It’s REDCREST week, and some of the best bass anglers in the world will be fishing at the legendary Lake Guntersville in Alabama. The fishing is expected to be great, according to Alabama pro Greg Vinson, who narrowly missed qualifying for this event in his home state.
He wishes he was fishing this event, but he has some unique insight into the fishery and the anglers competing. He shared his predictions and how he would fish at this event if he had qualified.
Guntersville in Back
Living in Alabama, Vinson has often fished Guntersville over the years and says the lake is in great shape. He expects some huge weight totals from the field.
“I know plenty of guys who fish there regularly, and I hear all of the big weights they have been catching,” he said. “It reminds me of the ‘good old days’ of Guntersville when I was fishing the Opens trying to make it to the Elite Series. Those winning weights back then are similar to what’s happening now.”
Vinson reports that big bags are the norm right now. “It’s taking weights pushing 30 pounds to win five fish tournaments right now, and catching 20 pounds hardly gets you a pat on the back,” he said. “With this format of being able to catch as many as you can, it’s no telling what you’ll see. When the fishing is good like this, you are constantly throwing back 3-pounders that won’t help much in a five-fish format, but they’ll be able to weigh them in this one.”
Living close by, Vinson has been watching the weather in the region and expects the bass to be in all stages of the spawn. “They are running right up against the spawn, and there will be waves of fish coming and going,” he said. “That could be good for someone who finds some of those areas with fresh fish coming to them.”
Many anglers in the field know Guntersville well and Vinson said there are many capable of winning, but his pick to win this event is local Justin Lucas.
“There are some excellent anglers fishing, but he’s the one that stands out to me,” he said. “I see his social media, and he’s always fishing out there and trying new techniques. He’s on his home pond and will know where to move around and adjust if needed, plus he’s as good as anyone at keeping up with what the fish are doing.”
How Vinson Would Fish REDCREST
A slight stumble on the last day of the season last year bounced Vinson out of contention to qualify for this event, but he’s still thinking about how he would approach Lake Guntersville in this one. One key he mentioned is covering water.
“With this format, you need to cover water and be efficient, and one of the best ways to do that is with a vibrating jig,” he said. “I added a NetBait BaitFuel HexTek Whip Tail Shad as the trailer. It has a great baitfish profile and is tailor-made for fishing on the back of a vibrating jig. Guntersville is full of vegetation, and a vibrating jig is perfect. You can catch pre-spawn and post-spawn fish and potentially even spawning bass with it.”
Vinson is a huge fan of jerkbaits everywhere he goes and says they could be a factor in this event. “One thing I do on lakes like Guntersville with bigger bass and larger forage is to use a longer jerkbait,” he said. “That could be a key for guys targeting fish staging to spawn.”
Vinson likes to fish his larger jerkbaits on a 7-foot, 5-inch medium heavy power Halo Fishing KS II Elite Series Casting Rod.
“That’s a rod that’s probably longer than most guys would use for a jerkbait and a little heavier action, but it loads very well for the bigger jerkbaits,” he said. “I also fish them with a more side action instead of twitching them downwards, allowing me to get away with a little longer rod. That’s also probably my favorite rod in the entire Halo lineup, and it’s very versatile; you can even fish vibrating jigs with it.”
Two other possible factors in this event are a wacky rig and a jighead minnow. “Anytime you are around the spawn, a wacky-rig is a player, and the NetBait BaitFuel Ion Soft Stick Bait is perfect,” he said. “It’s got the BaitFuel in there to help, and the style is something that big fish still bite, even after all these years. The jighead minnow is another bait that could be a factor since it seems to be everywhere now, and the NetBait Twitch Jr. is a great one for that style of fishing.”
The field is ready for REDCREST 2025, and Lake Guntersville is ready to show what it can produce. According to Greg Vinson, the fishing should be incredible, and it's anyone's guess as to what it will take to win this year.
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