Guntersville Drops
In a recent publication by the B.A.S.S. Lake Guntersville nestled into the Appalachian Mountains in North Alabama falls out of the top 10 bass fishing lakes in the country. With months of research centered around catch rate results, top tournament trail results and just plain word of mouth the top ten lakes in the country was without Lake Guntersville as a recipient. The results also showed the top lakes in the southeast dropping Guntersville to number five in the south east, with Santee Cooper getting the nod for number one in the southeast.
Unfortunately this information will affect the visitors coming to Lake Guntersville and unless some time effort and resources are put into bring it back we will all feel the change as the lake continues to be extremely tough for the weekend fisherman to catch fish. I have been fishing on Guntersville for over 40 years this is the worst I have seen the fishing and now others are noticing it also. The fishing pressure has taken its toll on the lake and there needs to be some changes in many areas to bring it back.
There are many ways to help the lake but until the local community's leadership get involved to assure long time greatness of the lake we will all feel the effects. I made this point several years ago as President of a local organization LGAA (Lake Guntersville Anglers Association) no one listened then and I suspect no one is listening now. We need a yearly restocking program to help the numbers and health of the small fish in the lake. The creel limit of 10 bass per person is out dated and until that number is substantially reduced the meat-eaters limit is just killing the numbers game on the lake. Tournaments need to come here with stricter rules during the spawn and the heat of the summer to ensure the bass are being cared for. The bow fisherman are taking a toll on the numbers of bass as we are finding many fish that have been shot by bow & arrows this needs to be regulated during the spawning time of the year. Enforcement seems to totally gone on the lake there is no one checking licenses or catches and fisherman know it and are taking advantage of it.
I say once more our lake needs love and tender care to ensure long term greatness, the good times are gone and if we don't act quickly so will the fisherman and hence the tax revenue that the industry creates.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
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Email: bassguide@comcast.net