Fishing Report for Guntersville. November 2nd 2011

I kept reading the guides report that the frog bite on Guntersville was turning on. I think most of my readers know where Guntersville stands on my list of favorite lakes this year. If not, I will sum it up like this: I have had more luck and caught more fish on lakes I had never been on than this lake that I fish the most.

Additionally,  I believe my love for the frog bite has been expressed adequately. However, I could honestly say that I could count on one hand the number of frog fish I have caught this year. Bad luck? Maybe. Inexperience...probably.

But I digress....where were we? Oh yes. The guides said the bite was turning on. I was SUPPOSED to be in court over my mishap regarding boat registration but, a lucky phone call to confirm the date later and I discovered I was free.

Cold front moving in. Windy. And the word of all those honest fishermen. So, I thought we would give it a shot. Tuesday night I tried to get the boat ready ,as I hadn't run it in some time. It took forever to get it started. So, I began to question what I should do. If I went to BB Comer Bridge Ramp and the motor didn't start, it wouldn't be a big deal. So that's what we did. And, it didn't hurt that I had gotten on a decent bite 2 weeks previous during the MFC Classic tournament AND all my friends had been having luck.

I explained all this to dad, who didn't seemed convinced. But, the boat started and we ran  the scant distance to the spot . It's about a 25 yard radius. All you have to do is find where the lilly pads stop. I didn't get a chance to check it out on the depth finder with Mark, so I took the opportunity to do so. Indeed, it dropped from 4 feet to 6.5 feet. Shallow enough for the grass and deep enough that the lilly pads couldn't grow.

We started fishing at around 2pm. The first 30 minutes was pretty rough. The wind was howling and I couldn't keep us on the spot I wanted, so I drove it deep in the grass. Dad threw a Ribbet

He had three hits or so in the first 30 minutes but couldn't get them to hook up.

After the third, I stgarted making fun of him, saying how I hda learned some things over the last year and I didn't miss frogs. As a counterpoint, I had a hit about 5 yards from the boat. He laughed, of course. But I argued that it wasn't a good hit. So I flipped the Spro frog back on the spot. I shook it. Wiggled it. Just as I had learned with Mark 2 weeks previous. The fish hit again. I waited and waited and then let him have it. But the frog came right back at us at 100mph. Unfazed, I threw RIGHT back on him. He hit it again. Same result. 4th times a charm! Jiggle wiggle wiggle BOOM! I watched the braid move. I knew he ate it. So I gave him a herculian wallop...which broke the braid. IMPOSSIBLE! 65 pound braid. But, as I thought about it, I realized that the frog had been tied on for probably 60 months and that braid was surely knicked. so, that awesome Dean Rojas Spro frog that I LOVED so much was gone.

Luckily, I had a spare.

I guess that one fish fired them up, because the next 30 minutes were nuts! If I didn't hit them on the first strike, I could coax them on the second...even the 3rd! At one point, I caught 3 fish on 3 casts from the same patch of matted grass. The more we caught, the more fired up the rest became, and the grass around us in all directions were blowing up with fish.

I don't know the exact count, but I believe I caught around 10 (6 keeper size and several short) in less than 30 minutes. And that doesn't even touch how many hits we had. It was every cast. But as soon as it started, it ended. It could be one of several reasons, but the wind died down and we were blown into the main strike zone, which may have spooked the fish.

Best 5 would have been in the 16-17 pound range.

After getting stumped for the next 30 minutes, we decided to go home.

And here is what you all want to see.

Of course, the best news is....the boat wouldn't start. Again. It's flooding really bad. Ugg. But, hey, nothing better than catching a boat load of fish without having to start the big motor! The frog bite is on. Get out there and get them!