MID APRIL 2026 ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE

Our Lake Guntersville fishing reports are based on current lake conditions, recent guide trips, and real time feedback from our team on the water. Each update is designed to reflect what is happening right now with bass movement, water temperatures, seasonal transitions, and active feeding patterns across Lake Guntersville. Because conditions can change quickly, these reports are meant to give anglers an honest and timely look at the fishery along with insight into what may be developing next.

Mid April on Lake Guntersville has been busy from daylight to dark for the team at Guntersville Bass Guides. Morning 8 hour trips have been rolling right into 4 hour and 6 hour afternoon trips, and the overall theme has been steady fishing instead of one giant dramatic move.

There is still a lot of spawning activity going on, but it has not looked like one giant wave pushing all at once. It has been more of a daily trickle of fish continuing to move in, set up where they want to be, and act predictable enough that the right areas keep producing. That does not mean it has been easy in a one cast fixes everything kind of way. It means the fish are setting up in the kinds of places they should be, and the team has had to cover water with purpose while still fishing slow enough to trigger bites.

That has really been the key. The fish are not scattered in a random useless way. They are consolidating for the most part, and that is why the lake has stayed dependable. Anglers who are willing to fish clean, stay in the right zones, and keep moving until they intersect the next group are still getting rewarded.

The Lake Guntersville water temperature has told a lot of the story this week. The lake has been warm enough to keep fish moving through all three phases at once, and the team has been watching that closely because it explains why one stretch can feel locked in while another feels like it is just about to go. There was a brief signal of a shad spawn starting to show, then it backed off. The shad are still spawning, but right now it feels more like the bass have not fully keyed in on it yet.

That is the waiting game at the moment, and it is an important one. Because the second those bass really start lining up with that shad spawn, it can turn into some of the fastest and most fun fishing of the spring. That window can show up quickly, get very good in a hurry, and not last forever.

The team also handled two separate multi boat corporate events this week while continuing to stay busy on individual bass and crappie trips. That matters because it shows exactly what this company is built for. Whether it is one boat, multiple boats, a morning trip, an afternoon trip, a family day, a corporate group, or a targeted seasonal trip, the team has stayed on the water and kept producing.

GUIDE HIGHLIGHTS

This was a full week for the entire team, and that kind of volume matters on Lake Guntersville. When guides are on the water every day, morning and afternoon, patterns show themselves faster. What is improving becomes obvious faster. What is fading becomes obvious faster. And right now the biggest thing showing itself is that the lake is building toward the next real feeding window instead of backing away from it.

Bass fishing has remained steady. Not flashy, not fake hot, and not the kind of bite where one lucky cast makes the whole day. It has been a more methodical deal than that. Fish are where they should be. They are catchable. They are just not fully turned loose yet. That is often the stage right before things get a lot more fun.

Crappie trips have also continued to produce, and that side of the business has added another strong layer to what has already been a packed spring schedule for the company.

We had over 100 pictures from this week’s trips, and there is just no way to fit them all into this report. To see more recent catches, more client photos, and more of what the team has been doing across Lake Guntersville, check out our 2026 fishing pictures.

CAPT. DEREK REMITZ KEPT THINGS MOVING

Capt. Derek Remitz stayed right in the middle of this mid April push and kept clients around the kind of fish Lake Guntersville is known for. This has not been the kind of week where anglers can just pull up, make one perfect cast, and let the lake do the rest. This has been more of a positioning and water coverage deal, and Derek has continued doing what he does best by keeping trips around the right areas and letting steady opportunities build through the day.

That is really what this stretch has called for. Fishing fast enough to locate the next group, but slow enough to actually capitalize once the fish show themselves. Derek’s part of the report is less about hype and more about staying efficient around productive water while the lake keeps building toward a stronger phase.

He continues to be a strong reminder that Lake Guntersville does not have to be wide open to be worth fishing. It just has to keep giving enough clues, and right now Derek has been making the most of them.

CAPT. MYLES MURRAY STAYED BUSY ON THE SPRING BITE

Capt. Myles Murray’s week really showed the numbers side of this deal. Not in a fake inflated way, but in the kind of way that tells you there are enough fish doing enough right things to keep anglers engaged throughout the day.

His trips looked a lot like the best version of where the lake is sitting right now. Some movement, some consistency, some fish that are where they should be, and enough action to keep optimism high without pretending the whole lake has gone into overdrive.

That is a good place to be in mid April. Myles has stayed in rhythm with it, and his catches fit that reliable spring theme the company has seen across the board this week.

CAPT. SCOTT JERNIGAN STAYED VERSATILE ON BASS AND CRAPPIE

Capt. Scott Jernigan had one of the more well rounded weeks on the board. On the bass side, he continued to stay on fish while conditions kept shifting a little each day. That kind of adaptability matters on Lake Guntersville this time of year because the lake is still changing by the day even when the bigger picture stays positive.

Scott also had a standout crappie trip this week that meant a lot to everybody involved. It was one of those trips that went beyond just catching a limit, even though they did exactly that. The group flat out got after them, and it was a reminder of how special time on the water can be when good people get to enjoy a day doing what they love. Guntersville Bass Guides was honored to be part of that trip, and it is one the team will remember for a long time.

That is what made Scott’s week different. It was not just about one lane or one bite. It was about showing how broad the service really is when the right people are on the water and the trip is handled the right way.

CAPT. PHILLIP CRISS KEPT PRODUCING

Capt. Phillip Criss had the kind of week that matches his reputation well. Quietly productive, clean, and built more around quality than noise. His fish showed up in the kind of places they should be showing up right now, and that gave his trips a very solid mid April look.

Some guides stand out through versatility. Some stand out through numbers. Phillip’s section this week leans more into steady quality and the kind of catches that keep anglers locked in because they know the next one could matter.

That balance is part of why this company has been so busy. Every guide does not need the exact same story. Phillip’s week added another strong piece to the overall picture.

CAPT. JIM KEPT THE PATTERN HONEST

Capt. Jim’s trips fit the overall tone of the week perfectly. Productive fishing, fish doing what they should be doing for mid April, and enough consistency to know the lake is healthy without pretending it has fully cracked wide open just yet.

That is one of the biggest takeaways from this report. The fish are there. They are moving through the right phases. They are setting up in the right kinds of places. They just still feel like they are building toward that next stronger feeding stretch. That makes this a very honest pattern right now, and that is exactly how the team has been fishing it.

One of the cooler moments from Capt. Jim’s week was helping one angler land a personal best. Those are the kinds of fish and the kinds of memories that keep people coming back to Lake Guntersville year after year.

WHAT THE TEAM IS SEEING RIGHT NOW

The best way to describe Lake Guntersville right now is that it feels close. Close to a stronger shad spawn deal. Close to more fish finishing up. Close to more bass making that turn from just being around to really feeding with purpose.

There was a cold front Saturday night, so as this report goes live on Sunday the air is cooler again. That does not change the overall direction of what the lake is doing. It just means there may be a short reset before things resume building. This time of year, a brief cool shot can slow the mood down for a minute, but it usually does not erase what was already in motion.

In fact, this is one of those periods where patience matters because the next meaningful change could happen any day. If the bass start fully keying on that shad spawn, the tone of this report will look a lot different in a hurry.

That is why the team is paying such close attention to the water temperatures, daily movement, and how the morning windows are shaping up. Spring on Lake Guntersville can go from steady to explosive fast when all the moving parts finally line up.

FISHING FORECAST

The fishing forecast heading into this next stretch is encouraging. Not because the lake is already at its peak, but because it feels like it is sitting right on the edge of a better window.

The biggest thing to watch is the shad spawn. It showed itself briefly, then backed off, but it has not gone away. The shad are still doing what they are supposed to do. The question is when the bass fully commit to it. Once they do, it can become one of the fastest, most exciting, and most productive bites of the year.

That window is never guaranteed to last long. It can be incredible, but it can also be short. That is why anglers who want in on Lake Guntersville shad spawn fishing trips really do need to move before it is obvious to everybody else.

Add in the fact that fish are still moving through the spawn and into the early post spawn phase, and there is a real chance the next several days start showing more of the feeding behavior everybody has been waiting on. If it happens the way it can, this next run could be one of the most fun periods of the spring.