Beatin' the Bank - 2021 Guntersville B.A.S.S. Elite

By Bernie Schultz

Considered by many as the best bass fishery in the southeast, Lake Guntersville receives tremendous fishing pressure. So much so, in fact, it’s difficult to find a productive area to yourself.

My hope going into this event was to do just that — locate something that would separate me from the crowd. And with nearly 70,000 surface acres to work with, you’d think that could be accomplished. As this tournament played out, it was the same familiar areas that produced the best catches.

Practice Begins

At daylight on day 1, I accessed the lake at Goose Pond — our official checkpoint for the event. From there, I entered the marina area to swim a jig beneath some of the floating docks. In minutes, I was catching fish, but only a couple were above the 15-inch size minimum.

My next move was up North Sauty Creek to try a large field of lily pads and milfoil. It was beautiful, and I knew I’d find fish there. In just a couple of hours, I scored a good number of fish using various topwater lures, the biggest of which was 4 pounds. I spent the remainder of the morning trying to expand the area, but the farther up the creek I went, the smaller the fish seem to get.

In the early afternoon, I moved to a main-lake flat near Goose Pond. Cruising the adjacent shoreline, I started noticing bream beds … lots of them. Some held bass. Although most were average in size, there were a few tanks mixed in.  

As I continued the search for more bream beds, I started noticing bass at various stages of their own spawn. Some on beds, others guarding fry.

On day 2, I launched at Waterfront Bait & Tackle to try some mid-lake bars. After just an hour of fishing, the wind started to howl, so I gave that up and headed to some protected pockets on the lee side of the lake.

Again, I found bass at various stages of the spawn, and others holding on bream beds. But as the morning progressed, I saw fewer quality fish.

My next stop was to Alred’s — a large cove across from Brown’s Creek.

Fishing along a submerged roadbed, I tied into several nice fish using a suspending jerkbait. Confident that area would produce, I moved to a nearby field of milfoil where I found a small concentration of keepers.

On day 3, I returned to Goose Pond to expand on what I had found earlier.

Unfortunately, due to high winds, the water above the Sauty Creek Bridge had gotten cloudy. Seeing that, I wrote the area off … a decision I would later regret.

From there, I moved inside Goose Pond to try some thick patches of milfoil. After two hours of virtually no action, I discounted that area as well — which, in the end, proved to be an even bigger mistake.

The rest of the day was spent fishing in Roseberry Creek and the flats near B.B. Comer Bridge. And though I caught several decent fish, I never developed any confidence in those areas.

Competition Begins

Having a day 1 start time of 5:30 am, I decided to give the marina docks a try. When my number was called, I motored directly beneath the small bridge at Goose Pond to the first dock. Pitching the swim jig into the third slip, I hooked and lost a nice keeper.

About that time, I realized I was fishing behind Cory Johnston who had already made his way to the opposite side of the dock. At the next dock over was another competitor. Rather than fish behind them, I decided to move south to Alred’s Marina and try my luck there.

Making a pass along the front of the first dock, I lost three good fish in a row. I watched helplessly as each of them darted from beneath the floats and swiped at the bait. In practice, they swallowed it. Why was it any different now, I wondered?

Eventually, I connected with a 15-inch keeper, but then it ended.

From there, I moved to the adjacent roadbed to try the jerkbait fish I’d found during practice. After an hour’s effort, I finally caught a 2½ pounder, but that was it.

My next stop was to the flipping fish nearby, but after catching only a couple of shorts, I decided to abandon the area entirely and head back up lake to some bedding fish. When I got there, I encountered three other boats. Having no time to waste I decided to try the area anyway … to see what they might have missed.

A few minutes later, something caught my eye. It was a good-sized male bass sitting on a bed, barely noticeable. It bit immediately, and I had my third keeper aboard.

Thinking there were others that had gone undetected; I started searching the thickest parts of the grassbed. That’s when I found a 4-pounder guarding fry. It took more than 20 minutes, but I finally got it to eat a 4-inch Senko. Unfortunately, as I leaned on the fish, it buried itself in the weeds and pulled off. Minutes later, I lost another keeper the same way.

Soon, the day was done and it was time to head in. The whole way back, I wondered how the time had slipped away so quickly … and how I managed to miss so many key fish. It was disheartening.

Another Try

When day 2 of the competition began, I ran straight to Alred’s Marina to swim the jig beneath the floats. In minutes, I caught two nice keepers, but then the action stalled. A little later, I caught a couple of shorts, then things died altogether.

I told my marshal my next move was to throw a big glide bait on rock walls — a Hail Mary, to target only big fish the rest of the day.

I headed straight for the closest riprap bank and began that process, and when I reached the corner of a bridge, I noticed a 3-pounder follow the bait back to the boat. Although disappointing, that fish gave me the confidence to keep trying.

An hour later, I hooked into one close to six pounds. The fish jumped twice, trying to sling the big 8-inch hardbait. But when it made a third attempt next to the boat, I used its momentum to swing it aboard. In midflight, it came unpinned and landed on the deck.

After a couple of high-fives with my marshal, I resumed fishing my way along the riprap bank. An hour later, I came upon a thin strip of milfoil just in front of the rocks. Having no response with the glide bait, I decided to try the jerkbait. That’s when I put my fourth keeper in the boat.

Two hours later, I finally got a fifth bite.

Working along a rock bluff on the main lake, I caught a glimpse of a fish tracking my lure. Thinking it had lost interest, I sped the retrieve to make another cast. Suddenly, the fish reappeared, racing up behind my lure. I paused the retrieve just short of the boat and watched as a 4-pounder grabbed the front of the lure. Believing it was barely hooked, I swung the fish over the gunnel like a tuna. And just like the big one earlier, it came unpinned in midflight and landed on the deck.

That fish capped off my day. Back at weigh-in, I added 14½ pounds to my two-day total. Although I was well short of the money, it was a good recovery from day 1.

In the end, the tournament was won by Caleb Kuphall — flipping milfoil inside Goose Pond. As for the massive field of grass in North Sauty? That, too, produced some top-10 finishes. Both were places I practiced but decided against fishing during the competition … a big mistake!

At this point in the season, a Classic qualification is no longer achievable. I’ve made too many mistakes and lost too many fish. The tour heads north to New York for two events, so I’ll have a chance to redeem myself there.

Stay tuned.