SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Mark Menendez competed at Lake Guntersville when the Bassmaster Elite Series was here in 2009. Aaron Martens won with a four-day total of 107 pounds, 8 ounces. Menendez finished sixth with 96 pounds.
“I caught over 500 keepers in those four days,” Menendez said. “That’s when this place was at its absolute best. It’s fishing differently now than anytime I’ve ever been here. There’s going to be a lot of strategy involved in this one.”
The four-day Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament at Lake Guntersville begins Friday with a 6 a.m. takeoff at Goose Pond Landing. The first of four flights will check-in there at 2:15 p.m.
The normal ups-and-downs of what’s still considered one of the top bass fishing lakes in the U.S. have occurred in the 10 years since. Fishing pressure, of course, has played a big part in that. And it’s still going to take an average of 20-plus pounds per day to win this event, according to most of the anglers surveyed Thursday evening.
“If it was a 10 in 2009, this lake is still a 7 ½,” Menendez said. “It’s still good. It’s just not that banner-type deal. But for somebody here this week, it will be. There’s just too many of those good 4- and 6-pounders that live in this lake.”
It’s where they live in this like right now that’s a puzzle. In the past, big schools of bass would be out deep on the ledges. But fishing pressure may have changed that.
“Guys are going to mix it up,” said Shane Lineberger. “You’re going to see guys fishing deep and guys fishing shallow. Your deep guys I think are going to really blast them on the first two days. Then you’re going to see that not go away completely, but the weights will dwindle out deep.
“Those fish out on these ledges have been there for about five or six weeks now. This place gets so much pressure. They just get beat up. You’re only going to get beat on so long, then you’re going to run. And right now, they’re running. They’re headed back shallow. You’re going to see a lot of fish caught in between, coming from the ledges to that first grass line.”
Kelley Jaye lives only 2 ½ hours away in Dadeville, Ala. He’s well acquainted with the changes in Guntersville over the last decade.
“Based on my practice, they’re not grouped up out there like I’d like them to be. The groups I’ve found that would be 20 to 25 to 30 fish, they’re like eight to 10 now. And when you catch one, you pull the whole school up. It’s kind of tricky. They’ve already had a lot of pressure. We’ll find out Friday, but the top 10 will be mega-bags. I think there will be a 30-pound bag caught, but I don’t think anyone will be able to follow that up.”
A shift in Guntersville’s aquatic vegetation from hydrilla to eelgrass – acres and acres of eelgrass – has had something to do with the change in the bass behavior, according to Jaye.
“There’s a lot of eelgrass where there used to be hydrilla,” he said. “There’s so much eelgrass, I think some of these fish don’t have to get out deep because they’re protected by all the eelgrass. I think the deep bite is going to be from mid-lake to the lower end. From mid-lake up, you’ll see a lot of shallow fishing.”
Scott Canterbury of Odenville, Ala., is one of the pre-tournament favorites. He’s a Lake Guntersville veteran, and he’s having a stellar season on the Elite Series. Canterbury is fifth in Toyota Angler of the Year points.
“It’s fishing tough right now,” he said. “Probably three weeks ago, or a month ago, it was at its prime for ledge fishing. It’s been beat up really bad. A lot of guys make a living out here. These fish are educated now. It’s tougher. Somebody has probably found a school that hasn’t been messed with too much, and they’re going to be able to stand on them for a day or two.
“It’s a good fishery. It’s just fishing a little tougher right now.”
“Tough” on Lake Guntersville is “superb” on most other lakes. Canterbury still thinks it will take 83 to 85 pounds to win this tournament.