When bass fishing this summer, many anglers that frequent Alabama's largest man made reservoir Guntersville Lake, automatically think deep. But how deep is deep?
"Deep" on Guntersville Lake can mean dredging depths of 10-20 feet deep or at times fishing even deeper. Exceptions can be like during the dead of winter when water temperatures are at their lowest.
Or during the hottest portion of summer, like during the month of August, when some of these deep water largemouth bass can be found in the 20-40 foot depths. But like said, these are the exceptions...not the rule.
* There are deep bass and shallow bass, year round on Guntersville Lake.
Guntersville Lake's shallow water bass have other options. Many of these big bass just feed and live out their lives in shallow water, year round. For some bass, most of their lives are spent in water less than five feet deep, no matter what the conditions.
Plenty of cover, loads of oxygen-rich aquatic weeds and a variety of meals on the shallow water menu, are what keeps these bass shallow, even when its stifiling hot.
These shallow water bass can be very comfortable, well hidden and for the most part well fed when it comes to relating to the comforts and shade found around summertime aquatic weeds and piers and boat houses. Places on Guntersville Lake an astute angler can always find shallow, summertime bass.
Thick aquatic weeds like millfoil, hydrilla and even vast fields of Lilly pads can be homes for these summer bass. They are hidden beneath these thick weedy canopys and these bass are rather comfortable, resting in the shade provided here.
It can be 10 degrees cooler (than surrounding waters) at midday, beneath these shallow growing Guntersville lake weeds. During late evenings these shallow water bass will move into some very skinny water, as waters begin to cool and low light periods begin to develop.
Besides midday and late evenings many of Guntersville lakes big summertime bass are often in water as shallow as 1-2 feet deep around these weeds. This especially holds true just after dawn, after they have been feeding shallow all during the preceeding night.
Cloud cover, low light periods or evening thundershowers are even better conditions for targeting Guntersville Lake's shallow water bass this summer season. Often, all day, during one of those rare all day summertime showers.
LURES FOR MIDDAY BASSIN'
Lures are many, especially when it comes to topwater choices. Lures that weedless are really an advantage. Otherwise, every other cast you make, you will be picking weeds off of your lures. Most of the time, you can't fool a bass into striking your tempting offering with weeds hanging off of your lure.
Frog and mice/rats imitations are excellent choices for fishing even during the hottest portion of the day. Targeting holes in the weeds, along weed edges, in and around weedy points and all around isolated patches of weeds is the ticket to getting bites. So are making multiple casts to these likly-looking spots.
Like said, there are many lure choices for fishing around weeds and piers on Guntersville Lake. Buzzbaits are good all day around either of these types of cover, for explosive strikes, often when you least expect it.
So are spinnerbaits. It never fails to amaze me that bass will still hit these lures, that everybody fishes.
Although not labled as topwaters, soft jerkbaits and floating worms can be deadly even during midday, with the sun straight up and no clouds in sight. So are slow sinking lures with no added weight like Senkos, Slug-gos, soft plastic frogs, lizards, worms and crayfish imitations.
Although fishing around piers and boat houses usually calls for the use of lures with added weight, these aformentioned lures and other weightless lures give these bass a different look at a lure. A slow technique, that many anglers fail to try.
Skipping lures such as frogs, rats, weightless worms, lizards, Senkos, and even plastic crayfish imitations, far up under piers and boat houses can be deadly during midday. This skipping technique reaches bass hidden far back in shady locales...places where other bass anglers never even use this technique!
See if you can tempt a big ol' bass into busting a well placed topwater lure this summer season on Alabama's Guntersville Lake!
No matter how much sweat is rolling down into your eyes, you will see a whole different world, rather than when fishing in deep water...like most other summertime anglers.
Be safe and courteous to other boaters this summer season on our very crowded lakes!
Good Fishin'
Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service (205) 787-5133 Website: www.fishingalabama.com