I may be driving through Guntersville in mid-February - and wondering how the fishing is that time of year. Or, is it markedly better in March? I may have some flexibility on dates. Thanks

I grew up fishing Guntersville.   We fished it pretty much year round.   I don’t recall March being ‘markedly’ better.  It’s been 45 years since I was last on it, but if given the opportunity, I’d go in February or March in a heartbeat.  

I lived in North Alabama years ago and fished Guntersville year round.   I agree with @OldManLure.  I’m not sure there’s a big difference but I prefer February.  In March conditions can change quickly and the wind can be an issue.  I’ve had some good days on Guntersville in February.

3 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I lived in North Alabama years ago and fished Guntersville year round.   I agree with @OldManLure.  I’m not sure there’s a big difference but I prefer February.  In March conditions can change quickly and the wind can be an issue.  I’ve had some good days on Guntersville in February.

Good to know... any general idea what depth the fish are then, techniques, etc? Not sure what to bring... but sounds fun.

3 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Good to know... any general idea what depth the fish are then, techniques, etc? Not sure what to bring... but sounds fun.

That’s a good question.  I placed third in a tournament in early February once fishing the bank with a t-rigged worm.  The boat was in 15ft of water but they were hitting in 2-5 ft.   Don’t think that you have to fish deep.   If it’s been warm, they might start moving up in mid to late February.

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

If it’s been warm, they might start moving up in mid to late February.

Thanks good info. That’s just crazy for us Northerners to get our heads wrapped around though - warming water and fish moving up in February... That’s a May thing here! 

10 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

That’s a good question.  I placed third in a tournament in early February once fishing the bank with a t-rigged worm.  The boat was in 15ft of water but they were hitting in 2-5 ft.   Don’t think that you have to fish deep.   If it’s been warm, they might start moving up in mid to late February.

Wondering if you can recommend any smaller or lesser known lakes in that area that maybe don't have the notoriety of Guntersville but have a good population of quality fish?  If windy, I may seek smaller waters with an 18 foot boat.  Thx

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

Wondering if you can recommend any smaller or lesser known lakes in that area that maybe don't have the notoriety of Guntersville but have a good population of quality fish?  If windy, I may seek smaller waters with an 18 foot boat.  Thx

Not exactly unknown and not small but Pickwick can be fantastic in February for large smallmouth.  If you need to get out of the wind,  you can usually just choose your launch location wisely and stay in one of the creeks.   There are plenty of places to find shelter from the wind unless it’s blowing 50 MPH which is very rare.

32 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Not exactly unknown and not small but Pickwick can be fantastic in February for large smallmouth.  If you need to get out of the wind,  you can usually just choose your launch location wisely and stay in one of the creeks.   There are plenty of places to find shelter from the wind unless it’s blowing 50 MPH which is very rare.

Thanks, sounds good. I'm not opposed to going into Tennessee either. My wife and I haven't really determined specific dates/routes yet but plan to figure out it out fairly soon...  kind of an adventure of sorts ~

On 11/12/2021 at 6:52 PM, FryDog62 said:

Good to know... any general idea what depth the fish are then, techniques, etc? Not sure what to bring... but sounds fun.

Rattle traps, burn them as shallow as you can . The shad are typically going to be soaking up the sun in shallow mud flats that time of year. Weather dependent of course but is crazy how well people do kicking up mud in the winter