The Big G Whoopin

[Buoy-Master]

Ok...the very first time I fish Guntersville , I land a 7.5 and a 4 something. Flip gets a few good ones and we end up with 18 plus lbs...

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Next 5 TRIPS down there...Notta! 2 fish I have caught. 1 spot, 1 small LM. I'm really starting to freak out over this lake. To be in the top 10 lakes for bass, you'd think after 5 trips, Id have a few decent bags. I'm sick of it and hate spending the money! What is the trick to getting fish on that lake!?!?!?</p>

Signed,</p>

Team "We Suck at Guntersville"!

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[fishinvol]

Billy, you might really think about hiring a guide sometime. You can really pick their brains and they can give you ideas where and what to look for. Just a thought. If I hadn't spending so much money on my boat lately, I would have already hired one for myself.

 

[polo-dog]

Billy,

You and RR shouldn't beat yourselves up over this. That's why they call it fishin' not catchin'. Are you guys going any time soon before the tournament? Did you guys go there with a feeling that you were going to fish a winter pattern, a prespawn pattern? Just curious. If you haven't fished G'ville much in the winter then you just don't have enough info based on experiences for what works for that time of the year and I think that you just need to get with whoever your partner is, get out the maps and figure out a strategy to cover a bunch of water and a bunch of different winter/prespawn scenarios and you'll finally get a feel for what the fish are doing. You'll have a PM soon.

 

[RangerRob]

Your statement about the G being one of "the top 10 bass lakes in the country" is part of the problem. I mentioned this to you yesterday, but we get it in our heads that Guntersville is some sort of mystical honey hole and we head off down there with visions of huge sacks and 10lbers in our heads. It IS an awesome fishery, but like any other lake on earth, it's on and off. Yesterday wasn't the first time I've been humbled down there and it's certainly not going to be the last. Seasonal patterns are seasonal patterns, but so many of us locked in to what we thought "shoulda been" yesterday and it backfired. It was a post frontal day, with bluebird skies, and a tough NE wind ... most fish WILL shut down when that happens. Let's also not forget the obvious - it's not our home lake!

I'm good with it. I think I learned some things yesterday, so I'll sharpen the hooks, pull my panties up, and look forward to the 23rd. I've never proclaimed to be a catcherman, I'm a fisherman...

 

[RangerRob]

Dang. Polo beat me to my Dr Phil epiphany! emoLaugh

 

[polo-dog]

Ha, ha, RR. That was really the Dr. Mark thing. At least now you know where not to fish and what not to use next time you go down there under the same conditions. Maybe you fished too fast with too big baits for the conditions and the fish were at the spots you fished but were just looking for something a little different. I do think that you are right in that it's not your home lake and if you think about it it's not the part of the lake that most of us fish either. I was at a loss fishing the riverine end of Guntersville with all the backwaters, creeks with little bitty channels and wide open areas that you couldn't run your boat over unless you had an air boat. I typically fish the lower third of Chickamauga and it is vastly different. If I lived up by Cottonport and fished that end of the Chick all the time it would be easier to decide where to fish on G'ville putting in at Stevenson. As you said, seasonal patterns are seasonal patterns and bass are bass. They will do the same things down there year after year plus or minus a few weeks.

 

[bent rod]

Btw, I noticed not a single BFHP guide posted a report on their website for yesterday! It was just a tough day.

 

[outcaster]

Fishinvol is right! The "G" can be tough to figure out. Just because it is a top 10 trophy lake, not many guys (if any) drive down, launch the boat and "whack um" every time. Every creek, stump, blow down, and grassline looks like it will hold a 12lb fish. Local knowledge is KEY on that lake.

 

[dec1]

If it makes you feel better, local guide Tim Chandler had a zero in yesterdays BFL. He may of had a few and didn't weigh them but he fishes the lake probably 5 days a week and still struggled.

 

[flip1up]

The biggest mistake that I make down there is trying to get the fish to bite what I think they should right now. Rattle baits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, are all great down there, at times. Sometimes I forget about the C-rig or a DD-22 or whatever. We all know that when the fish get bunched up in shallow water, they can be caught pretty consistantly. I need to keep an open mind and change up baits when I'm struggling.

 

[MrWiskers]

You used up all your luck on the first trip. emoPoke

My 0.02 is to change what you are doing and change it often. What I mean about this is if you fish a pattern for an hour with no bites, change the pattern, do the exact opposite. Yesterday on the Riverpark we fished two or three different patterns before we figured out what they wanted. The pattern I finally chose was something I never do and to be honest don't like doing. I think a lot of time we are fishermen want to fish the way we are most comfortable and we try to force the fish to eat. Yesterday the pattern was to drag a tube really SLOOOOOOOW on the bottom. I hate fishing slow and am not very good at it but I made myself fish this way and it work out really well. Now that I have had success with this pattern I will more likely do it again in the future. That is what experience does for you and why the pros are pros, they will do whatever it takes to catch fish and they never give up until they have them figured out.

 

[Buoy-Master]

Thanks Guys. It helps to have support like this

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I talked to flip alittle while ago and thats just it. We're going to have to change gears like crazy to find what they want. I'm not a quitter, thats for sure. Quitters never win! Its just a pain in the buttock to go down there and spend that money and not have a single fish to show for.

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It WILL NOT beat me in the long run. I'll have some good days.

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[flip1up]

Dont fret my friend. We will find some fish on T day. It may take a full tank of gas to do it. The same places yall didnt get bit yesterday may be great today. You fished good places.

 

[venom295pe]

It's feast or famine down there. A couple of years ago I went down there to practice for a tourny and the day before the tournament I had a BIG 0 on the lake. Went out the next and whacked them, me and my partner had 5 that weighed 22.75 and it was a great day unlike the day before. So dont let it bother you to much everyone has those days, Good Luck on your next trip.

 

[Jmax]

All great information, the G can humble the best of people. Keep changing even if you feel they should be somewhere they are not. If I were you I would try.....(better not tell that)...ah...I think you ought to...ah (better not tell that either)...maybe try...no...better keep that to myself.... well now that I think about it, with the tournament coming up...never mind.emoEvil Jmax

 

[Buoy-Master]

Jmax - 2/10/2008 4:48 PM All great information, the G can humble the best of people. Keep changing even if you feel they should be somewhere they are not. If I were you I would try.....(better not tell that)...ah...I think you ought to...ah (better not tell that either)...maybe try...no...better keep that to myself.... well now that I think about it, with the tournament coming up...never mind.emoEvil Jmax

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Well thank you SO MUCH Jim...just rub it on in eh?! Salt to the wounds...knife to the heart...Its just not right I say!</p>

Hey...I found your new avatar... 

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[Bprice]

Billy, will it make you mad that TritonCarl and I had 4 keepers today that weighed 15.5 lbs?  (well i did a good job netting) Don't beat yourself up at all man.  The key to Guntersville I believe is find an area that you have confidence in and fish the crap out of it for a long period of time.  Fish the structure/area from different angles, with different sized baits and colors.  The bites are in bunches and you could fish all day for 40 minutes of biting that can give you 18 lbs.  For instance in Mink I'll fish a boat dock for 3.5 hours that I know always holds fish (ask Coop) and magically one minute the dinner bell will come on and they'll feed.</p>

Flip is exactly right we get to patternized on Guntersville, and don't fish what is comfortable with us.</p>

 

[Buoy-Master]

 by BPrice!

Stop that Brandon!

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Sounds like a decent day...

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[SpurHunter]

BBass - 2/10/2008 6:18 PM

 by BPrice!

Stop that Brandon!

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Sounds like a decent day...

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[Jmax]

BBass - 2/10/2008 5:01 PM

Jmax - 2/10/2008 4:48 PM All great information, the G can humble the best of people. Keep changing even if you feel they should be somewhere they are not. If I were you I would try.....(better not tell that)...ah...I think you ought to...ah (better not tell that either)...maybe try...no...better keep that to myself.... well now that I think about it, with the tournament coming up...never mind.emoEvil Jmax

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Well thank you SO MUCH Jim...just rub it on in eh?! Salt to the wounds...knife to the heart...Its just not right I say!</p>

Hey...I found your new avatar... 

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emoUpsmile If the shoe fits, I will wear it.emoBigsmile Jmax