Reservoir Fishing: Hit The Back Sides Of Channels In The Fall

Editor's note: This blog installment comes from Fishhound pro staffer Capt. Mike Gerry.

As I look back over my data that I've kept over the last 22 years of reservoir fishing, the back side of the lake, off the channel, has always offered the best all-around fishing in the fall.

My feeling is that bass in reservoirs, as they migrate to the creeks and coves, will first stop in the flat areas of the lake where they feed and stage on their way into the creeks. This pattern's extremely deadly when you can find isolated pieces of wood or small grass patches on those flat areas, which the bass will move back and forth to as the day moves on.

The key is that these isolated stumps or grass patches attract the baitfish, and because they're in such flat, open areas, they're easy feed for the bass. If anything's proven itself over and over again, it's that bass like easy prey in the fall. The bass are generally going to attack the easiest food as they transition their bodies into winter. A stickup or remote stump or clump of weeds is just ideal for the easiest feeding this time of year.

Also, don't confuse a piece of wood to mean a big, 3-foot-round type of structure sitting out in the flat. I've seen the tiniest stick hung on the bottom, maybe only a quarter-inch round, that held some big fish.

Another important concept is that the fall "run" as I describe it can last all the way into December on Guntersville, because we generally don't see the really cold weather until around Christmas time. So the remote, backside structure can actually produce for some 8 to 10 weeks. Point being: Use the same piece of cover for several days in a row or weeks at a time until the bass prove they've left.

Capt. Mike Gerry has lived in north Alabama since the 1970s and has been fishing Lake Guntersville for over 35 years. He owns and operates Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service and books individual, group and corporate trips. He also offers pre-tournament trips for competitive anglers. Visit FishLakeGuntersvilleGuideService.com, send him an email at bassguide@comcast.net or call (256) 759-2270. He'd love to hear from you!

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