Temperatures in the high teens greeted anglers this morning in the Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. Central Division event on Lake Guntersville. The tournament start was delayed one day due to weather, so anglers will now be on the water Wednesday through Friday.
Hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Central Division is presented by Neat Companies and the event is presented by Googan Baits. Anglers are casting for a top prize of up to $65,000, plus an additional $35,000 bonus if the winner is a qualified Phoenix Boat owner.
Despite the contrary weather, there are 234 pros and Strike King co-anglers in the tournament, making it the biggest Central Division kickoff in MLF history.
About the Fishery
One of the most famous lakes on the Tennessee River, Lake Guntersville is located in north Alabama between Bridgeport and Guntersville. It is Alabama’s largest lake, stretching 75 miles long and covering 69,100 acres.
There are some hot upstart lakes across the country, but for decades Guntersville has been considered one of the best bass lakes in the country.
However, the lake has evolved over the years and most anglers say it is a very different fishery now than it was ten years ago. The biggest change has been the proliferation of eelgrass in the lake, choking out or replacing the massive milfoil beds the lake was once known for.
“The eelgrass has changed things a lot,” says Adam Wagner of Cookeville, Tenn. “There is a lot more on the surface. It makes it harder to fish and get your bait through.”
“Fish have adapted to [the eelgrass] better than the fishermen have,” says Bass Pro Tour pro Gary Klein. “Guntersville does fish very different from the way it used to.”
Current Conditions
Many anglers say that the lake is fishing tough right now.
“I’m not that excited about what I found last weekend,” says Kevin Drake of Cleveland, Tenn., who is a relative newcomer on the Toyota Series circuit. “The lake has changed a lot. The only thing I can figure is the fish are all in the grass.”
Brent Butler agrees, saying he is finding relatively few fish deep.
“The few deep fish are on community holes,” he says. “It’s going to be ‘take a number.’
“I’m going to start out fishing 10 to 12 feet over old leftover vegetation. But I’m going to keep an open mind. With these changing conditions you’ve got to be prepared to go to Plan B, C, D or even E.”
Tactics in Play
Most anglers agree the bites they’ve been getting have been relatively shallow. But everyone wonders what Tuesday’s extreme cold (lows in the teens and highs in the 20s) might do to that bite.
“For me the bite has been shallow,” says Wagner. “I just don’t know if it will hold in the cold, but for now, I’m going to stick with my game plan.”
Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler Jacob Wall of New Hope, Alabama considers Guntersville his home lake.
“I figure anglers will be fishing in 10 feet of water or less and most of the field will be fishing a lipless crankbait like a Rat-L-Trap,” says Wall. ” A ChatterBait will probably come into play and a jerkbait could also definitely be a player.”
Drake fished just one Toyota Series event last year, but he’s ready to rock for a full season this time.
“I plan on fishing three in this year’s series,” he says. “I’m excited about it. But I’m not excited about this first one because of the weather. I think it’s going to be a very tough three days of fishing. I’m just going to catch what I can and bring them to the scales.”
Critical Factors
- Extreme cold – Temperatures have been well below freezing for about 36 hours prior to today’s takeoff. North Alabama doesn’t see a lot of extended below-freezing temperatures, so how fish react is definitely an unknown.
- More dramatic weather – Temperatures are expected to climb into the 40’s most of today and Thursday, with the potential for considerable rain anticipated overnight Thursday into Friday morning. It will be a near-polar opposite to today’s blastoff conditions. On Friday, the top 10 will once again face chilly, post-frontal conditions.
Dock Talk
There are some heavy hitters on Guntersville this week such as Butler, Mark Rose, Seth Davis, Dean Rojas and Klein.
Klein, however, says these tournaments play perfectly into the hands of newcomers.
“Competitive angling is growing and is over the top,” said Klein. “There is more information available to anglers now than any time in the history of our sport. This means we have a very talented local base of fishermen. Dark horses abound … these are the guys who hammer the lake and do really good.”
From a weight perspective, Klein expects the fishing to be good, but not historic as some prespawn Guntersville events have been.
“If I can catch 16 to 18 pounds a day, I have a shot at the Top 10,” says Klein.
Wall agrees, pegging 63 to 64 pounds as the winning weight.
Whatever happens, it’s almost certainly going to be a unique event – it’s almost never been this cold for a major tournament on Guntersville.