ONE THOUSAND BASS IN ONE MONTH!
(ACTUALLY, THIRTEEN LAKES IN THIRTY DAYS!)
by Reed Montgomery

Yeah, I thought that, "1000 Bass in One Month" Fishing Report Caption, would get your angling attention! 

That's about as ridiculous as some of the recent Guntersville Lake Reports claiming "100 bass a day." Reports you hear or read about, that are, just as well...unbelievable.

Still, I would estimate that I have boated or seen at least 1000 bass (so, who's counting?) in the past month ! Incredable! But this took me, my truck and my boat, traveling thousands of miles and guiding on 13 of Alabama's lakes (some lakes several times) in the last 30 days, to produce such an astounding number of bass, to even lay claim to such a feat.

From the Tennessee River Lakes, Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick lakes. To the six Coosa River Lakes; Weiss, Neely Henry, Logan Martin, Lay, Mitchell and Jordan lakes. To the Tallapoosa River Impoundment's; Lake Wedowee and Lake Martin. Then, all the way south to the Chattahoochee Impoundment Walter F. George reservoir, better know as Lake Eufaula on the Alabama / Georgia, state lines.

As owner of Alabama's oldest, professional "bass fishing only" guide service, I have guided for largemouth bass, spotted bass and smallmouth bass on these lakes recently.

So here is short update on the current conditions (water temp, lake levels, etc.) of each of these Alabama lakes. The type of spring, "spawning mode" the bass on each of these lakes are currently displaying and what size of bass we have seen recently, including the best lures and techniques for targeting these bass on the first week of April...a time of change for both the bass and the determined springtime anglers that pursue them!

TENNESSEE RIVER LAKES / GUNTERSVILLE LAKE

Guntersville lake is currently down 1 1/2 feet. Water Temperature is in the low 60's but it will reach 70 degrees by this weekend! Most bass are bedding.

See: www.fishingalabama.com for a Guntersville Lake link titled, " 11 pound largemouth bass / Guntersville Lake." There you will read a report of two mid-March trips, one two-day trip that produced several 5-8 pounders and 2 - nine pounders, and one 3-day trip in which a lady caught an 11 pounder on the last day! In all, total - we saw over 200 bass caught in a total of 5 days while fishing with lipless lures, shallow diving crankbaits, spinnerbaits, buzz baits and lures on bottom like creature baits and worms. 

* Don't believe everything you read about Guntersville Lake. Sure, some info is good, reliable information. But. There are now over a dozen guides on this lake, (some, just out of work anglers), that send out reports only, no pictures, no names, some are ridiculous, reports of 50-100 bass a day! Even on some of our recent trips we have struggled with only 10 bass a day and no big ones! But, I always have Big Bass pictures and notable clients testimonials...for anyone that asks for them.

To date, this year we have seen several 7 & 8 pound bass, three-9 pound bass, one ten pound bass and an 11 pounder. Heard this from any other source?

WHEELER LAKE

Wheeler Lake is currently down 2 1/2 feet. Water temps are in the low-60's, but could rise to 70 degrees by this weekend with mid-80's air temps predicted state wide!

I have seen no bedding bass on Wheeler Lake. Bass will be bedding in mid-April to May and the lake will be back to full pool. Most lures we have had success are shallow diving crankbaits, rattletraps and red eye shad, suspending jerk baits and some topwater bites (that will increase this week!) on spooks and buzz baits around wood cover in creeks and the Elk River. Tube baits, worms, creature baits, jig combos and Texas-rigged lizards will be good bedding bass lures this coming week!

WILSON LAKE AND PICKWICK LAKES

Wilson lake is down 2 feet today. Water temps are in the low 60's. / Pickwick lake is down 1 3/4 feet below full pool, water temps are in the low 60's. By this week the water temps could rise close to 70 degrees on these lakes. Both lakes will "traditionally" be back to full pool by the end of April. Largemouth bass will be bedding in the next week or so, on into early May. Smallmouth bass on these lakes should be bedding this week as well!

We have fished the dams, rock bluffs, deep mid lake structure, and creeks with as many as 20-30 bass a day! Also drum, stripers, white bass, catfish, crappie and other fish!

* Drifting below dams can be feast or famine on each daily outing. Always try lures bumped on bottom like spinnerbaits, tube baits, jig combos, Texas-rigged worms, lizards, creature baits and smaller grubs, curly twin tails and shad imitations fished on light line and with jig heads. Creeks on these lakes should show a tremendous topwater bite in April and May around new growing aquatic weeds and wood cover!

COOSA RIVER LAKES

WEISS LAKE - Weiss lake is currently at Full Pool. It should remain full pool, for it is usually brought up in mid April. Water temps are in the mid 60's and should be 70 degrees by this weekend.

NEELY HENRY LAKE is down 1 foot with water temps in the low to mid 60's.

LOGAN MARTIN LAKE - Logan Martin Lake is down 2 1/2 feet and rising. Water Temps are in the mid 60's.

LAY LAKE - Lay lake is 1/2 foot below full pool. Water temps in the mid 60's.

MITCHELL LAKE - Mitchell Lake is at Full Pool. Water Temps are in the mid 60's.

JORDAN LAKE - Jordan Lake is down 1/2 foot. Water Temps in the mid 60's.

All of these Coosa River Lakes should display water temps close to 70 degrees by this weekend, with predicted highs in the mid 80's. Largemouth bass are bedding on some Coosa River lakes and will all be bedding by the end of April, when all of these Coosa River lakes will be at or near full pool and new growing aquatic weeds show bass very shallow and very aggressive for the next 6 weeks. Post spawn spotted bass and largemouth bass will be hitting topwater lures, as these bass come off the beds and they are hungry and aggressive! All throughout April and May...it only gets better!

TALLAPOOSA RIVER SYSTEM

LAKE MARTIN AND LAKE WEDOWEE

Although both of these lakes are currently down, with Lake Martin 1 1/2 feet below normal full pool lake levels and Wedowee Lake 3 feet low, they will both be close to full pool by the end of April. Water temps are in the mid 60's, but will rise to 70 degrees this week on both lakes.

There are very little aquatic weeds on these lakes, but wood cover and rocks will show bedding bass in April and post spawn bass by May. Topwater lures, finesse fishing on Martin and jig combos on Wedowee are good lures for bedding bass and for smaller spotted bass in schools on rocky points and rock bluffs.

CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER SYSTEM

LAKE EUFAULA

Lake Eufaula is down 3 1/2 feet. Water temps are in the mid-70's. Bass have bed!

Post spawn bass on Lake Eufaula will be very active in April and May! Weedless lures like frogs around grass are deadly lures these months for big bass! Bass will also hit buzz baits, spooks, Sammie and other topwater lures like baby torpedoes and other prop-baits, including topwater lures like pop-r's fished along weed edges and other shallow water lures around weeds like floating worms, soft jerk baits, lizards and weightless lures like Yamamoto's Senkos, are all good too!

Spinnerbaits and shallow diving crankbaits, suspending jerk baits and swim baits, will continue to produced numbers of big, post-spawn bass. As bass come off the beds look for them along creek flats, creek and main lake points, and any rip-rap rocks like those found around bridges, causeways and the dam area. New growing aquatic weeds like Lilly pads, milfoil and hydrilla weeds will hold shallow bass all throughout the months of April and May!

REEDS GUIDE SERVICE / ALABAMA'S OLDEST

Always call on Reeds Guide Service...first! Sure, I've got days open all this month, next month and on into the summer months...we all do. But why experiment? Go with Alabama's oldest, professional, "bass fishing only" guide service and you will be glad you did... Call (205) 663-1504 or e-mail me alabassgyd@aol.com today to reserve your springtime fishing trip!

* See my website for more info for bass fishing on all of Alabama's Lake's for every season!

Thanks and Good Fishin'!

Thanks and Good Fishin'
Reed Montgomery / Reeds Guide Service
Birmingham, Alabama (205) 663-1504
Website: www.fishingalabama.com