When people around the country think of Alabama bass fishing, many of them picture Lake Guntersville. It is the state’s largest lake, it is famous for big largemouth and its grass beds give the lake its personality. Winter is one of the most talked-about times to fish it. That is when a lipless crankbait ripped through the grass can draw a strike from a heavy bass. This guide explains why that pattern works, where to look and the Guntersville-specific rules you need to know.
Quick facts
- Size: 69,100 acres. It stretches 75 miles from Nickajack Dam in Tennessee to Guntersville Dam and has 949 miles of shoreline (Outdoor Alabama, Tennessee River).
- Operator: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Outdoor Alabama calls it one of TVA’s most stable reservoirs, with only about two feet of difference between winter pool and summer pool.
- Habitat: Milfoil and hydrilla grass beds are its signature cover (Outdoor Alabama, Lake Guntersville).
- Bass size limit: On Guntersville and its tributary Town Creek, it is illegal to keep any largemouth or smallmouth bass under 15 inches (creel and size limits).
- Black bass creel: 10 per day statewide in aggregate, with no more than 5 smallmouth.
- Access: The state says free boat ramps and private marinas are found all around the lake.
Why the grass matters in winter
Outdoor Alabama notes that big bass are commonly caught from Guntersville’s milfoil and hydrilla beds. Grass does several jobs in cold weather. Living grass holds baitfish, gives bass ambush cover and can stay a little more comfortable than open water nearby. Grass lines also give fish an edge to follow as they move between deeper winter areas and the flats they will use in pre-spawn.
The amount and location of grass on Guntersville changes from year to year. A flat that was covered one season may be bare the next. That is why the first job on any winter trip is finding healthy grass, especially grass that is still green. Many experienced anglers say green, living grass holds more fish than brown, dying grass, and it also lets a bait come through more cleanly.
Why a lipless crankbait
A lipless crankbait is a flat-sided, sinking, rattling bait. It may not seem like a cold-water lure, since we usually think of slowing down in winter. But it is a good fit for Guntersville’s grass for a few reasons:
- It covers water. Winter grass can be patchy, and a lipless bait lets you search a big flat quickly.
- It can run just above the grass. Because it sinks, you can control the depth with your retrieve speed and rod angle so it ticks the top of submerged grass.
- The “rip” draws reaction strikes. When the bait gets hung in grass, a sharp snap of the rod tears it free. That sudden change in speed often triggers a strike from a fish that would ignore a steady retrieve.
How to fish it
- Count it down until it touches the grass, then start your retrieve.
- Feel for the grass. When the bait loads up, rip it free with a short, firm snap and keep reeling. Be ready, because bites often come right after the rip.
- Try a yo-yo retrieve in colder water. Lift the bait, let it fall back to the grass on a semi-slack line and repeat. Many bites come on the fall.
- Clean the hooks. If you are dragging up a wad of grass on every cast, go to a lighter bait, hold your rod tip higher or look for thinner grass.
Gear in general terms
Most anglers throw lipless baits on a medium-heavy casting rod with a moderate action, which helps keep fish pinned on treble hooks. A reel with a moderate to fast gear ratio works well. Fluorocarbon line in the mid-weight range sinks and cuts through grass well, and braid is a common choice when the grass is thick. For colors, red and crawfish shades are traditional cold-water picks. Shad colors fit clearer water. We’ll cover specific baits in a future gear review.
Where to look
We aren’t going to send you to a “secret spot.” Guntersville is huge, and the right area changes every season. These are the kinds of places to search with your electronics and a lipless bait:
- Grass flats next to deeper water, such as a creek channel or the main river channel, where bass can move up and down without traveling far.
- Grass in protected creeks and pockets on cold, windy days. Outdoor Alabama lists the lake’s tributaries as Big Coon, Brown, Coon, Crow, Long Island, Mud, North Sauty, South Sauty, Scarham, Short and Town creeks.
- The edges of grass beds, including the outside edge where the grass drops off and any inside edges or open lanes.
- Areas with some color and bait. Bass may stay shallower and feed more readily on a slightly stained flat with shad on it than on a gin-clear one.
A good habit is to note the water temperature in each area you try. On a cold morning, a degree or two can make a big difference. The warmer, protected pockets often turn on first after a run of mild weather.
Reading the lake before you go
Guntersville doesn’t have the deep fall drawdown that some Alabama Power lakes do. Even so, TVA’s generation schedule affects current at the dam and on the river. TVA posts observed and predicted levels and release schedules on its Guntersville lake levels page, and it warns that schedules can change without notice. Moving water often positions bass on the down-current side of grass points and humps, so it is worth checking before you launch.
Cold fronts are the other big factor. A sunny, bluebird day after a hard front can shut down a reaction bite. On those days, slow down. Fish the same grass edges more thoroughly, or switch to a slower bait such as a jig. Our guide to how to read lake level and dam generation schedules explains how to check TVA releases before a trip.
Rules and etiquette
- 15-inch minimum for largemouth and smallmouth bass on Guntersville and Town Creek. Measure total length with the mouth closed and the tail pinched.
- Licenses: Residents 16 to 64 and nonresidents 16 and older need an Alabama fishing license. See our license guide.
- Give other anglers room. Winter weekends can bring a lot of tournament traffic. Don’t crowd a boat working a grass line.
- Clean your boat and trailer. Remove grass from your trailer and gear before leaving the ramp so you don’t move plants to other lakes.
- Statewide limits and other lake exceptions are on our Alabama freshwater creel and size limits cheat sheet.
Make a winter trip of it
Lake Guntersville State Park is on the lake, and its Town Creek Fishing Center rents boats and kayaks and sells bait and ethanol-free fuel. Check the park’s fishing page for current details. Outdoor Alabama also notes that winter eagle watching centers on the state park and the dam, and that sauger run upstream in winter and early spring. Anglers catch them at bridge crossings and below Guntersville Dam. Sauger have their own 15-inch minimum and a 5-fish creel limit statewide.
If you only have one winter trip in you this year, Guntersville is a great choice. Find green grass, rip a lipless crankbait through it and measure carefully before anything goes in the livewell. For winter smallmouth farther down the Tennessee River, see our Pickwick Lake winter smallmouth guide.