06/28/2021
Guntersville is one of only a small handful of lakes that we have scheduled a tournament on every year our trail has been in existence, and for good reason. In it's prime not all that long ago, this lake was flat out the best bass fishery on the PLANET. Some give that title to lakes in Texas and California, but while those places were no slouches, they were not the Big G. While George Perry's record was never in danger on G'ville, just about every other record relating to largemouth bass was at risk every weekend. There was a chance on any given cast to get your proverbial arm broke and catching a 20+ pound sack during a tournament would get you an "and...?" And this was not just during spawn or a few times a year when the top guys came to town. Every ramp on the lake had a big tournament every single weekend of the year, and this lake just kept churning out big bass after big bass. Other fisheries would rise to challenge for the top spot, but they would inevitably peak and decline, while Guntersville just kept producing. And not just for the anglers, but also for the local economy as people came from all over to get that once in a lifetime fishing trip this Tennessee River impoundment offered.
However, no lake can withstand that kind of pressure forever, not even the Big G. Hundreds and sometimes thousands of bass boats from all over the nation swarming over her grassy waters every weekend and local derbies big enough to be major tournaments on other lakes throughout the week proved to be too much for the old girl, and she began to decline. Lower weights and less fish meant fewer visitors and less economic output for the surrounding area, a not so good outcome all around. Blame began to be thrown around, whether it was the out-of-town anglers jerking fish out to be decorate a wall in Illinois instead of spawning a new generation of lunkers or the local residents spraying too much of the grass, killing the habitat of the bass so they can get more room to water ski. But one factor that was not discussed enough was the very real, negative effect that tournaments were, and still are having on the lake.
I do not think it is any secret that the Deep South in summertime is a very hot place. Bass typically try to stay out of the heat either by going deep on ledges and other deep structure, or stay in the shade around and under some kind of cover, whether that is wood or grass. Those fish that are caught are put under an enormous amount of stress, being je**ed by the lip, fighting for their lives, pulled out of the water, then placed in a livewell that has been filled with water from the surface, typically the hottest and most oxygen poor water in the lake. It is a testament to how tough these fish are that any survive through weigh-in. Please do not get me wrong, this is not a PETA wanna be exposé on the horrors of bass fishing. I love this sport and want to see it grow and thrive for generations to come. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to do things and so many times, even at the top levels, the wrong way is chosen in the matter of fish care. Too many times in too many big tournaments, particularly on Guntersville, I have seen with my own eyes dead fish after dead fish weighed in, filling coolers or sadly dotting the lake surface like a face scarred from smallpox. Yes, penalties are enforced to discourage poor fish care practices, but even the strongest penalties can do nothing if people simply do not care.
There has been a lot of negativity in this article, so here is a positive you can hang your hat on: our guys (and gals) care. On a lake that has suffered greatly over the years from inadequate fish care in one of the hottest months of the year, 36 boats competed and not one dead fish was brought to the scales. Sometimes, fish die and there is little to nothing you can do about it, but our guys proved that it IS possible to have a decent sized tournament and still have every fish swim off in the end. I know not a lot of people outside of our trail will read this, but guys (and gals) know that we are proud of y'all.
