Pickwick Lake By Reed Montgomery /Reeds Guide Service
Birmingham, Alabama / Website www.fishingalabama.com
” Pickwick Lake’s Oldest -Bass Fishing Only- Pro Guide Service For Over 40 Years ”
Impounded 1938 / Lake Level: Full Pool / Water Temperature: Mid 80′s / Air Temperatures in the low-to-mid 90′s with some scattered evening thunderstorms / Water Clarity: Clear main lake, with some feeder creeks and flats stained from recent rain or water generation.
” Mid-to-Late Summer Bass Fishing on Alabama’s Tennessee River Impoundment Pickwick Lake, For Both Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass ”
I’ve got to admit the period ranging from late July on into the sweltering months of August and September can test ones endurance, angling skills and patience. Especially with this summer in Alabama already showing record highs of 100 plus degrees, as July slowly melts to an end.
Recently, I’ve taken many Parent /Adult Child fishing trips to Alabama’s Pickwick Lake near the town of Florence in north Alabama as they prepared for a Fishers of Men Championship. I hope they all did well!
Its so good to see America’s youth getting so interested in bass fishing! And many of these kids I’ve met are so fortunate they have parents (or an adult) that will take them bass fishing, learn them the skills it took them many years to acquire and show them the many aspects of being a professional bass tournament angler. Oh, but that’s only the beginning.
All of these young and future professional bass anglers watch Television fishing shows, they all read bass fishing magazines and they all constantly visit their favorite tackle stores to acquire and update each week, what they have seen other anglers use, promote, and win thousands of dollars with while bass fishing professionally! Which means…
Footing the bill for old Mom and Dad! Expensive? Oh, you just do not know.
Here’s some expenses; Rods, reels, fishing lures, all kinds of fishing line, hooks, hook sharpeners, every size of sinkers and jig heads, Alabama Rigs and the lures to go with them, braided line and long, expensive rods and wide-spooled reels with dozens of soft plastics of all kinds. But that’s not all!
Topwater lures, swim baits, Crankbaits? You’ve got to have an assortment of shallow runners, mid running and deep diving crankbaits in all colors, and dozens of spinnerbaits, both floating and suspending model jerk baits, dozens of rattling lipless lures and plenty of tackle boxes to store each and every lure category in! And the list goes on and on. But still, thats not all!
These young, up and “coming on strong” very avid anglers will need other items like cameras, life vests (or life jackets), hats, shirts, jackets, coats, rain suits, face shields, sunscreen, sunglasses, including dips, dyes and “spray on stuff” for their lures, and of course the all latest ”stuff” it takes to catch a bass! And a cell phone or I pad!
Then comes the big expense, a truck and a boat…oh, and college. Add to that motels, traveling expenses like eating out, gas and oil for the truck, and boat insurance and truck insurance as well. Then there’s break downs and repairs.
So, if your thinking of becoming a professional bass tournament angler, I hope you started with some very generous parents or an adult with a lot of money!
Anglers from all over the United States invaded Pickwick Lake as their practice period came to an end and the two day championship tournament actually began on Friday, July 27 and then ended Saturday, July 28. (See Fishers of Men Website for Results).
For many weeks prior to that, we fooled smallmouth bass, many that had very small mouths, with the biggest brown bass only going 3 pounds. They seemed to be non existent. As with most smallies they were caught near or along rock bluffs, rocky points, around islands, some near the dam and some in deep water. Crankbaits seemed to be the lure of choice.
But, the “largemouth bite” unknown to many of these out of town anglers, (some coming here for the first time), many thinking of a “big smallmouth bass bite” but the heads will usually out weigh most smallies and largemouth’s can be the bulk of about any big sack / 5 bass limit especially during the mid summer period!
As you can see by the picture, the young man getting ready for the “big bass tournament” was well prepared, when he rigged up a shallow running Norman Little N crankbait(chartreuse/black back) and caught this nice four pound largemouth bass in practice!
In another picture you will see a very proud angler that fished with me that week, that fooled a 5 pound largemouth bass at midday on a buzz bait, while fishing shallow in a sudden downpour, that lasted about 10 minutes. Just long enough for him to tie on a monstrosity…that fooled both the bass and me alike!
That half ounce, chartreuse and white, doubled-bladed buzz bait was adorned with a white 6 inch long Berkeley swim bait. And that big bass smacked it! You just never know, unless you throw.
I want to thank all the young anglers and the adults that choose to go out with Reeds Guide Service while preparing for this big bass tournament on Pickwick Lake! I hope they all caught some nice bass and did well, for their hard earned efforts on a hot, mid-summer day…
As Always, Call on Reeds Guide Service…first! For bass fishing any Alabama lake year round!
Thanks, and Good Fishin’!
Reed Montgomery, Owner of Reeds Guide Service “Fishing and Guiding on All Alabama
Lakes for Over 40 Years”
