Many of those huge, largemouth bass have been taken during the Spring months of March, April and May. Some exceeding that almost, seemingly magical weight of “ten pounds” taken during other seasons as well. But it never seems to amaze me at each and every big bass we successfully fool into biting our fake offerings (we never use live bait), how really hard we must work at it, to be so well rewarded with that bass of a lifetime.

Whether it is a “trophy-sized bass of a lifetime”, or several “big bass” taken in a days time, or even a day of catching “just numbers” of smaller bass, nowadays they just don’t come easy. Often, we may start our day with high expectations casting hundreds of times, changing lures every few minutes, experimenting with various reels, rods, line sizes and all types of lures and various color schemes (only Picasso would only dream up), with our little fake offerings. Only to be severely disappointed. Then.

Later in the morning we run into that “feeding frenzy,” a big school of big bass. Its 4-5 pounders on every cast, then suddenly an 8 pounder or even bigger, a ten pounder, that quickly brightens our day. We take lots of pictures and release all those big, largemouth bass. ” To live and fight another day and give glory to another angler,” as it battles once again in search of its freedom…given only by you.

As the title of this lake report says, “a half dozen bass all weighing 8 pounds or better up to 11 pounds” in three recent trips to Guntersville Lake.

* EARLIER IN THE YEAR WE HAD A 9 & 10 POUND LARGEMOUTH BASS AND A 7 POUNDER, A 5 POUNDER AND 4 POUNDER. “5 BASS WEIGHING 35 POUNDS”

You may have seen the caption and pictures all over the Internet or read about it in my fishing reports. It was cold, water temps 43 degrees / air temps high 48 degrees, and we were the only anglers catching bass this size. A very good day by any anglers standards fishing jig combos and 10 inch worms along shallow to deep river channel drop-offs.

Then the big bass moved into shallow water for spring spawn.

* FIRST WEEK OF MARCH A TWO-DAY GUIDED TRIP – On  one particular guided two-day trip on March 2&3 four corporate anglers from St. Peters Missouri came to Alabama to relax and fish with Reeds Guide Service for two rather cool days. They brought a boat and two were going to fish with me, while the other two anglers followed behind in their boat. But the new boat had a problem, it had no key!

They spent all day looking for someone to make a Triton Boat Key and ended up going to Weiss lake to get one made.

Well, the other two anglers fished with me on Wednesday while all this took place. We had a rather slow, bright, sunny high pressure day, (at least that’s what I blamed it on!), but we still managed to fool about a dozen nice bass, including a nice pair of 6 pounders, mostly taken on spinnerbaits, shallow diving crankbaits and lipless lures.

But Thursday the next day, the other two anglers that had missed a day of fishing while looking for a key master, decided to fish with me and they gave the boat (now with a nice shiny new key) to the anglers that had fished with me Wednesday. We were fishing the mid-to-lower lake. But due to a hot tip provided by an angler fishing the recent FLW Outdoors tournament they decided to head far up the lake. Well, they ended up catching zero.

Meanwhile while they were 30 miles up the lake, we were loading the boat! In some places where we had zeroed on the day before! To make up for their lost day of fishing they caught what they came for. A nice pair of 9 pounders! Including several 4-6 pounders, and a 7 pounder. Five bass weighing about 38 pounds…easily. In all, over 60 pounds of bass to show their friends, that later joined us sadly, empty-handed.

We took lots of pictures all now on my website www.fishingalabama.com or posted with this report, if allowed.

You will see 4 very happy  guys (one with a bright orange shirt that looks like Jimmy Houston!), holding 8 bass including the two 9 pounders all weighing over 60 pounds. In all, that two day trip yielded over 40 bass!

* SUNDAY – TUESDAY, MARCH 13-15 / THE LAST DAY OF A THREE DAY GUIDED TRIP – Two anglers, a nice couple from Papillion, Nebraska left a snow-blanketed home to come to Alabama for their annual, springtime three day fishing trip. WHAT THEY SAW WHEN THEY ARRIVED DID NOT LOOK ALL THAT GOOD FOR FISHING!

They were scheduled to fish Logan Martin Lake with me. A lake that rose over 6 feet due to recent floods this past week. With the lake suddenly a few feet over full pool, I knew the very spread-out bass, would be difficult to locate. So we fished Lay lake, situated on the now flooded Coosa River System right below Logan Martin lake and we did managed to fool some bass up to 4 pounds, in Lay’s then flooded weedy waters.

Mostly caught on Zoom’s trick worms, Flukes and spinnerbaits. His name was Reid and her’s Carrie.

On the next two days of this three day trip on Monday and Tuesday, we decided to fish Guntersville Lake and Carrie is now very glad that she did…

On Monday as usual, the bass were hitting lipless lures so we stuck with it, hitting several shallow weedy locations in a days time. We were rewarded with some nice 5-6 pounders and about a dozen other good keepers. I had provided the lures and rods but they went tackle shopping on their own that night.

Tuesday, the last day of this three day vacation for a now rather tired and weary couple as they met me the boat dock. Now rigged and ready we once again set out looking for that trophy bass of lifetime. We immediately got into a school of 3-5 pounders and once again the lipless lures came through for that big bass bite. Two nice 4-5 pounders by mid day and then a slow period.

We took a small break snacking and drinking, and still casting our lures. I just watched and waited, hoping the inevitable would occur. With only about two hours to go before quitting time, maybe just one more big bass would complete their trip to Alabama. Including their lipless lures and the box of lures I gave them, they must have tied and re-tied on at least a dozen lipless lure choices.

Until at last, one particular Strike King model lipless lure produced “the bass of lifetime.” A lure I had added my special paint job to, adding a red gill plate. It had a gray back, a yellow stripe down its side and a white belly. Carrie fished it on 14 pound test line.

The line screamed, the rod was bowed over, and the big bass was going crazy, all taking place in water of about two feet deep. But the huge bass wore down fast and as it came along side the boat I knew it was bigger than anything we have seen all year. “Easily over 10 pounds”, I thought. It was! An 11 pounder and Carrie took pictures of it, I took pictures of it and then we let it go along with several other bass…to live, lay their eggs, and fight another day, giving another angler a thrill of a lifetime!

So it was added to some of this year’s big bass list. Dozens of 4-6 pounders, a few 7 pounders, an 8 pounder, three 9 pounders, a ten pounder and now, an 11 pounder! What holds next? With Guntersville Lake…you never know!

* ALWAYS CALL ON REEDS GUIDE SERVICE …FIRST! WHY? FOR BIG BASS, THAT’S WHY! MAYBE YOURS WILL BE NEXT! Book your trip now to Alabama’s “big bass factory” Guntersville Lake. In April, May and even June it only gets better! Call (205) 663-1504 or e-mail me at; [email protected] for more info and rates.

* BIG BASS PICTURES ON FOX 6 TELEVISION – Not all websites this recieve this lake report posts my pictures. But they can be seen on my website at www.fishingalabama.com or on TV in Birmingham and throughout all of Alabama!

Also, you can see these pictures and other Big Bass pictures from recent guided trips in my next appearance on WBRC’s Fox 6 morning show, ” Good Day Alabama .” My next appearance is on Tuesday, March 29 (I’m on every last Tuesday of the month for over 6 years) on at 8 a.m. or just a few minutes after.

Call in with your fishing questions on my, “Ask the Angler” question and answer segment on Fox 6!

That’s all for now, until next time…Good Fishin’!

Thanks, Reed

Reed Montgomery / Outdoor Writer

Owner / Reeds Guide Service
Alabaster, Alabama (205) 663-1504
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.fishingalabama.com
” Over 40 Years Guiding, Fishing and Exploring Every Lake in Alabama For Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and Striped Bass ”

Always Call on Reeds Guide Service…first!

Alabama’s Oldest Professional, Freshwater Fishing Guide Service!