Red Hot Guntersville

I just realized I never reported back about this week's fishing at Lake Guntersville. I posted a few photos on Instagram (jeffsamsel) and on my Jeff Samsel Fishing Facebook page, but not here, where I promised a report.

In short, Guntersville is rocking right now. Jimmy Mason and I spent two days working out of the Waterfront Bay area of Guntersville. I say "working two days" because Day 2 was mostly spent shooting photos. Even on the first day, when I'd guess we landed 35 or 40 bass and could have weighed and easy 20 pounds, we probably spent a combined three hours doing photo work. My job is to shoot photos and gather content, and Jimmy is a guide and a pro staffer for the company I work for, so we really were working. It was just fun work!

Yumbrella rigs were the main deal. Specifically we were throwing Flash Mob Juniors rigged with YUM Pulse and Money Minnow swimbaits, focusing on ditches and sunken islands and other structures along the main Tennessee River channels, usually over eelgrass.

As a plus, we also caught a few big, pot-bellied spotted bass, which are a major bonus at Guntersville. Largemouths were the main attraction, though, and we caught a bunch of them, including a few 5-pound-plus fish. Big, big fun!

Guntersville Calling

When Jimmy Mason sends word that the bass are biting at Guntersville and suggests we get together to do some story and photo work, I don't need any convincing. Not long ago, Jimmy sent such a report, and plans are now set for us to fish together next Monday and Tuesday.

A 69,100-acre impoundment of the Tennessee River, Lake Guntersville is one of the nation's most renowned fishing destinations and somewhere most bass fishermen like to visit anytime they get the opportunity. Bluff lined and famous for expansive grass flats, Guntersville is a fish factory, and one of those places that holds and extra charm because as you fish there, you know that any bass that takes your lure could turn out to be a genuine giant.

Early winter tends to be a good time at Guntersville because the fish get congregated, and you can catch them quite a few different ways. I suspect we'll spend some time slinging YUMbrella Rigs, which means it's possible that I'll get to catch more than one bass in a cast, which is always fun. Jimmy also mentioned that the jerkbait bite has been good. By my way of thinking, few things in bass fishing that are more exciting than pausing a Rogue presentation and having a bass suddenly knock the slack from the line and nearly take away the rod.

The forecast calls for stable weather early next week, and we should be fishing just ahead of a winter system. There's not saying for certain what will really happen, but those definitely are promising conditions. I'll find out in a little less than 100 hours (not that I'm counting it down, or anything like that!)

Work & Play

A mixed day of work and play included everything from catching bass on YUMbrella Rigs to shooting docks for crappie and was capped off with a great photo session with Patrick Bone and Matt Lee. Just before the sun dipped below the treeline, when everything was glowing, I asked Matt to move a cast's distance away to make a few casts for photos. Matt took it a step further and almost immediately hooked a bass, providing live action for photos.

Something significant about the afternoon photo opportunity was that the sun was out at all. We hadn't seen much of the sun for a couple of days.

More of the same on tap for tomorrow, beginning with a morning of fishing and photo work with Alton Jones. And the sun is supposed to shine again. Good thing, because word is that the morning will begin really cold.