NEWS

Jamie Smith and Michael Rains talk Lake Guntersville

ABT Lake Guntersville Preview with Jamie Smith and Michael Rains
by Dan O’Sullivan

June 7, 2017 – Decatur, Ala. – The final event of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail season is upon us, and the crown jewel of Alabama’s big bass fisheries is on the horizon.  At stake are entries into the ABT Championship at Logan Martin in October, entries into the Bassmaster Team Championship and most importantly, the Northern Division and overall Anglers of the Year title.

Lake Guntersville has been the location for events in each season of the Alabama Bass Trail, but typically it has been earlier in the season.  For the first time, Lake Guntersville will have a chance to display the postspawn / summer ledge fishing bite that it is famous for.

While the chances are there, the team of Jamie Smith and Michael Rains say that the winning bag may not come from one spot.

Because of the conditions, the pair thinks that the fish are all over the lake.  “We fished a charity event last week, and our best fish came out of five feet of water,” they said.  “We know the team who won, and they caught their fish in 20 feet; so the fish are all over the place.”

Their feeling is that the combination of warm winter and late spring / early summer deluges have created a situation where multiple patterns could factor.  “The main river channel is heavily stained from runoff, wind and current, but the creeks are still good,” they reported.  “What it means is that everything from topwater, to ledge fishing to targeting grass could play a factor.”

With that said, the experienced Guntersville team feel that the caliber of the Alabama Bass Trail field will shine through.  “We think it will take 23 to 25 pounds to win and 15 pounds to get a check,” they said.  “The weights have been a little light, but this field is really good and it won’t surprise me to see big weights, or to hear that the winning weight happened in a really short timeframe.

It’s all going to come down to being in the right place, at the right time,” they said.  “We believe that you’ll need two patterns to be successful this weekend, but it can happen, and happen really quickly.”

All teams are required to be present at the pre-tournament registration and rules meeting on Friday June 9 from 5:00PM to 7:00PM at the Guntersville High School Gymnasium located at 14227 US Highway 431 in Guntersville, AL 35976.  Takeoff and weigh-in will happen at Lake Guntersville State Park 1155 Lodge Drive in Guntersville, AL 35976.

The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance,  T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO,  Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.

For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.