I’ve got a lot to be thankful for but it looks like I’m going to be stuck taking my brother-in law Jules, who’s known around Lake Guntersville as Santa Claus, fishing over Thanksgiving. Maybe if I’m a good guide Santa will bring me a new Loomis rod for Christmas.

The big news is Crappie fishing improved slightly, especially late in the day. It took a little while to figure out a productive pattern but we wound up having a couple of pretty fair days casting 1/16 oz green curly tails along the riprap. On clear days find a sunny bank lined with riprap and fish SLOW about 8’ deep and you’ll probably catch a crappie or two. These banks are several degrees warmer due to the rocks absorbing the suns rays and heating the water. We stuck with this pattern and actually duplicated it at several sections of the lake with some success. Pay special attention to any openings or points along the riprap. At times the fish stack up in these areas, especially when current or wave action is present. Remember fish SLOW and be prepared for a light bite. To better feel the light strikes you may want to consider using braided line with a fluorocarbon leader on your spinning gear. Six or eight pound line with a matching leader will work. Remember to manually close your bail, it will help eliminate line twist and wind knots.

Generally speaking, the massive lake drawdown has hampered crappie fishing. Even the veteran spider riggers fishing over brush & stake beds are having a tough time of it with spotty results at best. One of the best crappie fishermen I know of, who has a lot of experience on this lake, told me that until the drawdown subsides and lake level gets back to normal crappie fishing will be spotty. Believe me, when he speaks I listen. According to the TVA website it appears that the water levels will stabilize in the next day or two. The better news is good Crappie fishing is right around the corner.

In the past two weeks, with higher than normal water and even with the subsequent drawdown, the bass were reasonably easy to pattern and most everyone caught a lot of fish. Common sense would suggest using the same techniques and lures, right? WRONG! Trying to figure out a productive pattern over the last several days has got me pulling out what hair I have left. We spent several long hours one morning doing what I thought we should have been, for naught, only to find out late in the day we could have caught a bunch casting small curly tail grubs against the bank in secluded coves. We were forced to use crappie jigs and spinning gear because they wouldn’t touch a surface lure or small crank bait. The bass were gorging themselves on shad in water so skinny, at times you could see their backs sticking out of the water as they went after the bait fish. It’s was exciting for us to watch bass smash into a school of baitfish and leave shad flopping on the bank. I know it made the Blue Heron’s real happy too. Bass up to 3 pounds were caught and several times we doubled up so it was a lot of fun. Look for surface action in very shallow water. Long gravel bars or a point close to any feeder creek is a good place to start. Cast all the way to the bank, keep your rod tip up high then use a medium retrieve with the lure ticking the bottom and hold on!. Go figure!

Although we didn’t target Yellow Bass & Stripes specifically, we still caught them in fair numbers casting for crappie. They are very plentiful and some are good size.

For those of you who like to Sauger fish, I can tell you they’re beginning to show up as we fish for other species which tells me that they are plentiful. It looks like we’re going to have some pretty good Sauger fishing shortly.

To sum things up, if you’re flexible and patient, most likely by the end of the day you’ll wind up with a pretty good mess of fish … although it may be a mixed bag.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Bass Wishes!
Randy Kuhens