FISHING GUIDE · ALABAMA

Lake Guntersville Fishing Guide

Guntersville is one of the most famous largemouth bass lakes in the country. Big beds of milfoil and hydrilla grass hold lots of big bass. It also has good crappie, bream, catfish and winter sauger fishing.

📍 North Alabama (a small upper part is in Tennessee). Towns: Guntersville, Scottsboro, Bridgeport (AL).

📅 Alabama Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Southeast Lakes map →

Quick facts

About 69,100 acres. It is Alabama's largest lake.
TVA reservoir on the Tennessee River. Guntersville Dam was finished in 1939.
About 75 miles long, from Nickajack Dam to Guntersville Dam.
Average depth about 15 feet. Max depth about 60 feet in the river channel.
Hosted the 50th Bassmaster Classic (March 2020).

What you can catch

largemouth bass
The main draw. Big fish live in and around the grass beds.
crappie
Best in spring and fall. Bridges and bluff walls hold fish in winter.
bream (bluegill, redear)
Good all over the lake in late spring and early summer.
blue catfish
Several blues over 80 pounds have come from this lake.
sauger
Run upstream in winter and early spring. Fish bridges and below the dam.
smallmouth and spotted bass
TWRA lists both in the Tennessee section below Nickajack Dam.

Month by month

January	Lipless crankbaits over grass for bass. Sauger at bridges and below the dam. Crappie around bridges.
February	Pre-spawn bass start moving toward flats. Keep working lipless baits over grass. Sauger still good.
March	Pre-spawn bass on main-lake grass and creek channels. Crappie move shallow. Sauger winding down.
April	Bass spawn on main-lake flats and in creek backs. Cast for shallow crappie. Bream start bedding.
May	Post-spawn bass move to ledges and deep grass edges, about 8 to 12 feet. Bream fishing is excellent.
June	Bass school on ledges and deeper grass. Catfish spawn on shallow rocky banks in late May and early June.
July	Topwater early in the morning. Later, fish grass edges down to about 20 feet. Night crappie around bridge pilings.
August	Hot-water grind for bass. Try swimbaits and big plastic worms on deep grass edges.
September	The fall frog bite starts in late September on the grass mats.
October	Frog fishing on the grass is at its best. Crappie pick up again.
November	Frog bite fades in early November. Bank anglers start fishing bridges for crappie around Thanksgiving.
December	Crappie at bridges and bluff walls. Sauger arrive. Cool, drizzly days are good for big catfish.

Tips

Learn the grass. Big bass relate to milfoil and hydrilla beds and their edges.
In winter, cover water with a lipless crankbait to find bass, then slow down.
Use heavy braided line when frogging thick grass in fall.
For winter catfish, anchor above humps or log jams and use fresh skipjack on the bottom.
Fish bridge crossings for crappie and sauger in the colder months.

Rules and license

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Outdoor Alabama) · Official rules page ↗

Alabama waters: you may not keep any largemouth or smallmouth bass under 15 inches on Guntersville (and Town Creek).
Alabama statewide black bass limit is 10 per day, with no more than 5 smallmouth.
Alabama statewide crappie limit is 30 per day, 9-inch minimum.
The Tennessee part of the lake follows Tennessee (TWRA) rules, including a 15-inch minimum on largemouth and 5 black bass per day.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 14 boat ramps and 1 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

City Park Ramp (Crow Creek)
Co Rd 491 Hunter Point (Coon Creek)
Goose Pond Colony Park
Hwy 117 Boat Ramp
Hwy 2 Public Ramp (Mud Creek)
Hwy 45 (Crow Creek)
Hwy 46 (TN River)

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.