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| Guntersville After Dark |
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| By Greg McCain |
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Originally published in the July 2012 issue of AON
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A recent after-dark fishing trip with guide Mike Carter produced typical Guntersville quality, including this big largemouth that hit a Choo Choo spinnerbait.
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Bass fishing on Lake Guntersville has been scrutinized and analyzed from almost every possible angle. The lake receives intense pressure from anglers and equally focused scrutiny from the national media. Despite the thousands of fishing hours and page after page of published analysis devoted to the lake, one obvious opportunity remains almost totally overlooked: Guntersville after dark.
Night fishing for bass on Guntersville is an afterthought for most visitors who frequent the sprawling north Alabama reservoir.
There are whispers about the potential of Guntersville at night, and there are a few regular night tournaments, although the number of those is dwarfed by the huge volume of day tournaments. Knowledgeable anglers who remain on the water for a few casts after dark rave about the possibilities. But even those brief experiments don’t reveal the full potential of the lake.
“There are reasons not to fish Guntersville after dark,” said veteran Guntersville guide Mike Carter. “The main one being that I can catch plenty of fish here during the daytime. But there’s also some good reasons to spend some time on the lake after dark, mainly getting away from all the other boats and the other fishermen. Plus the fishing can be just as good at night as it is during the daylight hours.”
Mike admittedly does not fish Guntersville at night as much as he once did. He said his nighttime clients prefer Coosa River spots or Pickwick smallmouths, typically saving their daytime trips for Guntersville. Yet logic suggests that a lake like Guntersville, one loaded with quality largemouth bass, can be an equally good lake after dark as in the daytime.
With those ideas in mind, I slipped away for a quick trip with Mike in the final days of May. We planned to sample some of Guntersville’s grass fishing in the late afternoon hours, transition to the topwater bite just before dark and then roll spinnerbaits over grassbeds after dark. Each situation produced quality action during the course of the trip.
Mike had already been on the water for several hours when we met at Goose Pond Colony near Scottsboro. The afternoon’s fishing had yielded a couple of limits of quality largemouths from a deeper hydrilla line across the main channel from Mink Creek, just downstream from Goose Pond. Mike caught those fish on a Choo Choo Lures Rocker Jig in the oh baby color.
“The fishing’s been good,” he said. “I’ve caught quality 3- and 4-lb. fish with three or four more fish of the same size chasing them to the boat.”
A quick run downstream found us situated along the same grassline, and Mike returned to fishing the jig while I cast a Texas-rigged Zoom Ol Monster worm. The plum-apple worm actually out-produced the jig during the first part of the trip although the bite had diminished from earlier in the day.
However, the action heated up considerably as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Mike had worked his boat toward the end of the grassline where scattered grass patches were just beginning to surface.
“I’ve been trying to get to this point at just the right time for the topwater bite just before dark,” Mike said. “There should be fish feeding here in this scattered grass.”
Mike and I caught about 20 fish on topwater lures in the final 30 to 45 minutes before dark. We started throwing the topwaters, and the bass clearly preferred the walking action of the shad-colored Lucky Craft Sammy fished by Mike over the Rebel Pop-R that I was throwing. I switched to a chrome/blue Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow, and the action was non-stop until dark. The fish were not huge by Guntersville standards, but there was a limit of 2- to 3-pounders in the mix.
The atmosphere changed immediately as dusk turned to full dark. The boat traffic disappeared, and the heat—the temperature had reached 97 degrees earlier in the day—dissipated to the point that a refreshing chill filled the air. A three-quarter waxing moon added a picturesque backdrop to the scene. Even the ever-present Guntersville gnats seemed to take a respite from humming around my head.
Using the green channel marker at the lower end of Mink Creek as a landmark, Mike motored back upstream along the grassline and quickly prepared his nighttime tackle. For him, lure selection is simple: he almost exclusively fishes a spinnerbait after dark on Guntersville. Mike said to prepare for some intense action when the fish turn on to the spinnerbait bite.
“There’s nothing like the spinnerbait bite at night,” he said. “It’s like they are mad, like they want to annihilate the lure. Even though the topwater bite can be fast and furious at times, there’s nothing like a good spinnerbait bite to me.”
We fished the grass for perhaps 30 minutes with the only action a few bumps, obviously strikes but no resulting hook-ups.
“They’re hitting the blade,” Mike said. “That’s actually a good sign. At least you know they are interested in the spinnerbait.”
Those words were barely out of his mouth when Mike slammed back his Deep South rod, which arched under the pressure of a heavy fish in the grass. The bass exploded on the surface, disturbing the peaceful surroundings with a noisy roll. Moments later, Mike eased the fish, estimated between 5 and 6 pounds, into the net.
“It’s those types of moments that make night fishing worthwhile,” Mike said. “That fish hit just like I said earlier. It slammed the spinnerbait.”
The big fish provided a highlight to the trip, although Mike and I each caught a keeper fish on the spinnerbait before we ended the trip an hour or so later.
As we fished, Mike and I talked night fishing in general. While the best nighttime fishing on Guntersville is found in many of the same places as the daytime fishing, there are some subtle differences.
Mike said the lack of competition allows him to fish locations that might be crowded with boats during the daylight hours or to fish those spots that he might not want to reveal to other fishermen. Fewer boats on the water also negate the need to run longer distances on the huge lake. Mike suggested confining nighttime trips to the mid-lake area, specifically from North Sauty to South Sauty, a distance of about 5 miles. The locale is easily reachable from various ramps, including those at Goose Pond in North Sauty or those at Waterfront, just downstream from South Sauty.
“Some of the best deeper hydrilla lines on the lake can be found in this area,” he said.
As we fished the spinnerbaits, Mike positioned his boat in 8 to 10 feet of water within easy casting range of the visible grassline.
“You will see many boats right on the edge of the (visible) grass,” Mike said. “They will throw a frog or a worm or a jig into the grass. That’s not really possible with the spinnerbait. It’s going to catch too much grass.
“With the boat in this position, I am able to fish the edge of the grassline and then work the spinnerbait over the top of the grass under the surface. I think you get a more consistent spinnerbait bite from the grass edge out to where it begins to fade away in 8 to 10 feet of water.”
He also tends to stay away from a classic deep-water, daytime pattern. He rarely fishes the deeper ledges after dark.
“You just don’t seem to find them bunched up in the same numbers on the deep ledges as much as in the daylight hours,” he said.
A final contrast separates Mike from other nighttime anglers: he tends to shy away from full-moon periods.
“I really feel like the fish get spookier here on the full moon,” he said. “I’ve just not had as much success when the moon is full. I really prefer the new moon and that period leading up to but before the full moon.”
If he does find himself on the water under a full moon, Mike said he tends to slow down and fish the Choo Choo jig or a big worm, about the only time he deviates from the spinnerbait.
Mike’s approach with the spinnerbait is simple. Casting the lure to the edge of the grassline to demonstrate the technique, Mike suggested a steady retrieve—perhaps a bit faster than traditional slow-rolling—that was just fast enough to keep the lure out of the grass while still ticking the tops at times.
“I’ve experimented with all sorts of retrieves,” he said. “I have used a yo-yo retrieve and will still yo-yo the spinnerbait at times when I am out on a deeper ledge. But as a general rule, rolling the lure with a steady retrieve seems to trigger more strikes than anything else.”
An important tool in Mike’s arsenal is the heavy-action Deep South rod he uses for spinnerbait fishing and all other bass-fishing techniques. I had never used the Deep South brand, but the rods proved to be light, yet sufficiently powerful enough to handle the repetitive heavy pressure of the spinnerbait and also bigger fish in the grass.
“Deep South makes a rod for everything that I do,” Mike said. “They are very light, have a great tip action and are very cost-efficient.”
As for other equipment, Mike said he has no strong opinions about the need for black lights at night. He said they can be helpful when line-watching while fishing jigs or plastics but not absolutely necessary for fishing the spinnerbait.
“I’m relying on feel when fishing the spinnerbait,” he said. “They are useful when trying to net a big fish, but otherwise I don’t really need them for most of my night fishing.”
As we brought our trip to a close, our conversation turned to some of the negative aspects of the night fishing in general and several issues that apply to Guntersville in particular. While the channel markers are clearly evident along the main navigation channel on the lake, there are thousands of acres of Guntersville real estate that must be navigated with caution, especially at night.
“Of course, a GPS helps and reliable lights are mandatory,” Mike said, adding that experience on the lake is absolutely necessary for a safe nighttime trip. “You have to boat with care on Guntersville. There are so many grassbeds that you can get into one if you’re not careful.”
Many of the grassbeds are in shallow water, and Mike also mentioned the logs that become embedded in the grass as another potential hazard.
“You need to know where you are going, use your lights and watch your speed,” he said. “Otherwise, you can comfortably fish and boat on Guntersville at night if you are careful.”
To book a trip with Mike, visit his website at www.anglingadventures.info. He can be contacted directly by phone at (423) 802-1362 or at e-mail@anglingadventures.info. He is available for fishing trips year-round and waterfowl and turkey-hunting trips during those seasons. In addition, he offers a combination hunting-fishing package in the winter and spring, featuring hunting in the morning and fishing in the afternoon. To learn more about his favorite fishing tackle, go to www.choochoo
lures.com and www.deepsouth fishingrods.net.
The Tackle Box
Spinnerbait: Mike’s preference is a purple/red Choo Choo Intruder spinnerbait trailed by a red or purple Zoom Chunk. The 1/2-oz. model boasts a No. 5 gold Colorado blade and produces a steady thumping vibration even on the slowest of retrieves.
Spinnerbait Setup: Heavy-action, 7-foot, 4-inch DS Pro Series D 74 HC Carolina Riggin’ Deep South rod. This rod supplies Mike plenty of power to move bigger fish out of the grass. Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reel spooled with 20-lb. fluorocarbon Vicious line.
Jig Setup: Extra-heavy-action, 7-foot, 9-inch DS Pro Series P 79 XHC Everglades/Jungle Stick made by Deep South rods. Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reel spooled with 20-lb. fluorocarbon Vicious line.
Topwater Setup: Medium-heavy-action, 7-foot DS Elite Series D 70 MHC John Leech All Purpose Deep South rod. Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reel spooled with 15-lb. mono. Vicious line.
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