August 23 Fishing Report: Lake Guntersville Bass Start Chasing Bait
The August heat is still hanging over Lake Guntersville, and the fishing is hanging right in there with it.
Guntersville bass have always had a funny relationship with extreme temperatures. This lake can surprise you when summer gets brutally hot, just like it can surprise you during the coldest stretches of winter. Right now, the heat certainly has not convinced the bass to quit eating.
The bigger story this week is that the fish changed how they wanted to eat. The presentation that had been carrying most of the load recently lost some of its edge, while more bass started chasing bait.
That adjustment opened the door to a more active style of fishing. The numbers have stayed steady, the feeding periods are lasting longer than they were a few weeks ago, and covering water with reaction-style presentations has become a bigger part of the program.
The Fish Changed The Program On Us
A good summer pattern never stays frozen in place forever, and this week Lake Guntersville reminded us of that.
The technique that had been our strongest producer started slipping. Instead of trying to force yesterday’s deal to keep working, we followed what the bass were showing us.
More bait started getting chased, and the fish gave us permission to speed things up and fish a little more aggressively.
That has made the fishing especially enjoyable. Instead of leaning heavily on one specific presentation, we have been able to cover water, watch for feeding activity and take advantage when a group of bass starts moving.
Do Not Marry Yesterday’s Bite
One of the easiest ways to get behind on Guntersville is to keep forcing something simply because it worked last week. The fish changed, so we changed with them. That is what kept the week productive.
The Feeding Windows Are Lasting Longer
There are still definite feeding windows. That part has not disappeared.
What has improved is how long those windows are lasting.
Earlier this summer, getting around a group of active bass could feel like a race against the clock. You might have a short burst where everything was happening, and then almost as quickly as it started, the group would settle back down.
This week we have been getting more time once the fish begin feeding. That lets us stay with a productive group longer and gives everybody in the boat more chances to capitalize while those bass are active.
That Two-Fish Picture Has A Story
The fish were biting well enough that Capt. Jim was having a time getting the first bass unhooked. He told Zach to grab another rod and throw right back in there while he dealt with it. Zach did exactly that, caught another one, and wound up holding both fish for the picture. That is the kind of feeding window we mean.
Zach And Nina Are Back — We Promise They Are Not On The Payroll
At this point, y’all are probably starting to think Zach and Nina work for Guntersville Bass Guides™.
They do not.
They just genuinely cannot get enough of this lake, and they were back again this weekend adding another pile of fish pictures to an already impressive collection.
As always, it was a great time with them. The fish cooperated, the laughs kept coming and they were already talking about their next trip down before this one was over.
The One That Got Away — And This One Was A Giant
We feel for Nina on this one. She hooked an absolute Lake Guntersville giant. We are not going to pretend we can put an official weight on a fish that never made it into the boat, but everybody who saw it was comfortable saying it was north of 8 pounds.
It was a fish of a lifetime, and unfortunately this time the bass won.
The way the bite happened might have been the coolest part of the story.
Nina had been fishing the faster stuff and finally decided she was tired. She wanted to slow down, picked up a slower presentation and made a cast.
First cast.
Giant.
Her instinct was dead on. She made the adjustment herself and immediately hooked the biggest fish anybody in the boat saw all weekend.
Losing a fish like that can ruin somebody’s day if they let it. Nina did not. She shrugged it off and kept fishing.
Zach and Capt. Jim may have kept talking about it a little longer than she did, but Nina’s attitude was basically that she was not going to let one lost fish bother her.
That makes her a pretty good sport, because an 8-pound-plus Guntersville bass getting away is not an easy one to forget.
There Is A Fishing Lesson In That Story
The more aggressive bite was the bigger tactical story this week, but Nina proved why you never completely abandon another presentation. She felt like it was time to slow down, trusted that instinct and immediately connected with a true giant.
Davey Makes His Way Back — And Capt. Phillip Puts Him On A 6-2
Capt. Phillip also got to welcome back Davey, a longtime Guntersville Bass Guides™ client who finally made his way back down to fish with us.
Davey did not come back just to visit.
He is already a very capable fisherman, and pairing a good angler with Capt. Phillip around the right fish can make for a pretty productive combination.
They caught them, and Davey put the exclamation point on the trip with a 6-pound, 2-ounce Lake Guntersville largemouth.
Davey’s brother-in-law was along for the trip too and got in on the action, including another one of the oversized catfish that somehow keep finding their way into Capt. Phillip’s boat.
Are We Sure Phillip Is Still A Bass Guide?
We are joking, but Capt. Phillip has been averaging about one big catfish a trip lately. He is still a bass guide — apparently the catfish just have not gotten the memo.
What Is Getting Bit Right Now
This week’s lure list looks noticeably different because the bass started showing more interest in bait they could chase.
That does not mean one lure catches every fish or every section of the lake fishes the same. It means the overall mood has shifted enough that reaction-style presentations deserve much more attention than they did recently.
Small Swimbait
A little swimmer has been one of the better ways to match the bait-chasing mood. It gives us a natural presentation while still allowing us to keep moving and search for active bass.
ChatterBait
The ChatterBait has moved back up the list as fish have become more willing to react. It is another good option when you want to cover water and trigger a bass that is already looking to chase.
Traps
Lipless crankbaits are back in the conversation. They let us work efficiently through productive water and fit well with the more aggressive feeding behavior we have been seeing.
Topwater
Topwater has produced some of the most entertaining bites of the week. The key is getting a clean cast when the grass and conditions give you enough room to work the bait properly.
Slower Presentations
Do not put the slower rods away completely. Nina’s very first cast after deciding to slow down resulted in a bass estimated north of 8 pounds being hooked. That is a convincing reminder to keep options available.
Follow The Bait
The common thread is bait activity. When the bass begin moving with it and feeding around it, that is the time to take advantage instead of fishing the same speed all day.
The Biggest Change From Last Week
The best technique changed. That matters more than simply adding another lure to the list. The anglers who recognize when the fish have switched gears and adjust with them are going to have a much better time right now.
This Style Of Fishing Is Just Fun
We can analyze feeding windows, bait movement, presentation changes and every other part of the puzzle.
But sometimes there is a simpler way to describe what is happening.
“This kind of fishing is just fun. When we can pick up moving baits, cover water, watch fish chase bait and have those feeding windows stick around long enough to really take advantage of them, everybody in the boat stays involved. The heat is up, but the bass are still giving us plenty to work with.”
— Capt. Jim LearyThe current pattern gives anglers multiple ways to get bites, enough activity to stay engaged and some legitimate big-fish opportunities mixed into the day.
Between Davey’s 6-2, Nina hooking a fish estimated north of 8 pounds, doubles and longer periods of active feeding, there has been plenty happening on Guntersville.
One Lake, Five Guides, A Lot Of Information
A week when the best technique suddenly changes is exactly when having multiple guides on Lake Guntersville becomes valuable.
Capt. Jim, Capt. Myles, Capt. Scott, Capt. Phillip and Capt. Derek are not locked into one identical program. Different boats see different sections of the lake, different groups of fish and sometimes different reactions to the same conditions.
When that information comes together, it becomes much easier to recognize a real change instead of mistaking one good or bad stop for the entire lake.
Going Into The Final Week Of August
Lake Guntersville is sitting squarely in late summer, and the fishing continues to stay good despite the heat.
The biggest development this week was not a drop in numbers. It was a change in behavior. Bass started chasing bait more, our best technique shifted, and a more aggressive style of fishing became a bigger part of the program.
Feeding windows are still important, but they are lasting longer. That has given us more time to take advantage once a group starts eating instead of feeling like every opportunity disappears almost as quickly as it arrives.
Zach and Nina returned again, caught plenty of fish and added one painful giant-fish story to the collection. Davey came back to fish with Capt. Phillip and put a 6-pound, 2-ounce largemouth in the boat, while his brother-in-law joined in on both the bass and Phillip’s apparently unavoidable catfish program.
The weather is hot. The fish are active. There are several enjoyable ways to catch them.
Right now, Lake Guntersville is simply fun to fish.
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