Fishing Up-River during the Winter Months
As the winter approaches and I start looking for the winter bite, I get reminded why I go to the upper river for my winter search of bigger fish. My first reason is I enjoy fishing shallow water; I'm better at it than deep water and I'm better working baits around grass. This however is just a few of my preferences and there are many more good reasons for me.
I know many fishermen that would rather work deeper water but for me it just doesn't do it. The real reason is as the cold water temperature pushes into the lake, the bass have much more open water to go to in the mid and lower part of the river. To me when you start fishing the bigger open bays the bass have more territory to travel on any given day and hence their daily movements cover more water than they do where the river narrows and begins to restrict their travel. Bass by nature do not travel endless miles like others species of fish do, in fact bass may not move a mile during the best of their feeding times. So to me this gives me an opportunity to find them where the river narrows in the upper river very close to where they would be in the spring. Some of the bigger creeks up river the deepest areas are only 10 feet deep, so as bass move to the deeper water in the colder water temperatures their instinct of not traveling miles on end puts them only in the 10 feet depth.
As you work these upper creek areas the structure is restricted and the points are not as long as they would be in the open areas hence the bass to me are easier to find. Not only are the bass close by but the sun warms the creeks first and hence moves the bass on a daily bases where in the deeper open mid part of the lake doesn't feel the water temperature change as quickly and the bass tend to suspend more and longer into the spring. The upper river has always offered better fishing and bigger bass in the winter and I prove it every year with better catches and bigger fish.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntesvilleguideservice.com
Email: bassguide@comcast.net
Call: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry