Rat-L-Trap May Be The Ticket For Bfl Choo Choo Division Anglers On Guntersville
Anglers in the Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division tournament on Lake Guntersville Saturday will need to fish with something that will cause a reaction bite, according to Guntersville guide and BFL angler Capt. Pat Kelly.
“I was just out on the lake and the bite is a little tough right now,” Kelly said. “The water temperature is running 42-43 degrees and it’s hard to find them.”
The fish he did find, he said, were in about 8 feet of water and they were associated with grass.
“The jerkbait bite was not working, but the Rat-L-Trap was so I think the best tactic for the tournament will be the Rat-L-Trap.”
With the water temperature so low, Kelly said the fish are just not interested in a worm or a jig.
“It’s just too cold. But they will take that Rat-L-Trap. You just have to get it right above them, but you have got to find grass to get that bite.”
And finding 8 feet of water is also critical, he said.
“They are not on those flats in 3 to 4 feet of water with deep water nearby like they were last year this time, and the year before that, and the year before that.”
Kelly said the forecast for Saturday is 28 degrees in the morning, rising to 50 degrees during the day – and sunny, which will make fishing a little more difficult.
“There are some big fish to be caught. I caught one the other day over 7 pounds on a Rat-L-Trap up north and I think the north bite will be better than down here,” said Kelly who predicted a winning weight of possibly 20 pounds in spite of the cold weather and tough bite.
With the temperature so cold early in the morning, Kelly said he does not plan to make the run up north of Goose Pond until later in the day.
“I’ve been fishing all week, searching five to six miles from the marina. I am hoping to catch a few there in the morning and then go north,” he said.
Kelly, a former guide on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. guides out of Val Monte Lakeside Resort with pro angler Chris Lane. He can be reached at (256) 738-5264. Lane can be reached at (863) 221-5041 or email: [email protected]. For information on Chris Lane’s Guide Service visit: www.chrislanefishing.com.
The BFL Choo Choo Division tournament on Lake Guntersville will be the first of five tournaments in the division schedule for 2011. Up to 400 boaters and co-anglers are expected to compete for top prizes of $8,000 and $3,000 respectively.
Takeoff and weigh-in will be at Val-Monte Lakeside Resort and Marina located at 7000 Val-Monte Drive in Guntersville, Ala. Takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. while weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m.
FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division
Sat. Feb 12, 2011
Lake Guntersville
Val-Monte Lakeside Resort
