Lake Guntersville may be reaching the tipping point where control of the number of tournaments held on the lake on any given date needs some control. Many local anglers complained this past weekend that there were over 1,000 bass boats on the lake, with the great majority fishing tournaments with hundreds of out-of-state anglers. While this is a boon to those who rent accommodations and operate restaurants and tackle stores, it’s a negative for the many local anglers who just want to spend a few quiet hours fishing on the weekend. Numerous states require registration of tournaments with the game and fish department to control this pressure—it may be time for Alabama to start thinking about a similar system, if local anglers have their preferences heard.
Be that as it may, the spring spawn is about to break open as soon as the most recent Floodzilla flows on through the TVA system and allows water levels to drop and clear up a bit. Captain Mike Gerry reports that during the past week when he could find a bay that was not being hammered by lined-up tournament anglers, there were bass trying to bed in the shallows, mostly in hard bottom areas and around woody cover and docks. He said soft plastics are starting to draw bites, and rising water temperatures mean buzzbaits and topwaters should start to score soon; www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com.
At Lake Pickwick, flooding and murky water has also been an issue, but anglers fishing last weekend’s B.A.S.S. event there still managed to score some good catches, with many coming from the waters directly below Wilson Dam anytime the current slowed enough to make the area safe to fish. Some heavy fish were also taken downriver at the tail of Koger’s Island, and also along the edges of the channel where shoaling water reduced the current. Crankbaits, swimbaits and jigs all played well. It’s prime time for crappie at Pickwick, as well, and Bear Creek and Yellow Creek should produce lots of fish as soon as the water clears a bit so fish can see trolled mini-jigs.
At Lewis Smith, murky water in the northern tributaries actually improves the bite on largemouths, with some fish prowling back into flooded side bays where they can be caught on lightweight swimjigs and Chatterbaits. In the main lake, spotted bass remain the primary target, with best action around the herring schools on swimbaits, rattlebaits and swimjigs. Stripers are up the rivers spawning—find them in the shallows of the Sipsey River, Brushy Creek and Ryan Creek. The waters directly below the dam have a good trout bite anytime there’s moderate current—live worms under a float are the universal method, but fly anglers also do well; www.riversideflyshop.com.
Weiss Lake has spawning fish shallow, where they’ll take soft plastics, squarebills and Chatterbaits. Crappie fishing is very good, with most fish in the creeks at 7-10 feet, easiest to catch on small Jiffy Jigs per crappie expert and guide Mark Collins; www.markcollinsguideservice.com.
From the coast, heavy rains will push the last remaining trout and reds out of the tributary areas north of I-10 down Mobile Bay. Look for slicks and diving birds to mark areas where both species are feeding, and catch them on live shrimp under a slip cork or on the Vudu or DOA Shrimp. By April, some of the larger trout will be prowling the marsh edges around Mississippi Sound as well as along the beaches—catch them on a Zara Spook of Sexy Dawg topwater early and late. Late March and early April is prime time for pompano in the surf—find them around runouts along the beaches. Live sand fleas do best, but many anglers also do well with Goofy Jigs and other small dart-type lures; www.ateamfishing.com.
The Link LonkMarch 26, 2021 at 02:02PM
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Friday fishing report for Alabama - AL.com
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