Lake Guntersville Preview

Most pros are always excited about returning to Alabama's famed Lake Guntersville where they know the shallow grassbeds harbor one of the best largemouth fisheries in the nation.

But as the Alabama Bassmaster Tour event approaches, their enthusiasm is almost overwhelming.

"I am truly looking forward to the Guntersville tournament," said Alabama pro Randy Howell. "There are going to be record catches there, and I cannot wait."

The last time the BASS train pulled into the 69,100-acre Tennessee River impoundment, Texan Kelly Jordon was the big winner with 81 pounds, 11 ounces. But Howell believes that Kelly's 2002 catch will be dwarfed by the 2004 winner's weight.

"I don't think I'm going out on a limb in predicting that the winner will have a lot more than Kelly did," he said. "Guntersville is probably the best lake in the country right now."

Howell, who lives about an hour from the lake, took three trips to Guntersville before it was placed off limits to tournament competitors.

"All three trips were awesome," he said. "The last time I went, I fished from the dam all the way up the lake, and I caught good fish everywhere I went. I'm talking about good fish. Of the 21 fish we caught, 15 of them were 3 to 6 pounds.

"There are so many 3- to 6-pound fish in this lake it's amazing."

Could Busch and BASS hand out a $1 million check after this event? If any angler can break Dean Rojas' record, it will happen. Keep an eye on this one.

Local tournaments held throughout the fall and winter also offered evidence of Guntersville's resurgence in the past few years. Howell said it routinely takes five bass weighing 23 to 28 pounds to win those one-day contests. A recent tournament was won with 34 pounds, despite water temperatures that dipped to 41 degrees.

"The only thing that could make our tournament less than awesome would be a lot of rain right before the tournament that would make the Tennessee River carry a lot of high, muddy water through Guntersville," Howell said. "That would make it tougher.

"Worst case scenario, I predict it would take 78 pounds to win. Best case scenario, it could take 100 pounds."

Howell expects that fishing shallow-running crankbaits and lipless crankers in grass to be the productive pattern.

Daily weigh-ins take place at Lake Guntersville State Park at 2:45 p.m. Anglers launch beginning at 6 a.m.