04-29-2004, 10:05 PM
Gulf Coast
Water temp: 68 to 70 degrees. What's biting offshore: Fort Morgan Marina reports red snapper, amberjack, king mackerel and triggerfish. Inshore fishing: Spanish mackerel, cobia, jack crevalle, sheepshead, big bull redfish. Speckled trout also starting to show up.
Guntersville
Water temperature: Mid to high 60s. Water clarity: Mildly stained. Bass fishing: Fish shallow flats with a mixture of milfoil, stumps and hard bottom. Use shallow crank baits. Once a group of fish is located, use soft plastics to get more bites. Crappie fishing: Use finnSfish in Arkansas shiner color near bridges in riprap. Bream: Bluegills and shellcrackers are starting to spawn on sandy bottoms in two to four feet of water. Use keystone minnows, beetle spins and crickets.
Lay Lake
Water temperature: 68 degrees. Water clarity: Clear. Bass fishing: Paradise Point Marina reports bass are being caught on bandits, spinnerbaits and lizards. Other species: Crappie are in about 18 feet of water, hitting, have already spawned. Haven't heard anything about bream or catfish.
Lake Martin
Water temperature: 68 to 70 degrees. Water clarity: Clear to lightly stained. Bass fishing: Lake Martin Bait and Tackle reports bass are on the move between deep and shallow water. Some bass being caught on sunshine days in 5 to 6 feet of water with lipless crankbaits. With several days of warm weather, bass fishing should improve dramatically near shore and off main river channel. Other species: Crappie fishing is excellent. Crappie are shallow. Live minnows taking most.
Inland Lake
Water temperature: Mid 70s. Water clarity: Clear, full pool. Bass fishing: Inland Lake Marina reports bass have really picked up in the past few weeks. Catching on top water and plastic worms. Stripers are coming up in early morning and late afternoon. Catching on topwater, sashy shads and Rat-L-Traps. Bream: Bluegill and shellcrackers are biting redworks and crickets on flats in shallow water. Crappie: Not biting at all. Catfish: Biting around bluffs on shiners and redworms.
Lake Purdy
Water temperature: 73 degrees. Water clarity: Clear. Bass fishing: Largemouth bass are still in the submerged grass in the shallow areas beyond the 119 bridge. On calm, cloudy days the fish will hit top water baits. When the wind picks up, switch to a spinnerbait and concentrate on the rock piles. In the main lake, spotted bass are hitting crankbaits about 25 feet off shore. Choose crankbaits which run about 3 feet deep. Crappie: Crappie have moved away from the shallow banks and are now concentrated on submerged trees in 8 to 10 feet of water. Other species: Plenty of catfish are being caught at night with cut shiners in the channels leading under the Grants Mill Road bridge. During the day fish with live minnows. Shellcrackers are bedding in shallow water above Grants Mill Road bridge. More bream beds are forming beyond the dam, adjacent to Picnic Point. Use crickets or red worms and wigglers.
Smith Lake
Water temperature: Mid 60s. Water clarity: Clear. Bass fishing: JR's Marina reports bass are hitting good on topwater and artificial worms. Stripes are excellent, hitting live shad and redfin. Crappie fish: Biting fair, hitting mostly jigs and small minnows. Bream: Have started biting, hitting good on crickets.
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Water temp: 68 to 70 degrees. What's biting offshore: Fort Morgan Marina reports red snapper, amberjack, king mackerel and triggerfish. Inshore fishing: Spanish mackerel, cobia, jack crevalle, sheepshead, big bull redfish. Speckled trout also starting to show up.
Guntersville
Water temperature: Mid to high 60s. Water clarity: Mildly stained. Bass fishing: Fish shallow flats with a mixture of milfoil, stumps and hard bottom. Use shallow crank baits. Once a group of fish is located, use soft plastics to get more bites. Crappie fishing: Use finnSfish in Arkansas shiner color near bridges in riprap. Bream: Bluegills and shellcrackers are starting to spawn on sandy bottoms in two to four feet of water. Use keystone minnows, beetle spins and crickets.
Lay Lake
Water temperature: 68 degrees. Water clarity: Clear. Bass fishing: Paradise Point Marina reports bass are being caught on bandits, spinnerbaits and lizards. Other species: Crappie are in about 18 feet of water, hitting, have already spawned. Haven't heard anything about bream or catfish.
Lake Martin
Water temperature: 68 to 70 degrees. Water clarity: Clear to lightly stained. Bass fishing: Lake Martin Bait and Tackle reports bass are on the move between deep and shallow water. Some bass being caught on sunshine days in 5 to 6 feet of water with lipless crankbaits. With several days of warm weather, bass fishing should improve dramatically near shore and off main river channel. Other species: Crappie fishing is excellent. Crappie are shallow. Live minnows taking most.
Inland Lake
Water temperature: Mid 70s. Water clarity: Clear, full pool. Bass fishing: Inland Lake Marina reports bass have really picked up in the past few weeks. Catching on top water and plastic worms. Stripers are coming up in early morning and late afternoon. Catching on topwater, sashy shads and Rat-L-Traps. Bream: Bluegill and shellcrackers are biting redworks and crickets on flats in shallow water. Crappie: Not biting at all. Catfish: Biting around bluffs on shiners and redworms.
Lake Purdy
Water temperature: 73 degrees. Water clarity: Clear. Bass fishing: Largemouth bass are still in the submerged grass in the shallow areas beyond the 119 bridge. On calm, cloudy days the fish will hit top water baits. When the wind picks up, switch to a spinnerbait and concentrate on the rock piles. In the main lake, spotted bass are hitting crankbaits about 25 feet off shore. Choose crankbaits which run about 3 feet deep. Crappie: Crappie have moved away from the shallow banks and are now concentrated on submerged trees in 8 to 10 feet of water. Other species: Plenty of catfish are being caught at night with cut shiners in the channels leading under the Grants Mill Road bridge. During the day fish with live minnows. Shellcrackers are bedding in shallow water above Grants Mill Road bridge. More bream beds are forming beyond the dam, adjacent to Picnic Point. Use crickets or red worms and wigglers.
Smith Lake
Water temperature: Mid 60s. Water clarity: Clear. Bass fishing: JR's Marina reports bass are hitting good on topwater and artificial worms. Stripes are excellent, hitting live shad and redfin. Crappie fish: Biting fair, hitting mostly jigs and small minnows. Bream: Have started biting, hitting good on crickets.
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