Todays solunar fishing times for alabama, united states according to our calculations, today may 1, 2020 has a 2 out of 4 rating and is a average day for fishing. From handsize bluegill to monster catfish in freshwater or 5pound sheepshead to 60pound amberjack in saltwater, this years fishing calendar has something for everyone. Fish the pads and reeds that are clean with no hydrilla. We have florida bass, tiger bass, copper nose and regular bream, shell cracker, catfish and white perch crappie. All guide boats are also equipped with cellular phones u. Lake george lake eufaula current fishing report from ken sturdivant keeps. Backwater cabins at thomas mill creek country cabins. Theres another two or three weeks of prime spawning time too so grab a friend and head on out.
Okeechobee bluegill fishing is fun and catching them are second to none in the frying pan. Of course, its a spinnerbait, with all the flash and thump that makes this bait style so effective, but the trickster leverages. Fishing over a shell cracker bed with a cane pole and a bobber pulling in one fish after another of the pan frying size until you fill the cooler. By eliminating the snail population, the redear bream will have effectively broken the cycle of the worm. Crappie fishing, bluegill, shellcracker and crappie. A member of the national fresh water fishing hall of fame and legends of the outdoors, steve mccadams is a professional guide and outdoor writer from paris, tenn. The owner of this website is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon properties including, but not limited to,,, or. Georgia lake seminole and worldrecord shellcrackers caught. Georgias lakes, streams, ponds and coast are worldfamous for great fishing. Guntersville lake fishing report near guntersville, alabama. In south alabama, redear sunfish begin bedding in march, but fishing usually peaks in may, darr says. Crappie and bass anglers often consider fishing to be at its best in early.
Its the fourth state fishing record of the year in the. Hey guys, i went bluegill fishing with my buddy richard gene the fishing machine on lake guntersville in alabama. Anglers fishing at lake a, lake b, lake f, lake g, lake 5, fish hook lake, legs lake, coronet lake, shop lake, and lost lake west have the best opportunity to be successful catching bream on the property. March freshwater fishing trips will be rewarded with many different species like largemouth bass, sunshine bass hybrid stripers, catfish, bluegill, shell cracker, crappie, shad, tilapia, and mullet. I can tell you this, for about two weeks of the year i turn into a. We just recently decided to open them up and you can have the first opportunity to get in on some great fishing. In the south, shellcracker fishing is common among pan fisherman. These big mean pan fish do tend to spawn slightly deeper than the regular blue gills. Big shellcracker redear sunfish fishing with 1 lb line. Lake eufaula fishing guide tim is a 27yr veteran firefighter, he has been with the dothan fire dept for 22 yrs, when he is not serving the public he is spending time on lake eufaula looking for slab crappie, big bream, and shell cracker. Florida shellcracker fishing spawning bluegills mwoutdoors. Instead of being put off by a fly slamming down right on top of their heads like a rising trout might be, an obnoxious, inyourface presentation often draws an immediate strike from bedding bream.
The average pond owner usually misses this spawn and may miss some of the best bream fishing the pond has to offer. They will spawn again and again on the full moon every month from may through september. By the end of march, depending on water temperatures and water levels, redears shellcracker start migrating to the shallows in preparation for the spawn. In the mid west the bluegill offers a lot of attitude for their size, fighting better than any other freshwater species of panfish.
Its about to be that time of the year for bream fishermen. Weiss lake alabama crappie, bass and stripe fishing guide. For more information about the best freshwater bait to use for your target fish, check the freshwater fish species section. Catching bluegill and shellcracker on kentuckhy lake. Luckestrike rick clunn trickster spinnerbait bass pro. Springtime bass fishing alabamas lay lake during the spawning months of march, april and may march 8, 2020 by reed montgomery. Lee pitts is the premiere crappie guide for big slab size crappie on weiss lake in alabama.
Kissimmee chain of lakes fishing forecast march 2019. Keep an eye on the full moon of march and april, dig some worms in the backyard and catch a. In march 2006 the lake was stocked with 30,000 threadfin shad. Fishing floridas largest bluegill, the shellcracker.
Searching for the shellcrackers the signs are there. The souths best shellcracker holes hunting and fishing. Redear sunfish shellcracker typically begin spawning about one month before bluegill. In april through august, the bream and bluegill fishing or shell crackers as the locals call them can be absolutely incredible. Bluegill and shellcracker fishing with my favorite style. Its the first week of april and we just had a blue moon two full moons in the same month so the shellcrackers should be moving in to spawn. Okeechobee bluegill fishing on lake okeechobee florida. Redear often occupy deeper water before and after the spawn. May is a little late for shellcracker, but its just right for the many.
Bream is a local term throughout the southeast that includes a variety of deepbodied panfish belonging to the sunfish family. We both wanted to go after them with our fly rods aka buggy whoppers as acey wall, deceased use to call my fly rod. Shellcracker fishing tips sheelcracker fishing florida. Daily fishing reports fishing alabama reeds guide service. For smaller waters, anglers often catch the largest bass in late february and march. Your bluegill or crappie fishing trip will be done in the comfort and safety of our fully rigged bass boat. Shell cracker fishing fish lake guntersville guide service.
Shellcracker seasons seasonal advice for bluegill and redear sunfish. The color of the lure is not very important, but retrieve and action is. From march through august each year, my wife and i survived on freshly caught bream, while we attended the university of west alabama in livingston. The current moonphase is a first quarter moon and 60 percent of the moon is visible. In lakes with heavy boat traffic, the wakes can mess up fishing along the shorelines, said mike baker, a professional crappie angler who also. Dont worry if your flyfishing abilities arent trout stream caliber. Largemouth bass are in coves working plastic creatures, frogs and worms, topwater early and crankbaits in 612. Fly rod anglers are not left out in march when it comes to fishing for.
March prespawn bass, april spawning bass and may postspawn bass on alabamas coosa river impoundment lay lake written by reed montgomery reeds guide service birmingham, al. If we get a couple warmer days in a row in the spring. I went fishing for shellcracker at clarks hill the week after easter last year. Where to go fishing in georgia official georgia tourism. Minnows on a gold hook work best in 3 feet of water around full and new moons.
Fishing for shellcrackers in florida large bluegills. Best locations, lures and presentations for bass fishing. From the tennessee river to the gulf of mexico, alabama has a tremendous variety of fish species to pursue. Anglers are currently catching an abundance of 3 to 4 pound fish. Onethird bluegill, onethird coppernose, and onethird shell cracker. The fish where in 6 8 feet and several yards from the rock. We opened alabamas newest reservoir to fishing in july, said jay haffner. You may be supervised to learn that the full moon plays a major role. You can pay your deposit via pay pal click on buy now. In central florida, the spawning occurs between late march to late april. At the end of march start looking for shell cracker beds in 2 feet of water. There were a few days that we experienced catches of 30 plus fish and some good size mixed in there with them. Here is a quick look at where to go and what fish youll find when you get there.
Out catching some early bedding sunfish and decided to turn on the camera for some panfish. A detailed fishing report for the guntersville lake will make the difference between a good fishing here and a bad one. Our how to catch series continues with a feature on bream fishing and tips on. Now is the time to strike a trot to the lake and wet a hook for these babies. The best shell cracker fishing i can remember was along the rip rap at water front. In this video, i explain why the hair jig is so effective, and why its my favorite style of jig, for bluegill and shellcracker fishing. With the march type weather, we have been experiencing fishing remained strong on guntersville this past week.
My college buddies and i fished the 200milelong tombigbee river from epes to demopolis. Shellcrackers spawn about 1 month before the bluegills copperheads spawn. Steves reports cover kentucky lake from paris landing to new johnsonville. Redear bream, are often referred to as shellcracker, because of their preference for snails. Kentucky lake shell crackers last two years on the shell crackers i have done good with a 116 oz. See what triggers this bully bluegill to bite and what bait to use.
Pound for pound, there is not another fish that out pulls these little bullies. Tenoroc accommodates all users with boat ramps, bank fishing, and ada accessible piersfacilities. Obviously, i wasnt surprised by doug darrs next pick. Both bluegills and shellcrackers make alabama home, and anglers are never far from a potentially great, earlyspring bream fishing spot. All boats have an ice cooler for food and soft drinks, live wells and plenty of storage which will make your day enjoyment. This 4,500acre lake is home to plenty of shell beds, jeff willitzer, biologist for the southwest region of the fl orida fish and wildlife conservation commission in wakeland, florida, explains. Shellcracker and bream fishing robert webster of hamlet, nc who has a camper at the lake tillery family campground, adjacent highway 2427, has been keeping a watch on the fishing conditions for shellcrackers and bream. It is always interesting to experience a shell cracker bream fishing trip that keeps you on your toes with something new. The luckestrike rick clunn trickster spinnerbait has been tweaked and refined to give you a dramatically different option for triggering reluctant bass.
Corps of engineers on the chattahoochee river on the georgiaalabama border. For the last seven years, lake tarpon has consistently produced large shellcrackers year round. Fish in some of the best privately owned lakes in the southeast. The latter is better known to alabama anglers as shellcracker. But if i had to pick one lake that has historically produced plenty of shellcrackers and bluegills, it would be lake guntersville, nick nichols, assistant chief of fisheries for alabama s wildlife.
Lets face it, theres a lot we can learn and share from one another like what bait or lure is generating the best results. Shell cracker bream fishing trip florida fishing north. Hey guys, i know many of you think that fishing for bluegill is for kids. In an afternoon of fishing, we caught a good limit of bluegills using the tactics. From the big northern lakes of alabama, guntersville and wheeler, down to the massive mobile delta and everywhere in between, some worldclass bream can be found. Lake okeechobee bluegill has an attitude for their size and fights better than any other freshwater species of panfish. Redear have blunted molaform teeth that allow them to crack the shell open then consume the snail. In shallow water the crappies are now making their way out to open water. Hybrid and striped bass fishing good march to november white perch crappie fishing good year round best time september to april. It will be the only spawn of the year for the redear.
Fishing for shellcrackers the 2018 catch mwoutdoors. In south florida, shellcracker may spawn as early as the last week of february but more likely around the fourth week of march. Wilson laketennessee river the best time to hook up with a smallmouth is after the spawn in late spring, when the action on top and shallow water is at its peak. Fishing for bluegill and shellcracker in the peak of the spawn is one of them. Fish lake guntersville guide service welcomes you to the best bass fishing service on lake guntersville in alabama. You can access steves previous fishing reports in our fishing report archives. Legendary angler rick clunns unique spinnerbait returns. March is prime time for alabama anglers to use small crankbaits worked slowly along deep water ledges and dropoffs. They are also second to none in the frying pan, so i thought i would take a trip to tavares florida and try my hand at some of the largest bluegills in the states, the shellcracker. How to catch crappie in all 4 crappie fishing phases. Its been a great week on lake kissimmee for big bass, limits of shellcracker and speckled perch up to 2 pounds. Okeechobee bluegill fishing lake okeechobee guide service. North florida offers a variety of opportunity to catch different species of freshwater fish. Speaking of shell crackers, this can be some of the greatest fishing there is.
Compare the cost of losing one worm to losing a lure and youll see that fishing with live bait can be less expensive than fishing with lures. Are you scratching your head about now and saying to yourself, what is he going to write about this time. Another technique ive used successfully in alabamas small public lakes at this time of year to locate bluegill beds is to fish a renosky jig this lure resembles a small minnow, and can be fished on 2 to 4poundtest line with spinning tackle. Both bluegills and shellcrackers make alabama home, and anglers are. Two peak fishing periods occur, one in april and may when shellcrackers are spawning, and a fall run from early november through middecember. Although we caught only a few fish on that trip since it was too early, it did bring back memories of how much fun bream fishing can be. Heres the fishing report that will be in thursdays ledger from the lake, in case youre ready to go. A fly rod and some big shell crackers a whole lot of fun. I like to catch plenty of fish that fight hard, test my tackle and my angling skills and taste delicious when i eat them. By the end of march, depending on water temperatures and. The guides at east alabama fly fishing are a proven authority on fly fishing in the region, especially on the niche species of redeye bass.