Anthony Campbell

APRIL
Striped Bass
Lewis Smith Lake
Smith Lake is legendary for its monster striped bass and April is a hot month to catch them. Fish in the 40-pound range have been documented in the lake and many anglers feel a 50-pounder will eventually be caught here. Live shad are the preferred bait.

Numerous guides operate here if you feel you need one. You can learn more by contacting the Cullman Chamber of Commerce at www.cullmanchamber.org.

Don’t overlook the night bite on Smith Lake as that is when many anglers have report their best success on stripers.

Other Hotspots: Millers Ferry is considered one of the top bass lakes in the state and this is an excellent time to give 17,200-acre Alabama River reservoir a try. The lake regularly produces largemouths greater than 3 pounds.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources calls the Logan Martin spotted bass fishery one of the best in the state. Good baits are Zara Spooks and trick worms.

MAY
Bluegills
Guntersville Lake
May is prime time for bluegill fishing on Guntersville Lake. The fish can be found along just about any bank. Keystone minnows are excellent artificial baits. Crickets are the go-to live bait. If you find a bed of shellcrackers, try live worms. The best tactic: Simply get in your boat, troll down the banks and hunt for the fish. When you find them, anchor and see if you can catch several from the same nest. Using ultralight gear can make landing a hand-sized bluegill a whole lot more sporting.

An afternoon of this kind of fishing should produce more than enough bluegills for a fish fry.

If you don’t have a boat or would like a guide to lead the way, give Guntersville Lake bass guide Tee Kitchens a call at (256) 859-1465. He’s known to keep a basket of crickets in his boat this time of year.

You can also call Waterfront Grocery at (256) 582-6060 for the latest water and fishing conditions. Other Hotspots: Catfishing gets going strong in May in the Cotton State and an excellent place to try is the Tombigbee River in west-central Alabama. The tailwaters of Gainesville and Demopolis lakes are particularly good and even have some fishing piers operated by the Corps of Engineers.

Another bream hotspot is the Mobile Delta, where crickets fished around old duck blinds produce excellent stringers.

JUNE
Smallmouth Bass
Pickwick Lake
Drifting live bait in Pickwick Lake just below Wilson Dam is something of a year-round sport, but it especially produces good catches of smallmouth bass in early summer.

There’s a lot of fishing pressure, but the angling still produces a lot of big fish. Use a cast net to catch live shad next to the dam; then, fish with them. The best action occurs when current flows through the dam.

If you prefer to use artificial baits, you can pick up fish on plastic worms, flukes, grubs and spinnerbaits tossed in the swirls.

Other Hotspots: Catfishing continues to be hot across the Cotton State this month and just about anywhere on the Tennessee River offers a good chance to catch some whiskerfish. Lots of anglers like to put out set lines with jugs or pool noodles as floats and then come back to check on them later. Bait your hook with a big worm or a live bream.

You can still get into some bream this month on Coffeeville Lake by using red wigglers and catalpa worms fished over deeper structure.