High Water Challenges

High Water Challenges

Winter in the south is full of challenges but nothing is as noteworthy as the fact that we get lots of rain and hence high muddy water as it becomes the norm during the winter months in the south. The one thing we can count on during the winter and early spring months on Lake Guntersville is lots of it. The tough part is what to do to find fish; where do they go and how can we catch them.

The first thing I do is start working different depths, all that we learn tells us that the fish push shallow as the water comes up. While this is the case it also depends on the conditions of the water like water temperature and mud lines and bait movement. So, you cannot always count on the fish moving up in depth especially if it is in the mid of winter where the water temperature is cold; it is also not the case if the water is already high and just turns to a soupy mud look. I start at the 2 to 4 ft. depth in the winter months and work break lines out to about 14 ft. of water. Current also has a lot to do with where the bass move too, I have found that the stronger current areas push the bass off the main channel because the bait moves and where the bait goes the bass follow!