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My son and I are headed to Guntersville Thursday morning for bass fishing primarily but I will try to sneak in some crappie fishing while we are there. We have never been there so any advice for bass are crappie would be appreciated. We are staying somewhere about half way up the lake it looks like from the map.
Best advice I can give you is they are always biting somewhere at all times. The thing is, 80 percent of the fish are in 20 percent of the lake. So, you will hit a lot of dead water before you find the fish if you're just starting out.
Bass fishing: think shad spawn, it's upon us. Blades are good. The main spawn is at dawn, so early is the best. Still some bedding fish, too. A lot of post spawn nearby or heading back out.
Which takes us to the crappie. Here's the deal. Are they spawning, are they done? That seems to be the big question. Here's the correct answer on that. It depends on which end of the lake you are fishing. In fact, it depends on which side of the lake you are fishing and that particular slew/cove. Truth be known, I've actually done well this year, but I don't crappie fish the way the vast majority of others do. I don't long line, I don't bridge fish and I don't shoot docks and I don't fish the way most people are doing now with bobbers with jigs or minnows. I use ultralights and toss lures with line the size of grandmomma's thread she uses to fix buttons. For me, that's the key.
They move in one area this time of year and when you find them, they're usually gone within a week or so, at least the abundant numbers. Then, they're scattered around feeding here and there on the way out. So, long story short, you're going to have to work to find fish, but they are there. I remember one time I spent 4 hours jumping spots and was convinced there was nothing biting "at the lake" as so many people say, only to pull into a spot and they were like, "hey, here we are, we've been waiting for you!" and not only did I get bit, they went wild attacking my lures. Actually, that's happened several times. That's why I just laugh when people say "they're not biting at Guntersville". They are always there and always biting - somewhere. You just have to find them and use the right setup and the right lures.
Presentation is also so important. Watch the way the bass attack your top water lures. 90 percent of the time they are going one direction when they come flying out of the water. That's why you cast up current, not down current, yet another very basic mistake most anglers make out there. It's the little things that make a big difference at Guntersville. Yes, they are always biting somewhere. I'm talking all year round. Even when it's 10 below or 110 above zero because there are springs in Guntersville and that water temp is constant. So, I'm even talking during extremes.
Sorry to be so honest and blunt, but that's the truth.
Agree for sure with the moving around when looking for crappie. I found fish 95 percent of the time this year but I had to look. Could try three or four places and not a bite then the fifth spot I'd catch a limit in two hours.
Thanks for the advice, headed that way in the morning.