GUNTERSVILLE LAKE
The Heavyweight
Guntersville, the big 69,000-acre Tennessee River impoundment, ranked No. 6 in overall quality in the 2007 B.A.I.T. report. But "the Big G" was off the chart when it came to big fish, coming in at No. 1 for average bass weight -- 2.88 pounds -- and hours per bass over 5 pounds -- just 67.

Perhaps more telling is the B.A.I.T. report's side chart listing Alabama's top tournaments for big bass. Eight of the top 10 such events took place on Guntersville in 2007 between the months of March and July. The report also lists the tournaments in which 8-pound and larger bass were weighed in. Of 13 lunkers of more than 8 pounds registered in B.A.I.T. tournaments in 2007, six came from Guntersville. No other venue boasted anywhere near that number.

"Guntersville has been so good the last few years because the water and the weather have been very stable," Abernathy said. "It has been ideal conditions for the aquatic plants there, and those bass just stack up in the vegetation. The grass coverage has just been an ideal percentage for bass fishing."

Anglers catch Guntersville bass by means of a wide variety of tactics, with grass figuring heavily in many of them. Frog and rat fishing on matted grass is a preferred tactic in the fall; jig-fishing with heavyweight line works well in the heat of summer.

In the spring, before the vegetation tops out, lots of anglers like to throw spinnerbaits, worms and even crankbaits just over the top of the submerged weeds.

Some local reports of weed mats breaking up as a result of wind and wave action last fall were received. "It will still be good," Abernathy opined, "but it makes it a little tougher to find fish when you don't have the grass to fish."

LOGAN MARTIN LAKE
Best Chance For Success
Logan Martin, a Coosa River impoundment about 30 miles east of Birmingham, is a lake you don't want to miss if you just want to go catch fish and have fun. It ranked No. 1 in the 2007 B.A.I.T. report for angler success.

"Logan Martin puzzles me," Abernathy admitted. "When I go fish there, I catch a lot of small fish. I know there are people who catch good-sized fish in there -- but not me."

That exactly captures part of the allure of this reservoir: You just about know that you're going to catch something when you go there -- but big or small? You've got to wait and see.

A total of 475 tournament anglers fished the lake in B.A.I.T.-affiliated tournaments in 2007. Of those, 437 caught at least one keeper -- an astounding success ratio of 92 percent! Few Alabama lakes ever attain that kind of success rate.

A big percentage of those fish were spotted bass, with the catch rate running about 3 to 1 for spots versus largemouths.

Logan Martin is 48 miles long and covers 15,263 acres. Abernathy reported that sampling on the lake by fisheries biologists revealed that some large spotted bass are there, but it's the smaller ones that are so frequently caught.

"The spots are just in excellent condition," Abernathy added.

In spring, the early-morning topwater bite is rewarding here. Worms, jighead grubs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits will also do the trick.