tank city , u . s . a .
L ake Guntersville , like most every fishery in the county ( and particularly like many of the Tennessee River fisheries it ’ s connected to ), has had its ebbs and flows – periods of immense fertility followed by yearslong stretches of low tournament weights and bass anglers scratching their heads over once-productive areas going as barren as the Dead Sea . For every valley , though , there is invariably a peak soon to follow . For Guntersville , the valley is once again in the rear view .
As many pros on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit commented when they visited Guntersville in May , the Alabama big-bass factory is back on the rise after a few years of change ( due in large part to removal of natural aquatic vegetation – intentionally or otherwise – and the proliferation of new grass species like eelgrass ). Weights are up , tournament anglers are happy and Guntersville is back to making the list of best bass lakes in the country .
Ask Nick LeBrun and he ’ ll certainly tell you how great Guntersville is . The Bossier City , Louisiana , pro and former All-American winner earned his first Pro Circuit win there in that mid-May event with 81 pounds , 10 ounces over four days , including two bags that neared the 23-pound mark . On the final day – a day that saw LeBrun hoist a big trophy and a $ 100,000 check – he got the big bites he needed and the ones Guntersville is known for , like the tank pictured here , to assemble a limit of 22-15 and a 2-6 margin of victory over rookie Nick Hatfield .
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 77