Fishing Lake Guntersville

Finally, A Little Info For.....

Sauger/Jacks

Crappie     Catfish

Blue Gill/Bream

I do some bream fishing each year. I do not know how well known the tactic is but I have a friend that uses one of those tiny Keystone Minnows rigged with a weighted cork. He runs the bank as one would to catch bass. He seems to have a great trip every time he goes, until mid June or so. He talks of the blue gill moving around to feed or spawn and that fishing this way helps him do well even when he has not located active beds. He said he finds small groups of bream and can catch 5 to 10 and then it’s over. Then he keeps moving till he finds a few more. After a day on the water he has a nice limit. Once beds are located you can try lures or bait. When I do look for beds I pick a small area of the lake and check all the tiny points and pockets within that area. I tend to do this in the pockets along the lake from South Sauty down to Mill Creek. He says, "this is the best way to find beds I have ever seen". Let us know how you catch them.

On this map I look for places that are not only shallow but sheltered from current and even more so wind. These areas may be covered with grass as the weather gets warmer. If so, you will be looking for the bright colored areas which will indicate a clean bottom. The bottom may be clean due to gravel or hopefully fish spawning activities. Also, always look for large areas of bubbles coming to the surface. This could also be a sign of blue gill and even shell cracker spawning activities. Speaking of shell crackers, this can be some of the greatest fishing there is. These big mean pan fish do tend to spawn slightly deeper than the regular blue gills. The best shell cracker fishing I can remember was along the rip rap at Water Front. The fish where in 6 - 8 feet and several yards from the rock. I could see bubbles and smell the sweet smell these fish excrete when spawning. (some say watermelon or strawberry smell) I had to set my cork up about 6 feet to catch these fish. It was tricky to cast but well wroth it.



Now I do like doing a very strange and I am sure mostly “unknown” tactic on Guntersville for pan fish. I take a size 1 – 2 bass worm hook and 3/16 oz bullet weight. I then pull the tails off my used worms and rig up a tiny 2 – 3 inch Texas rigged worm. I am sure grubs would work but the slim worms seems to be better. I then fish “only lay down tress”. I get up next to the trees and flip as I would for bass. Many times I have been able to catch those War Mouth bream up to ¾ of a pound or so. It is a War Mouth pattern, and some trees will hold many fish. Now that, my fishing friends, is the most fun I have ever had fishing for pan fish.

Send in your bluegill tips, Please!!!

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