Bass n' Blades

Kent, If I were going for smallmouth, I'd stay with the tailraces below Pickwick and Wilson as they're proven areas for them. The tailrace below Guntersville Dam is primarily targeted for stripers and sauger. However, I did win a club tournament there once with largemouth so they're there too. I don't fish there like I used to but there was always the odd report for a nice smallmouth coming from there. I just don't think many folks go after them specifically but too, because of that fact, there would be little or no pressure on them. Cooley's Grocery on the road to the dam from the south side might have some current reports for you. There's a wingwall downriver from the dam that I discussed the potential for smallmouth with TN smallmouth guide Tony Bean once and he said that set up was as good a spot for a world record as any he could imagine. There's some current break areas, humps, remnant structures, bluffs and chunk rock to gravel transition areas that would be prime target areas. There's even an old Coca-Cola dispenser in the water that fell off an old restaurant barge that was there ages ago. I don't think the fish use it quite as much as they did initially since all the drinks are now gone ;-) . The best story I ever heard for down there was from Mr Vaughn, who used to run the barge restaurant. He also used to run Vaugh's Fish Camp and restaurant that was straight across Spring Creek from the Val Monte resort (it's all gone now). He had a big 6 lb plus smallmouth mounted on the wall in his restaurant. I asked him one time about catching it and he told me as he was motoring his flat bottom boat from the launch to the barge one day, that fish vaulted out of the water and right into the bottom of the boat with him! That made for a funny story for his customers. Jim

Kent, Reports on that big 12/5 smallie came by work of mouth through a friend from Decatur who was in the Lake Guntersville Bassmasters bass club with me at the time. That was way back in pre-internet days in the late '80s so there's no link available for it. All he said that the fisheries guy would acknowledge about it was its size, and that it was shocked up somewhere between Guntersville Dam and Ditto Landing (the park and launch area just off Hwy 231 south of Huntsville) in that 15 mile stretch of river. Hard to imagine one that big. It's about like combining the two smallmouth you're holding in your picture into one. 6 lbs 2 oz is my personal best smallmouth out of Wheeler Lake. One twice that size would be incredible. But it's exciting to think that others approaching that size are in those same waters today. Jim

Hi, I just wanted to share with you an update regarding the Val Monte Resort, which you have targeted for your 2012 Roadtrip to Lake Guntersville. I drove around the resort and marina yesterday afternoon just to scope it out first hand. The motel, the resort restaurant and the marina were all closed. I'd planned to talk to someone at the marina and get a sitrep regarding the renovation status but that was a no go. Everything looked in great shape and ready to roll but there must still be some inside work remaining before they're back up and going. The big "Top of the River" Restaurant next door to the motel was open. I just spoke with one of the ladies at the Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau regarding the place. I told her the website was down and the listed phone # was no longer working. That surprised her so she checked for me and gave me the email address for the place: valmonte7001@gmail.com . She did say that there was a big WalMart FLW Tournament scheduled to be held out of there in February so her understanding was that it would be all back up and going prior to that tournament next month. So that's some good news for everyone. So I would think they'll be back up and going contact-wise real soon, and everyone here on the forums will be able to confirm plans for the April roadtrip. However, there are other good places to stay, such as the Lake Guntersville State Park and the Best Western (straight across the lake from Val Monte), in case this might not work out but I'm sure it will with all they have planned for this Spring. If I find out anything more I'll be sure and post it. Best regards, Jim

Hi All, I wanted to say a big "Hello" to everyone here on the forums. I just recently discovered the bassresource website from a fishing buddy over at Ol' Miss, who was telling me about your plans for your 2012 annual trip to Lake Guntersville. That trip should be awesome! I have a place just 15 minutes from your targeted headquarters site for the trip (Val Monte Resort & Marina) so I'll post some update info about what's going on there for you over on the 2012 trip thread. Just to share a bit about myself, my name's Jim, I'm 55 and have been bass fishing since the age of 5 when my grandfather put a rod in my hand for the first time down at our farm. I grew up within 8 miles of Lake Guntersville so it's been my 'home lake' ever since I graduated from fishing in the back seat of friends' boats to getting my 390 Ranger back in '86. Even though I now live in Birmingham, my business is still 10 minutes away from the lake, so that's why I keep my boat there too. As long as the bass don't splash too loudly as I'm trying to land them, folks won't know for sure when I'm on the phone with them if I'm at the office or on the water! I've been blessed to have wet a line in a lot of great places over the years--in the Keys for bonefish and permit, in Wyoming for trout, in Oregon for sturgeon, and far away for pacific sailfish out of a leaky wooden longtail boat in the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean off Thailand. However, this part of north Alabama offers some of the finest fishing anywhere, both for largemouth and smallmouth. The state fisheries folks a few years back shocked up a 12 lb. 5 oz. smallmouth in the upper end of Wheeler Lake (the lake on the Tennessee River just below Guntersville) so this southern end of the smallmouth's range does grow some boomers. Anyway, I'm looking forward to exploring the website more and seeing everything come together well for your planned trip in April to Guntersville. Best regards, Jim