When the schedule for our Bassmaster tournaments came out last year and I saw that I had two tournaments in Alabama in June, with a week off in between, I wasn’t all that excited. It is as hot as it gets down here this time of year and I love being at home during the summer months. Our weather is comfortable and the fishing is great so I like to enjoy as much of it as I can.
Since there was only a week in between events, I decided I would just stay down and kill the week on the water, fishing. Northern Alabama, where both events are taking place is really in the heart of bass fishing. There are a number of legendary tournament fisheries in the area, many of which I have fished over the years. Initially, I figured I would spend some time at a few different lakes but I ended up just spending the whole week at Lake Guntersville.
Guntersville has a long history of hosting high level bass tournaments. It’s part of the Tennessee River system and it’s known for both good numbers of bass as well as big fish. It’s gone through some highs and lows over the years but right now it’s going through a high, with good fishing reports throughout the past year. Most tournaments take over 25 pounds per day to win and 30 plus pound limits are not uncommon. Anytime you fish a lake where six to eight pound bass are common is exciting.
The first day that I fished the lake at the start of the week, I caught a number of big ones and just had a good time. As the week went on I was having fun so I continued to explore and learn as much as I could about the lake and just never felt like going anywhere else. The biggest bass I caught was around seven pounds but I caught a bunch over five pounds.
Over my years fishing in the U.S., I think I’ve fished five tournaments on Guntersville. It’s a regular stop on the schedule so I’m sure I’ll be back again in the near future. The lake has great boat ramps all over the lake, it’s just a great place to host tournaments. I just figured it was a good lake to learn a little better while I was in the area so that was my goal throughout the week.
My results here over the years have been mixed, with a couple of good events and a few tough ones. I don’t have the best track record here so I felt like it was time well spent. While the fishing in June is different that it is during the winter months, there is a good chance we could fish here in June down the road. You learn little things every day you spend on the water so some of the knowledge I gained this week could pay off during the winter months as well, as far as good areas and potential fishing locations.
Lake Guntersville is a reservoir, meaning it was a river that was dammed at both ends to flood it and create a lake. While you can catch fish shallow and deep right now, I spent most of my time fishing offshore on the main river channel where schools of fish would congregate on subtle pieces of structure like points, humps and ledges. Anglers scan these river channels with their electronics, looking for these schools of bass and when you find them, the fishing can be fast and furious. Over the course of the week, I probably found around 25 schools and had some good sessions. Also caught some crappie, drum, gar and catfish throughout the week.
This week, we’re fishing about an hour away from Guntersville on Lewis Smith Lake. It is a deep, clear reservoir with a healthy population of spotted bass. While the size of the fish is not as impressive as other lakes in the south, there should be a lot of fish caught this week. I have fished Smith a few times between 2013 and 2018, but it’s been six years since I was last there. I was only ever there during the winter months so I’m not sure exactly what to expect this time of year but I look forward to the challenge. The tournament starts Thursday and runs through Sunday, after which I’ll be headed home to enjoy the rest of the summer up north. I can’t wait!
