Captain Mike Gerry put his anglers on a 9 pound, 2-ounce and a 7-pound largemouth on a Lake Guntersville trip this week, though he said fishing was a challenge in terms of numbers of bass.
Best lures were the SPRO Aruku Shad, SPRO Rock Crawlers, Picasso Shock Blade bladed jigs and Tight Line swimjigs. He said strong currents have made it tough to stay on top of fish once he found concentrations, but when everything went right, the big fish are on the spring bite; www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com.
Also from Lake Guntersville, Captain Mike Carter took a day off from guiding to win the Alabama Bass Trail event last weekend going away, with a monster five-fish limit catch of 30.33 pounds with tournament partner Tracey Robinson. The anglers fished upriver pre-spawn areas near spawning flats and creeks, throwing Choo-Choo Lures swimjigs, dressed with a 4-inch soft plastic Rage Menace tail from Strike King for their biggest fish. They also caught fish on Echo Squarebills and on Rat-L-Traps. Carter said he has been guiding crappie trips regularly, as well, with lots of fish caught on jigs around brush and creek mouths; www.anglingadventures.info.
From Weiss Lake guide Mark Collins reports water level is 2 feet below full pool, water is still fairly muddy and water temperature is 47 to 49 degrees. He said bass fishing is fair, with best bites around runouts from creeks and culverts on soft plastics, jigs or crankbaits. Crappie fishing remains fair to good long-line trolling Jiffy Jigs along the channels in the Bay Springs area, Little River and Yellow Creek. He said blue jigs seem to do best on the panfish; www.markcollinsguideservice.com.
At Lewis Smith, stripers are on the move into the feeder rivers including Sipsey River, Brushy Creek and Ryan Creek—slow troll live shad upriver until you find the fish. Spotted bass are hanging around the bridges, where they’ll hit lightly weighted jigs with swimmer tails dropped close around the pilings. Spots are also starting to stage around spawning areas, including gravel bars and submerged stump shorelines—shaky heads or small crankbaits catch them. Below the dam, trout fishing will be good anytime the water flow is moving but not flooding—drift live worms or Berkley Trout Bait under a small float, or catch them on small spinners and spoons; www.riversideflyshop.com.
Lay Lake will host the Bassmaster College and High School Classics in concurrence with the Elite Series Bassmaster Classic to be fished on Lake Guntersville next weekend. The young anglers will weigh in on the same stage where the pro’s are vying for six-figure paydays at BJCC in Birmingham. The high school teams weigh in March 7, while the college competition is March 8. Visit www.bassmaster.com for details.
The King Kat Tournament Trail comes to Lake Wheeler out of Decatur March 14, with a free pre-tournament catfishing how-to seminar March 13 beginning at 7 p.m. at Ingalls Harbor Pavilion, 701 Market Street in Decatur. Weigh-ins are at Ingalls Harbor beginning at 3 p.m. The event also includes a free Kids Fishing Rodeo at Ingalls Harbor from 9 to 11 a.m. on the 14th. Wheeler is noted for producing blue catfish over 50 pounds, so some monster fish should show up at the weigh-in. Visit www.kingkatusa.com for details.
From the coast, Captain Bobby Abruscato reports all the rain sweeping the state has put lots of high water and mud in the upper end of Mobile Bay, pushing most saltwater fish towards Mississippi Sound. Redfish remain active in creeks out of the marshes, which remain fairly clear. Live shad or small baitfish under a popping cork are the best bet. Dixey Bar is always a good spot to look for giant redfish—live croakers or large jigs get them. Pompano will start to show in the surf with the first warmer days—catch them in the trough on live sand fleas or on the sand-flea-flavored Fish Bites artificial bait; www.ateamfishing.com.