More Ways Of Catching Bass.
Thats what most anglers are pondering, more so during the summer months than at any other time of the year. At times these largemouth bass can be very difficult to figure out.
Especially when the mercury is at 100 degrees like it is during this hot, second week of July.
This being, "well past my fortieth July I've guided on this massive lake" and as owner Alabama's oldest guide service, Reeds Guide Service, I've seen some brutal, mid-summer conditions.
Still, if you attend any major bass tournament weigh-in site, on Alabama's largest, man made reservior Guntersville Lake (now 72 years since the lake was created in 1939), you will always see some very skilled angler bring in 5 bass weighing over 20 pounds...on any week!
So, how do they do it?
Being on the right spot at the right time, can not hold more truth than when choosing your first destination of the day. A spot you plan to throughly fish hard at dawn, in any bass tournament during the hot, summer months.
There are more big bass taken in this first hour (or two if your lucky), than during any other time of the day, by most standards, during the mid-summer period. Yes, there are exceptions.
Some anglers may get lucky and hit the mother lode, like while fishing way out in the middle of the lake, perhaps just fishing with deep diving crankbaits and oversized worms or using football head jig combos.
Again, there are exceptions. Not all anglers using these, both shallow and deep water techniques, will find bass in shallow and/or deep water. Not before their day is up.
Even if you are not a bass tournament angler and all you would like is to just fool a few decent sized bass, before the hot, blazing sun runs you back home (unlike a tournament angler that must stay until 3 p.m. and tough it out), back to the comfort of your air conditioner. You may still need help fooling and then catching these summertime bass.
So, experiment. I've done it for over 40 years and I have learned over time (and many summer's)that these Guntersville Lake bass do not always go by the book.
Like on a recent guided trip to Guntersville lake.
We started this cloudy, overcast summer morning fishing topwater lures shallow around Guntersville Lake's many variety of aquatic grass. Mostly thick and stringy milfoil and hydrilla aquatic weeds, stuff you find lake wide.
Imitation frogs (Black and red Mann's Super Frog), noisy clacker-type buzz baits, Heddon Zara Super Spooks, Lucky Craft Sammies, Rebel pop-r's, prop-baits (like Baby Torpedoes and even an old Devils Horse) and soft plastic pearl or white Berkly Shad swim baits and Zoom Flukes, were our weapons of choice.
Rain the night before had some creeks lightly stained and the lingering morning clouds and light 5-10 m.p.h. winds made for some very comfortable fishing...and catching!
Two anglers and myself all together had close to 15 bass in one frantic hour of a morning feeding frenzy, and they were fooled on at least every lure mentioned!
Two nice bass a four and five pounder were the biggest, one taken on a frog and the other on the spook. But the other at least one dozen bass (who's counting?) including several misses and some nice bass that just came of the hook, would have easily totaled 5 bass close to 20 pounds! A good day any time!
I knew as long as the sun stayed hidden these shallow bass would continue to bite. Still, a lull in the shallow water action and one angler says, "know any good ledges?"
So we made a move at about 7 a.m.
Deep bass were non-existant. It was unlike any trip I had seen in weeks. We fished several spots where shallow 5 foot, to deep 20 foot drops, had shown numerous bass on several previous trips.
Trips, when the sun had popped out and it hot fast! Unlike today when shallow bass were biting!
So after trying everything and throughly exporing over a half dozen places, with no hits at all, we decided to go back to fishing topwater lures in water less than 5 feet deep.
After all, what was left, after throwing everything in deep water that we could? And soon we all found out we had wasted over 2 hours of our day fishing deep water.
So like said, experiment. But do not stay with one spot or one technique too long, if they quit biting! These Guntersville lake bass do not go by the book! Always try both shallow and deep water on any trip to Guntersville Lake.
Always look at the day's conditions and adjust accordingly...
Thanks and Good Fishin'
Reed Montgomery, Owner of Reeds Guide Service
Website www.fishingalabama.com
Birmingham, Alabama (205)663-1504
"Guntersville Lake's Oldest, Professional--Bass Fishing Only--Guide Service for Over Forty Years"
