Welcome to our Lake Guntersville Fishing Home Page
Lake Guntersville stretches 75 miles from Guntersville Dam to Nickajack Dam. It is Alabama’s largest lake at 69,000 acres. It is a popular lake for recreation such as fishing and boating.
Learn About the Fish
Primary Species of Fish
Largemouth Bass, Catfish
Lake Guntersville is one of the best bass lakes in the country. This lake is known for good numbers as well as quality fish. Largemouth bass in the 7 to 8 pound range are caught every year and bass up to and above 10 pounds are possible. It is a large lake and there are so many spots you can target largemouth bass here. Even with all the fishing pressure on largemouths on this lake, it still produces. Lake Guntersville does have good numbers of catfish available too. Many anglers will target them near the Guntersville Dam, but you can catch them throughout the lake as well. This lake has good fishing for channel catfish and blue catfish. If you’re looking to target a real big fish, try fishing for the blue catfish. They can get huge. Fish over 40 and 50 pounds are possible.
Secondary Species of Fish
Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Striped Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
Smallmouth bass are not very common in the lake, however, some anglers do report an occasional smallmouth bass caught near the Guntersville Dam. Below the dam, they are much more common. This lake is part of a river system and there are some walleye and sauger available as well, but they are usually found in better numbers below the dams. Panfish are often overlooked since this is such a good bass lake, but you can target crappie, bluegill and other sunfish too. Spotted bass, striped bass and white bass round out the fishery here.
This Lake is Huge
Lake Guntersville is a very large body of water to fish. With a good contour map, you can eliminate a lot of water quickly once you get on the lake and learn how it fishes. If the fish are not super shallow, you can rule out a good portion of this lake. When the fish are still scattered with some shallow and some deep, it can be tricky since there is so much water here to fish. When there is a better bite going on the main lake than in the shallows or vice versa, it is easier to pattern fish to have more success.
Catch Big Bass
Lake Guntersville has been known as one of the better lakes in the country for quality largemouth bass. You can find good numbers of bass in the lake with some very big fish too. Anglers catch lots of largemouth bass in the 3 to 4 pound range with 5 to 7 pounders being fairly common. While this lake may not put up as many big fish in that 10 pound range as some of the lakes in Florida and Texas, but for quality bass in the 3 to 5 pound range, it’s a tough lake to beat.
Fish the Bridges
There are some large bridges located throughout Lake Guntersville and these are good areas for attracting a variety of fish. In the spring and fall, you will find many bass anglers targeting the bridges with good success. The deeper water around the bridges will hold bass and other fish from spring through fall. You can also find some really big catfish swimming around the bridges during the warmer months.
Good Multi-Species Fishery
While Lake Guntersville gets a lot of attention for its largemouth bass, this lake has good fishing for a variety of different species of fish. Bluegill and other sunfish are here in good numbers. Crappie are caught in good numbers in the spring and fall. The lake has a lot of catfish and some big ones too. If you find the white bass schools, you can catch a bunch of them. Spotted bass, striped bass, smallmouth bass, walleye and sauger round out the fishery here.
Current Plays a Role Here
Current will definitely play a role on how well the fish bite, especially when you’re fishing out near the main river channel. Current can help position bait fish which will help position just about everything else, especially bass. Some grass grows out on the main river channel in the current and when the water is moving, some of these spots can be great spots to fish.
Fish the Creeks
Lake Guntersville has a lot of larger creek arms that kind of fish more like their own lakes within the lake. The water levels and temperatures will play a big role and how good the fishing in the back of the creek arms. The fishing is usually much better in the spring and then again in the fall in these areas.
Fish the Guntersville Tailwaters (Guntersville Dam)
The tailwaters that result from the Guntersville Dam provide some very good fishing for a variety of different fish. Anglers target big fish below the dam will be targeting smallmouth bass, striped bass and catfish. If you’re looking for action, white bass are fun to catch and they are usually around in good numbers to keep you busy. Some sauger and walleye are caught below the dam as well.
Fish the Docks
There are certain parts of the lake with a bunch of boat docks and then other stretches of the lake where you won’t find a single boat dock. If you want to fish docks, it’s definitely a pattern you can fish here and have some success. Some docks are in fairly shallow water though, so you will have to spend some time searching for some of the better docks that have some access to a little deeper water. These are the docks that will hold some fish in the spring, summer and fall months. For the most part though, the dock bite is best in the spring when bass and other fish move into the shallows to spawn
Fish the Main River Channel
Because Lake Guntersville has so much shallow water, the main river channel tends to hold a lot of fish here once the spawn is over. There are a lot of bass and panfish that will stay in the shallows in the summer, however, you will usually find much larger schools of fish out in deeper water in or near the main river channel from summer through fall. Current, weeds, drop-offs, rocks and timber can all play a role out near the main river channel.
Fish the Points
There are a lot of points scattered throughout Lake Guntersville. Some points will be in fairly shallow water while others will have some nice drop-offs with a good combination of shallow and deep water. Find these types of points with some cover such as rocks, weeds or wood and you’re going to find some fish in these areas from spring through fall.
Fish the Rocks
Most anglers come to Guntersville to fish the weeds, however, there are plenty of rocks to fish throughout the lake as well. There are some really nice rip rap shorelines around the bridges and they are very popular in the spring and fall among bass anglers. You will find some rock in other spots too. It is a pattern you will most likely fish at some point while on this lake.
Fish the Shorelines with Deeper Water Nearby
Lake Guntersville has a lot of shallow water along its shorelines throughout the lake. There are also some amazing shorelines with access to all types of cover and some deep water close by. Take a look at a contour map of Lake Guntersville and you will get a much better idea of how the shorelines look. At times, you can find plenty of fish moving into some of the shallower shorelines, but you’re usually going to find better fishing in the areas with some deeper water nearby. This is not one of those lakes down south where you can just pick any shoreline and start casting. Spend some time with a good map and you’ll be able to find the better shorelines that are home to bass and many other species of fish too.
Fish the Weeds
Lake Guntersville is one of the most famous “frog fishing lakes” in the country. You are going to find plenty of grass back in the creeks and out on the main lake. Miracle Mile is the spot that most people think of when they hear about frog fishing on Lake Guntersville. This is a spot where the main lake river edge meets a flat of matted grass and it is a huge stretch of productive water, so there can be so many spots within the spot that have good numbers of big largemouth bass.
Fish the Wood
Lake Guntersville has tons of wood throughout the lake. Whether it is visible wood along the shoreline or a variety of submerged wood, there will be a lot of fish relating to the wood on this lake. Large laydowns or stump in deeper water will usually hold some bass and other fish too.
