Bama's Top Bluegill Destination for May and June

By Eileen Davis

One of the best ways to bring everyone in your family together is through fishing. Spending fun times together fishing not only creates life-long memories, it also introduces kids to the great outdoors and ignites their curiosity of nature. 

I doubt if I am alone in that one of earliest memories as a kid is of going fishing. My grandparents and parents took us bluegill fishing under a bridge. Our cane poles stayed busy as the fish aggressively defended their nests, and before long, adults began cleaning and cooking fish on the river bank while we continued to fish. As you can imagine, no fish ever tasted better than they did that day.

To make this a summer to remember, take your family on a vacation to Lake Guntersville where everyone has an opportunity to catch fish and interact with nature.

Located at the northeast corner of the state on the Tennessee River, Lake Guntersville is our largest lake and has an abundance of grass flats perfect for rearing fish. It also has a forage base for good growth rates. These factors contribute to making Lake Guntersville one of our top destinations for catching bluegill.

“Bluegills are always willing to bite,” said district fisheries supervisor Phil Ekema, and are perfect when fishing with children. The fish are easy to catch and will hold their interest.”  

If you plan to fish from shore, Ekema recommends fishing the lower section of the lake, but adds weeds can limit access.  

He continued, “The mouth of Brown’s Creek and Guntersville State Park at the camping area on Town Creek may be good places to fish from shore. Additionally, there are many bridges popular with anglers, although they mostly target bass, catfish and crappie. It’s possible to catch bluegill, but most of the bridges have riprap along the shore.  

“When scouting for fish, work the inside weed edges and keep moving. If you don’t catch a fish within 5 minutes, move a short distance. If the weeds have not topped out, adjust the float on your line to keep your bait above and out of the weeds.”  

When fishing from a boat, the biologist recommends fishing near the Highway 431 Bridge south of the Alred Marina. Other productive areas include Goose Pond and Sebow.     

The best time to catch bluegill is during the spawn, which peaks on Lake Guntersville in May. June is also good as these sunfish spawn throughout the summer and multiple times.  

“Nest sites have good substrate and weeds to help protect the beds,” said Ekema. “Weeds grow in some of the gravel areas and it hides them from predators. Look for beds in water 3 to 4 feet deep and fish with crickets.”   

Whether looking for a resort style retreat or an outdoor adventure, Lake Guntersville Resort State Park is sure to please. Among the park’s many offerings are a championship golf course, a beach complex, a fishing center, a nature center, 36 miles of hiking and biking trails, and ziplines.    

Read more about how successful anglers find and catch Bama’s bream.