With REDCREST quickly approaching, all eyes are on Alabama and Lake Guntersville. The premier fishery is set to host the sixth-ever REDCREST, and the lake should be a fitting venue for a championship event like this. According to pro angler and guide Jake Maddux, who grew up in Alabama, the fishing is expected to be very good, possibly record-breaking. He offers insight into how the lake is fishing, who to watch for, and how he would approach this tournament.
All Stages of the Spawn
Early April is a great time to go bass fishing in Alabama, and Maddux says there will be a little of everything happening, with plenty of bass spawning.
"April is kind of a unique month because you always have fish in all stages of the spawn on Guntersville," he said. "Depending on how cold the winter is every year, you can have small waves of bass spawning in March, but April is always a prime month for spawning. There will likely be some that already spawned and some that are getting ready to, and there's still a lot of fish that live offshore year-round."
While most of the fish will be shallow and accessible, even seen visually, Maddux thinks forward-facing sonar will still be a factor. "With their rules where you can only use it one period, deciding when to use it will be critical," he said. "It will still be a factor, but most fishing should be shallow with traditional spring techniques. But, forward-facing sonar could also play and help those guys catch some giants, it will be a nice mix of approaches and should be great for the fans wanting to see some variety."
One recent inhabitant of the lake is eelgrass, which has exploded in recent years. Maddux says this is both good and bad.
"It's taken over, and a lot of the anglers don't like it because it makes it harder to fish in areas," he said. "When anglers are trolling through stuff, it chops it up, brings it to the surface, and makes a mat that is almost impossible to fish in areas. When the wind blows, that mat moves to a different side of the lake. That gives some areas some rest, and the bass don't get pounded every day, so it can be a good thing."
Anglers to Watch
The field of anglers fishing at this event is stellar, with too many credentials to list. It's an impressive list that includes some of the best anglers on the Bass Pro Tour and some who qualified through lower levels with Major League Fishing. Maddux pointed to one of these, Hayden Marbut, as one to watch.
"Hayden won the Toyota Series on Guntersville last February and then the Toyota Series Championship on Wheeler Lake in the fall to qualify for this event. He's an all-around excellent angler; I went to school with him at Auburn," he said. "He's incredible with forward-facing sonar, but he's also one of the best shallow-water anglers I know. Plus, this one is on his home lake."
How Maddux Would Fish REDCREST
If he were in this event, Maddux says he would employ three main techniques: a swimbait, ChatterBait or crankbait, and a jighead minnow.
"If I was fishing, I'd definitely have to have something to fish around the eel grass and one of the best ways to do that is with a swimbait like the Optimum Boom Boom weedless," he said. "That's a great swimbait for vegetation, and you can catch those pre-spawners and post-spawners moving in and out."
Maddux also thinks a moving bait will play a role in this event, especially with the expected fish catches and how important it will be to catch them all day to keep up.
"I could see a vibrating jig being a factor, maybe even a glide bait," he said. "There also could be some square bill fishing just covering water. The ima Shaker would be a perfect choice because of how well it works in shallow water and for ticking the top of grass."
Finally, you can't count out the jighead minnow anywhere, and Maddux would go with the hottest minnow on the planet right now, the Deps Sakamata Shad. "There is always a way to catch them on that, and for Guntersville with the big fish in there, I'd go with a seven or 8-inch size," he said.
All signs point to a banner event on Lake Guntersville for REDCREST. The lake is in great shape, and it's a perfect time to be there, so the fish should be biting, and the weights on SCORETRACKER should be incredible to see.
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