rrigsby
Well-known member
Headed to Guntersville Sunday morning armed with 2 new toys to begin pre-practice for Bama BFL on the 9/9. I just got my boat back with a (re-manufactured motor) and, I put on a slightly used but new to me trolling motor. Nice morning with a cool north wind and just a bit of cloud cover. Water 82 degrees, slight stain and above full pool. Started with a horny toad and a lucky craft gunfish. I saw quite a bit of activity in and around the grass but my baits went seemingly unnoticed except for one small nibble walking the gunfish. Switched up and decide to go a little deeper in the 6-12 foot grass with worm, crankbait, and carolina rig. First grass point I started with the cb, no luck, then the carolina rig with a gr. pumpkin Brush Hog and nailed one around 5#. Awesome, except for one problem, the guy in the boat near me saw the whole thing. And, when he finally made his way around toward me I noticed it was Marshall Deakins. Yeah, like he needs help on Guntersville! He was zipping around those grass lines super fast throwing a buzzer and frog. Went another 30 minutes without a bite so I went back to that first point and caught a 2-1/2# off a isolated patch of grass w/ a senko. Hit one other grass point nearby and was rewarded with a 4# on a junebug Mag II. These 3 fish were in the scattered clumps of deeper grass in front of the main grass line. There were atleast three types of grass in the area. Also, another key point was the north wind blowing right onto those grass points.
I then decided it was time to complete more of the breaking-in process of my new (re-manufactured motor). Cranked up and headed all the way down toward the dam, running in and out of almost every pocket. My goal was to get about 4 hours on the motor as I looked at grass and idle around some deeper countor breaks down river. Problem was, I bet over half the grass mats were covered up due to the water being so high. And, I found something else that needs to be replaced, my transducer. It seems to only work about half the time. I got close to 4 more hours on my motor. Talk about a bore!
Took out around 2pm to get a camp site set up at Goosepond and eat lunch. Back in the water at 4:30 til dark. I only caught 2 more fish, no keepers. Although, I did have a fish slam my white Cutthroat buzzbait just before dark and miss.
After a not so good nights sleep due to warm air temps, noisy campground, mesquito and chigger bites, and my everlasting battle with millions of piss ants, I broke camp and headed to the ramp. BEWARE of the piss ants ant Goosepond. Take ant killer or something. These piss ants where everywhere. They were machines on a mission to seek and destroy. They got in my truck, boat, food, cooler, and electical outlet that eventually shorted. Anything I touched or had previously tocuhed they swarmed to in a matter of seconds. They're still run around in my truck and boat. Anyway, made it to the ramp at sunrise, put the boat in, and as I was idling out to the no wake bouys the check engine light and buzzer went off. With only 9 hours on the engine I could not figure out why this was happening? I shut the engine off and cranked it up agian and of course the buzzer went off again. So, I was stuck to fishing around North Sauty all day. Not a huge problem, I just didn't want to run the big motor hard or long if I wanted to make a move. I had 3 bites on top first thing in the morning. One decent fish on a gunfish, a huge explosion on my Cuttthroat buzzbait in super shallow grass, and the only one I landed on a snag proof frog, a non keeper. After the sun got up I went back to the to the worm and carolina rig. Only caught a few non keepers. At this point the sun was hot and high, and the gnats were thick as fog. I even saw some piss ants attached to a few gnats helping harrass me. Around 11:00 decided to spend the rest of the day flipping the grass. I had 3 keepers but no size, nothing over 2-1/2# anyway. The flipping bites were far and few between. I guess I just never got in the right area.
All in all a pretty frustrating pre-practice dealing with all the boat issues atop the fish not being real cooperative. I think the high water really screwed their activity level up. I don't understand why that is, but it is? I do know it completely killed the rat/frog bite for me this weekend! Besides that bite there's about 3 half way consistent bites going on right now. The topwater bite can be pretty good in the morning and late in the evening if you make the bites count. Then a deeper bite with a worm and carolina rig, and maybe a crankbait. And, also the flipping bite is there. I just didn't get on the right grass patch for the bigger fish. If the water would drop back below summer pool, the rat bite will be good again. Hope that wasn't to long and boring to read. No more excuses next weekend cause I have been toughened up!
I then decided it was time to complete more of the breaking-in process of my new (re-manufactured motor). Cranked up and headed all the way down toward the dam, running in and out of almost every pocket. My goal was to get about 4 hours on the motor as I looked at grass and idle around some deeper countor breaks down river. Problem was, I bet over half the grass mats were covered up due to the water being so high. And, I found something else that needs to be replaced, my transducer. It seems to only work about half the time. I got close to 4 more hours on my motor. Talk about a bore!
Took out around 2pm to get a camp site set up at Goosepond and eat lunch. Back in the water at 4:30 til dark. I only caught 2 more fish, no keepers. Although, I did have a fish slam my white Cutthroat buzzbait just before dark and miss.
After a not so good nights sleep due to warm air temps, noisy campground, mesquito and chigger bites, and my everlasting battle with millions of piss ants, I broke camp and headed to the ramp. BEWARE of the piss ants ant Goosepond. Take ant killer or something. These piss ants where everywhere. They were machines on a mission to seek and destroy. They got in my truck, boat, food, cooler, and electical outlet that eventually shorted. Anything I touched or had previously tocuhed they swarmed to in a matter of seconds. They're still run around in my truck and boat. Anyway, made it to the ramp at sunrise, put the boat in, and as I was idling out to the no wake bouys the check engine light and buzzer went off. With only 9 hours on the engine I could not figure out why this was happening? I shut the engine off and cranked it up agian and of course the buzzer went off again. So, I was stuck to fishing around North Sauty all day. Not a huge problem, I just didn't want to run the big motor hard or long if I wanted to make a move. I had 3 bites on top first thing in the morning. One decent fish on a gunfish, a huge explosion on my Cuttthroat buzzbait in super shallow grass, and the only one I landed on a snag proof frog, a non keeper. After the sun got up I went back to the to the worm and carolina rig. Only caught a few non keepers. At this point the sun was hot and high, and the gnats were thick as fog. I even saw some piss ants attached to a few gnats helping harrass me. Around 11:00 decided to spend the rest of the day flipping the grass. I had 3 keepers but no size, nothing over 2-1/2# anyway. The flipping bites were far and few between. I guess I just never got in the right area.
All in all a pretty frustrating pre-practice dealing with all the boat issues atop the fish not being real cooperative. I think the high water really screwed their activity level up. I don't understand why that is, but it is? I do know it completely killed the rat/frog bite for me this weekend! Besides that bite there's about 3 half way consistent bites going on right now. The topwater bite can be pretty good in the morning and late in the evening if you make the bites count. Then a deeper bite with a worm and carolina rig, and maybe a crankbait. And, also the flipping bite is there. I just didn't get on the right grass patch for the bigger fish. If the water would drop back below summer pool, the rat bite will be good again. Hope that wasn't to long and boring to read. No more excuses next weekend cause I have been toughened up!
