Lake Guntersville is a ticking time bomb. We’ve all heard the talk for over a year now, “The Bassmasters Classic is coming to Guntersville!”, “How nasty will it get?”. Well, hold on to your seats because this place is going to put out weights like the Classic has never seen. That is not some prediction from a guy in an office 400 miles away, that’s a promise from a man who makes a living guiding on the actual waters that will shatter most all the records in Classic history.
So here is an up to date report on the lake:
The awesome thing about Lake Guntersville is, the only surprise in the weights above is that it only took 29lbs this past Saturday to win the BFL. With the upcoming forecast calling for temperatures leading up to the classic to rise near 70 degrees, 29lbs will likely leave some anglers with high hopes shaking their head in disbelief that they aren’t the leader, and are multiple pounds behind. I know the feeling all to well, I weighed in 31.97 on this lake last year and still lost by over 4.5lbs, and I also weighed in 29lbs 14oz and lost in the same spring. This lake can flat produce 6lb fish like no lake in the country, so I have to believe the first day leader will break the 30lb mark, and the overall winner will crack 85lbs in 3 days.
Look for Rattlebaits, like the Excalibur XR50 and XR75 to play a part in the damage, along with Jigs, swimbaits, and a jerkbait. For me and my clients recently, the XR50 in Rayburn Red, and a Smithwick Perfect 10 Rogue in Silver/Blue have been doing most of the damage.
As for areas of the lake that can produce the weights needed to win the Classic, well that’s the million dollar question. The whole lake, from dam to dam, is perfectly capable of the weight needed, but look for certain areas to be the heavy hitters:
I will report again in a few days. Hopefully it won’t be cold and all the fans will be able to enjoy the show that this old girl is about to put on. It’s definitely going to be one for the ages. If you are visiting and wish to get out and watch the anglers, I have licensed captains available to get you out in a comfy 21ft bass boat to watch the action.
Jonathan Henry
GuntersvilleBassWhacker.com
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