Some friends and myself fish Guntersville every year the first or second week of April. I'm looking for some suggestions as to how to approach the fishing when the inevitable cold front comes through. Thanks in advance for any help!
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Some friends and myself fish Guntersville every year the first or second week of April. I'm looking for some suggestions as to how to approach the fishing when the inevitable cold front comes through. Thanks in advance for any help!
I use a Yum Dinger rigged weightless on a 5/0 G-Lock EWG hook and 15# P-line or a 10" ribbontail worm with the same hook but a 1/8 oz pegged sinker. I fish them SLOWLY along the outer edges of weedlines in 8-14 feet of water.
Thanks Shadlips! We will definitely give that a try. I've used the Yum Dinger a couple of times in the past but just haven't been patient enough with it.
What's your opinion on carolina rigging vs. texas rigging at Guntersville. In the past we have done a lot of C-rigging in the area around Goose Pond. Sometimes it's been really successful and sometime's not. Last year was one of those times when we just weren't having any luck with C-rigging, so we switched to Texas rigging with 1/8 or 3/16 sinkers and really caught some fish. Would you say that's generally true for April or does it just depend on the mood of the fish?
I fish a C-rig mainly during the warmer months (late May - September) when the bigger fish move to deeper water. I've always had problems detecting light strikes while dragging a C-rig through weeds in the spring. After they finish with their post spawn "feedbag" they usually retreat to stumpy flats and humps just off the weed beds and a C- rig will load the boat.
In the spawn and post-spawn periods while the fish are relatively shallow, I like to fish the lightest weight possible on a 10" worm. A SLOW presentation is the key!! Look at the map and find weed flats and points that drop off quickly to deep water and fish it slowly if you're looking for 4-7 pound fish. I let the worm sink on a slack line and always watch my line for a strike. 1/8 oz is my all round favorite size, but sometimes you can't get bit unless you use a 1/16 oz sinker. I only use a 3/16 oz sinker for water over 18 feet deep (which I rarely fish) or on windy days when a double willow spinnerbait or 'trap won't produce for me.
Thanks for all the info. ShadLips. We'll put it to good use here in about 3 months. All I can think about is Guntersville when it's a day like today (36 degrees and raining here in Southeast KY).