HomeFeaturesPhoto Gallery – North Alabama Mountain Lakes 11/3/2011 – Advanced Angler got the chance to tour three of the best lakes in Northern Alabama this week. With the help of Kay Donaldson and the Alabama Mountain Lakes Association, we got the chance to join with three other Outdoor Journalists and some of Alabama’s favored anglers to experience the fishing on Lake Guntersville, Weiss Lake and Neely Henry. Guntersville was the first stop for Advanced Angler as we arrived a day early due to hectic travel scheduling and we met up with Bassmaster Elite Series Pro, and Guntersville resident Chris Lane for a day on the water with him. Being from Florida originally, Lane loves grass, and his favorite two approaches are tossing his Snag Proof Guntersville Frog and Flipping matted grass with his Gambler BB Cricket. The day produced a flurry of activity with dozens of frog blowups and several bites on the Cricket, but the highlight of the day was Lane’s 7.5 to 8-pound Guntersville beauty that bit his signature frog. After a day of fishing, we checked in to the Chattokee Lodge in Gaylesville, Ala., a beautiful hunting lodge near Weiss Lake; one of the premier crappie lakes in the state. We had a great dinner then hit the rack to prepare for a day of bass and crappie fishing on Weiss Lake. We awoke the next morning to a gorgeous Alabama sunrise; this is the view from the front of the lodge overlooking their land to the east. We then headed to Weiss for a morning of chasing bass with Jimmy Mason, a Northern Alabama guide and Bassmaster tournament pro, then turned our attention to crappie in the afternoon with Lee Pitts, another Northern Alabama Guide and tournament pro. Mason gave us a few lesons on throwing crankbaits around boat docks and Flippin’ and Pitchin’ them as well. He even showed us a little about the new Alabama Rig, a lure he’s been trying to quietly throw around his home for the past several months. He said he wasn’t surprised to see Paul Elias use it to win the FLW Tour Open on Guntersville, but wished it hadn’t happened so soon. Pitts showed us how to shoot boat docks for crappie with a 1/24th-ounce leadhead and a Bobby Garland Baby Shad. The lesson netted us several nice slabs, including a nice one that pushed the two-pound mark. We’ve got a little bit more travel in front of us, but start looking for some of the articles and videos we’ve gathered to start showing up soon; we’ve learned some really cool things to share with you. All in the name of trying to keep Elevating Fishing to the Next Level!
