rock there is some exposed rock showing at the edge of the water.

     Start fishing at the exposed rock and work downstream past a very small dip in the bank to an overhanging tree. Ed says he has no idea why this spot holds fish but it does.   The bank has rocks under the water so try to bounce your jigs along the fast dropping bottom for fish holding in them.

     9. N 32 48.811 – W 86 26.304 –  Going down the river it makes a sharp turn to the left then back to the right at the dam.  Just before the river turns back to the right you will see an old wooden pier or some kind of wood structure running parallel to the bank out in the water on a point on your left.  Just past it is Big “Y” Slough. Go into it and start fishing on the right bank at the little pocket across from the point.

     Fish all along this steep bank working into the slough until the bottom flattens out.  You will be back in the slough and see the split forming the “Y” where the bottom of the bank you are fishing flattens out. Bass move out of the slough and hold along this steep bank in the summer.  Fish it with both your jigs.

     10. N 32 48.631 – W 86 26.419 – Downstream of Little “Y” Slough is a small pocket that has a little point on the upstream side.  Start at the pocket and fish upstream toward the downstream point at Litte “Y” Slough, getting in close and fishing a crankbait parallel to the bank. Fish to the point of the slough.

     Ed says you will catch a bunch of small fish here at all times but the bigger ones turn on when there is current. You might catch a dozen throwbacks without current then catch a limit of good keepers as soon as the current starts moving.  Call to find out the generating schedule and plan on fishing this spot when they start pulling water.  You are only a few hundred yards from the dam.

     Give this small lake a try to enjoy some good bass fishing for largemouth and spots right now.  Hit Ed’s spots then look for similar subtle structure and cover all over the lake.  Fish when the current is moving if possible but you can catch fish off most of these spots and others you will find even if it is still. 

W-3 Tackle – http://www.w3tackle.homestead.com/ – 334-850-3557  Between 9 A.M. & 9 P.M. CST

Walt Higgins Custom Rods – http://www.customrodsbywalt.com/home/

Generating Schedule for Mitchell – 1-800-LAKES 11

with Randal Tharp

Say the word “Guntersville” and bass fishermen all over the US perk up their ears. The lake has an almost mystical reputation for big stringers of bass, especially in late winter.  This reputation has been built up over the years by the great catches there in tournaments and most of the national trails visit the lake each year.

From its dam near Guntersville in northeast Alabama the lake extends 76 miles up the Tennessee River into Tennessee. It is Alabama’s largest reservoir with waters covering 67,900 acres and 890 shoreline miles.  It stays very stable since the TVA requires a set depth in its channels. Water will seldom vary more than two feet in depth which is good since vast areas of the lake are very shallow flats.   

Built between 1936 and 1939, Guntersville has seen a lot of changes the bass population.  The lake is very fertile and full of hydrilla and milfoil but one of the main reasons the bass are so big now is the size limit.  On October 1, 1993 a 15-inch size limit was placed on bass.  That size limit now includes smallmouth and largemouth and it allows smaller, faster growing bass to reach quality size. 

According to the Alabama DCNR there are growing numbers of bass bigger than 15 inches in the lake each year and they are in good shape.  The numbers of bass 12 to 24 inches long has consistently increased each year since the size limit went into effect. In the BAIT survey Guntersville has the highest weight per bass and the shortest time to catch a bass over five pounds of all lakes reported.

All this does not mean Guntersville is a piece of cake when it comes to catching keeper bass.  The BAIT survey shows Guntersville ranking pretty far down the list in percent of angler success, number of bass per angler day and pounds of bass per angler day. If you don’t know the lake every acre of it looks like it holds bass and you can spend a lot of time with nothing but casting practice.

Randy Tharp knows the lake well.  Although he has been fishing all his life he got started tournament fishing with a club about seven years ago and really liked it.  He started fishing Guntersville in 2002 and now has a place on the lake.  He has learned its secrets and has had great success there. 

In 2007 Randy placed first in the point standings in both the Bama and Choo Choo Divisions of the BFL.  He came in third in the Bama BFL on Guntersville last February then placed first in that division in September and second there in the Choo Choo Division the same month.

The past few years reads like a dream come true in Randy’s resume on Guntersville.  In 2006 he placed second in the Bassmasters Series Crimison Divison in March and eighth in that series Volunteer Division the same month, won the seventh Annual Kickin’ Bass Coaches tournament there in June, got a fifth in the Bassmasters Series Crimsion Divison in September, and second in the Choo Choo BFL in September.

He also won the 2005 BITE Tournament on Guntersville in April and was second in the BITE Championship there in November.   Guntersville has played an important part in Randy’s tournament winnings and has helped him get Ranger Boats and Chattanooga Fish-N-Fun as sponsors.  He is planning on fishing the Stren Series and some other bigger trails like the BASS Opens if he can get in this year.

Randy gets excited when thinking about fishing Guntersville this time of year because he knows what lives in the lake.  He says from now to March is the best time of year to hook a monster bass here and expects to catch some of the biggest fish of the year. When asked what it would take to reach “monster” status he said a 10 pound bass would qualify and he expects to catch one that big.  He has seen bass in the low teens caught this time of year, too.

There are lots of ways to catch Guntersville bass from the end of January to March but Randy usually sticks with shallow water. He says the colder it gets the more shallow the big bass hold, and he seldom fishes deeper than 10 feet. You will be surprised at the numbers of big bass in less than three feet of water on the coldest days when the water is in the 30s, according to Randy.

Right now Randy will have a Rapala DT 6 or DT 10, a Cordell Spot or Rattletrap, a one quarter to three eights  ounce jig and pig to cast, a Texas rigged Paca Craw with a heavy weight to flip in any thick grass he finds and Pointer jerkbait read to try.  He likes shad colors in the crankbait and the red in the lipless baits.  Worms and craws are usually green pumpkin and he also casts a black and blue jig and pig.

Although the grass is not growing much right now there is still some “stubble” on the bottom that will hold bass. Randy looks for flats near a drop and it helps to have grass on the bottom.  He finds those kinds of places back in the creeks and out on the main lake but winter winds often make it impossible to fish open water.  He likes to have some protected areas as well as open water to fish.

Bass don’t have to move much on Guntersville, according to Randy. They live in the same areas year-round, not migrating long distances like they do on some lakes. They will follow baitfish some but the grass provides so many bluegill on Guntersville that Randy thinks they are the major food source for bass.

Bass are predictable this time of year and Randy finds them in similar places each year.  They move some but will usually be near a creek channel or ledge where there are good shallow water flats with grass stubble.  They may concentrate in one area then move a little but they won’t move from the main lake to the back of a creek in a day or so.  That helps when practicing for a tournament, but it also means many fishermen find the same fish.

No matter which bait you use it is important to fish as slowly as possible in the cold water.  When your crankbait gets stuck in grass pop it loose gently and let it float up. Do the same with a Spot or Trap, popping it a little and letting it flutter back down. The bass don’t seem to want to chase a bait far, especially if it is moving fast, but Randy says they still hit hard. This time of year, even with the water in the 30s, will provide bone-jarring strikes and it feels like the bass will rip the rod out of your hand.

Randy and I fished on Guntersville in December and the bass were real scattered in the remaining hydrilla although the beds were getting sparse.  Randy still landed about 20 bass that day and had two over five pounds. He could have weighed in five between 19 and 20 pounds, an excellent catch on most lakes but Randy was disappointed the big ones did not hit!

Check out the following ten spots.  They run from near the dam to far up the river.  Bass will hold on all of them this winter and there are other similar spots all over the lake. You just have to fish and find where the concentrations are to load the boat with big fish.

1. N 34 35.939 – W 86 33.106 – The long causeway crossing Brown’s Creek and the shallow humps downstream of it is one of the best places to catch a big bass this time of year.  He says if he had to pick one place to land a ten pound bass he would never leave Brown’s Creek.  Randy landed his best bass from Guntersville, 10 pound, 11 ounce hawg, from this area on a jerkbait.  You can find areas on the riprap that is also more protected from the wind than the main lake.

Work around the riprap, especially the downstream side, with a jerkbait and both kinds of crankbaits.  Also cast your a jig and pig on the rocks.  Some days the fish will be near the rocks and others they will be holding a little deeper, the rocks in some places run out 18 to 20 feet deep.  You can see on a good map there are points and drops near the riprap and hydrilla grows on the more shallow spots.

Downstream of the causeway but near it there are humps that rise to three or four feet deep and hydrilla forms mats on them in the summer. There will still be enough grass near the bottom to hold bass now.  You may have to fish around the area while watching your depthfinder to locate these shallow spots.

Throw a Spot or Trap across them and follow up with a crankbait. Fish them very slowly.  Once you locate some fish you can slow down and fish a jig and pig across these shallow areas.  You should feel the grass on the bottom and that will help you locate the best spots. These humps are exposed to the wind.

2. N 34 40.711 – W 86 20.501 – Run up to the mouth of Town Creek and stop at the ramp on your right going in. Start fishing that bank working a lipless crankbait over the hydrilla that remains in the area.  There is deep water near the point at the ramp and bass move up and down this bank feeding.

When you reach the back of the creek where Minky Creek splits to the left jump across and fish that creek, working it as you go in. You will see three big brick houses here and there are milfoil beds to fish. This creek is shallow and holds good fish this time of year.

Fish it all the way back in Minky Creek. Remember Randy says big bass are often in three feet of water or less this time of year and may be way back in the creek.  Fish Traps and Spots and crankbaits.  If you don’t get bites on them try a slower moving jig and pig or jerk bait.

3. N 34 42.026 – W 86 25.223 – Across the lake follow the channel markers going into Siebold Creek and stop when you get to the island on your left not far off the bank.  Start fishing the islands from there to your left toward the back of that arm.  There are humps, points and islands to fish along this side.

Fish are in this area now getting ready to stage for bedding. You can often catch several on a Trap or Spot from an area then work it with a black Enticer one-quarter ounce jig with a blue or black Zoom Chunk.  Cast and fish it in the grass stubble on the bottom. Work it as slowly as possible.

Randy says fish the Trap and Spot right on the bottom, crawling it along and getting it stuck in the grass. Then pop it gently loose and let it fall back to trigger a strike.  You will get many more hits if you fish it with an irregular action than if you just chunk and wind.

4. N 34 45.843 – W 86 19.364 – The bank downstream of Little Mountain Park has humps, grass and duck blinds.  Randy says get on this bank, put your trolling motor down and fish, there are always lots of big bass holding in this area.  Some of the humps come up to only a foot deep and there are cuts and holes that are nine to 10 feet deep.  

The shallows near those holes are usually the hot spots.  Some ditches cross the flat, making deeper holes. There is a grassline where the water drops deeper along here and the edge of the grass is the key.  Fish a crankbait along the drop when you can.  There is milfoil here and the breakline is always good.

You can work this whole area from the point at Meltonsville to the marina at Little Mountain.  Fish over the grass with Trap and Spot but be sure to cast a jig to the duck blinds, too. Just make sure no hunters are present!  By now that should not be a problem.

5. N 34 50.405 – W 86 17.087 – Pine Island is a huge grass island in the middle of the river out from Waterfront Grocery Fishing Tackle and Supplies.  This is Randy’s favorite spot on the river year round. The river channel splits and goes on both sides of the grass and drops off 35 feet deep but the top of the island is only three or four feet deep.  There is also a cut in the middle of the island that is more than 12 feet deep.

This area is so vast it is hard to fish. You can spend many hours here fishing what seem to be excellent grass lines and drops without catching anything, then hit a spot that is loaded with quality bass.  For some reason they will school up in one small spot that seems to us to be just like the rest.

Fish a Trap, Spot and crankbait along the breaklines and over the grass until you find the sweet spot. Once you locate a good school of fish they should hold there for a good while.  The head of the island creates a current break and the shallows near deep water make excellent structure for bass.

6. N 34 30.943 – W 86 09.017 – Run up to channel marker 372.2, a big marker on a pole.  The South Sauty Creek channel runs into the river channel just upstream of this marker and the channel edges and grass lines along it are good this time of year. Work all your baits along both creek channels looking for concentrations of bass.  Cuts and points on the old channels are good holding spots for the fish.

 If you start near the channel marker and fish upstream you can follow the river channel. The break for the creek channel is not far from the channel and if you look almost straight up the river but a little to your right you will see the creek channel markers.  It doe not run out straight from the creek but swings out then runs down parallel to the river for a long way.

Randy says you can start at the channel marker and fish up into the creek or stay on the river. You can fish the river ledge and grass stubble along it for seven miles going upstream and find schools of bass all along here. That gives you a good idea of the amount of water you have to cover to find schools of fish at times.

While fishing this spot and others Randy says to watch for any action on the water. Often a bass will chase a baitfish making it flick on top of the water giving away the position of a school of bass. It is always worth your time to go to any activity you see and fish around the area.

7. N 34 61.747 – W 86 11.057 – Run back into North Sauty Creek past the second bridge. Fish above the bridge around the lily pad stems, stumps and milfoil with lipless crankbaits and a light jig and pig.

This creek offers three causeways to fish and is more protected than the open river.  Randy says you can start at the second bridge and work the creek edges all the way past the first bridge and out to the river channel. The first bridge has some riprap to fish.  Also fish the bridge and riprap at Goose Pond on the side creek coming in.

The creek channel that winds across the flat downstream of Goose Pond Marina out to the main river channel is a good place to work carefully. There are a lot of tournaments at the marina and lots of fish are released there, restocking the area constantly.  The concentration of keeper size bass is good here from those that are released. Randy says lipless crankbaits, shallow running crankbaits and a light jig and pig will catch them here.

8. N 34 60.472 – W 86.00.655 – Run up the river to the power lines. Both the outside channel ledge and the inside channel ledge from here to BB Comer Bridge have good grass stubble on them and holds a lot of fish.  This time of year Randy likes to fish the back side of the ledge so work in behind the grass, too.

Keep your boat in 10 feet of water and cast out toward the river channel. You will be covering the ledge in about five or six feet of water.  Work Traps and Spots as well as a lipped crankbait across this area. As in other places, watch for any change like a cut or rise and slow down when you catch a fish.

9. N 34 64.971 – W 86 00.000 – Go into the mouth of Rosebury creek back to the ramp on your left.  Start fishing the bank across from the ramp working toward the back of the creek.  Keep your boat near the creek channel and cast to the edges, working your bait over them.  Fish all the way to the causeway in the back of the creek. There are stumps and milfoil to fish here.

This creek is where Randy has his camper and was his first stop in one of the BFL tournaments. He limited out here then went looking for bigger bass to cull. He often finds good numbers of bass back in this creek this time of year.

10. N 34 76.768 – W 85 90.325 – Go up to Mud Creek and in past the boat ramp. When the channel markers stop be careful but keep going to the second bridge and under it.  The big area where the creek splits into Owen Branch and Blue Springs Branch often holds big bass this time of year. Back in this area are huge stumps near the creek channel and you don’t want to hit them with your motor, but they are what attracts the bass.  There is also lots of shallow milfoil in this area. 

Keep your boat in the channel and follow it, casting to both sides to hit stumps and other cover along the drop.  You will be in about six feet of water and casting to very shallow water but Randy says this is where he found fish holding for several weeks   when the water was 36 degrees and his rods were freezing up.

These places show you the kinds of cover and structure Randy looks for this time of year. You can fish them to get an idea of what to look for then find some similar spots of your own. These are big areas but the fish can be anywhere in them so take some time to find where they are holding. Once you get on them it will help you find them in other spots.