John's Journal...

Some Winning Techniques of Bass Fishing

Day 4: Catching Hot-Weather Bass at Lake Guntersville

Editor’s Note: Captain Mike Gerry, the owner of Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service on north Alabama’s Lake Guntersville, one of the top-10 bass lakes in the United States, has fished Lake Guntersville since 1971. Lake Guntersville is world-renowned, and BASS has held more than 20 tournaments there. From February to April, Guntersville holds more bass tournaments than any other lake in the nation. Captain Gerry tells us how he fishes Lake Guntersville in hot weather, and what he expects to catch.

Click for Larger ViewQuestion: Mike, how do you catch bass on Lake Guntersville at this time of year?

Gerry: Lake Guntersville has a lot of grass in it. Since baitfish and bass hold in grass, grass marks the spot where you catch can catch bass. Fishermen will shoot the edge of the milfoil and the hydrilla to ambush bait. We fish many of the edges along the grass line. Too, we fish underwater humps and points. Lake Guntersville is quite different from most lakes where fishermen bang banks and fish around visible cover. At Lake Guntersville, fishing banks is tough, because most of them are in water only 1-foot deep.

Click for Larger ViewQuestion: Mike, how else do you catch large bass on Lake Guntersville?

Gerry: When I’m fishing in shallow grass, bass like the way Mister Twister Super Lizards move. I prefer to fish 6-1/2-inch lizards in either black neon, blue fleck or Junebug. Mister Twister Super Lizards have a lot of movement, and we fish them in two ways: traditionally by dropping them in holes in the grass, or by swimming the lizard over the top of the grass. We put a 10-inch leader on the Super Lizard and swim the bait, letting it fall through the holes and the openings in the grass. We fish the Super Lizard on 14- to 15-pound-test line I generally don’t use any heavier-pound-test line unless I’m flipping. I fish with a G.Loomis GLX Series rod and Shimano Curado reel. The bass will move-up in shallow grass during the spawn, but after the spawn, bass spread all over the lake, and you can catch them in nearly any depth you choose to fish. Most people don’t realize that when the grass comes-up at Lake Guntersville, the bass stay shallow in the grass, because the water’s shaded there and about 10-degrees cooler than the grass surrounding the rest of the lake. That’s why we can catch bass in shallow water all summer at Guntersville. Grass creates cover for bass – an ambush point – and provides them with air conditioning. Fishing the Super Lizard in holes or swimming it just above holes in the grass entices bass to take the bait.

Click for Larger ViewQuestion: Mike, how else do you catch big bass at Lake Guntersville?

Gerry: I’m a spinner bait fisherman, so I love to fish the spinner bait. I really prefer to use the red and silver-flake Mister Twister Split Double Tail trailer on my spinner baits. I like the flutter the double tail creates behind the spinner bait, especially when shad spawn off the deep-water ledges. The black/blue flake-colored double tail also looks good behind the spinner bait when fished as a trailer.

Question: What spinner baits do you use?

Gerry: I prefer to use the 3/8-ounce, red blade Punisher spinner bait with a watermelon skirt. I match this with a red and silver flake-colored Split Double Tail trailer. When the spinner bait comes-over the top of the grass with the Mister Twister Split Double Tail behind it, it looks like an entire school of baitfish moving toward the bass. I prefer to fish a 3/8-ounce spinner bait, because I fish on the tops of ledges, and a heavier spinner bait doesn’t allow me to maintain contact with the top of the grass.

Click for Larger ViewQuestion: How do you work the bait?

Gerry: I slow roll it a lot, but generally I try to maintain contact with the grass on the bottom. If I feel the spinner bait’s not kicking the grass on the bottom, I’ll kill the bait and get it back to the bottom, so I can feel it hit the grass. This is one of the best ways to consistently catch bass at Lake Guntersville.

To contact Captain Mike Gerry, call (256) 759-2270, or visit www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com.

How to Bass Fish Like a ProCatch the Most and Biggest Bass In Any LakeTo learn more about how to fish for bass, go to “How to Bass Fish Like a Pro” and “Catch the Most and Biggest Bass in Any Lake” , or go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, and type in the names of the books to buy them. Too, you can download a Kindle app for free and buy the book from Amazon to read it on your iPad, Smartphone or computer.

Tomorrow: Getting Jiggy on Bass at Lake Guntersville with Mike Gerry


Check back each day this week for more about "Some Winning Techniques of Bass Fishing"

Day 1: Cranking with Rick Clunn
Day 2: Spinner Baiting with Rick Clunn
Day 3: Flipping and Pitching with Rick Clunn
Day 4: Catching Hot-Weather Bass at Lake Guntersville
Day 5: Getting Jiggy on Bass at Lake Guntersville with Mike Gerry

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Entry 674, Day 4