By Jason Duran
Lake Guntersville has taken a lot of casts in recent months. Between local events, seasonal anglers, and the continued rise of forward facing sonar, the Tennessee River fishery has absorbed steady pressure throughout the winter. Coming into the Alabama Bass Trail North Division opener, many wondered how the lake would respond.
Saturday provided the answer.
Guntersville once again showed why it remains one of the most dependable stops on the Trail, producing 55 bags over 20 pounds, just shy of the ABT record of 58 such limits on the lake. Even more telling, it took more than 20 pounds just to earn a check, while seven bass over seven pounds were weighed during the event, proof that both quality and depth remain firmly intact.
At the top of the standings, Ben Lakey of Nauvoo and Jordan McGehee of Jasper weighed 28.94 pounds to earn their first Alabama Bass Trail victory and the $15,000 first place prize, opening Season 13 of the North Division with a strong early statement.
Staying Stubborn Pays Off
Lakey and McGehee’s win began with uncertainty. Practice was difficult and served more as elimination than discovery. A midweek encounter with shad gave them a starting point, but little confidence heading into tournament morning. Their plan was simple. Catch a limit early around bait and then move shallow.
They never made that move.
Instead, the pair committed fully to forward facing sonar, targeting individual bass positioned in transition areas between deeper water and the bank as warming conditions nudged fish toward early prespawn staging areas. The bites came slowly early in the day, and catching freshwater drum, repeatedly interrupted their rhythm. Rather than abandon the area, they adjusted their expectations and matched the pace of the fish. “We just stayed stubborn,” Lakey said. “Practice really told us what not to do, so we stuck with it.” Fishing a Cursh City Mooch Minnow in Tennessee shad, they built a limit by roughly 8:30 a.m., but it was not yet a winning bag. As the sun rose and bait movement improved, the quality followed. One upgrade led to another, and the weight steadily climbed into contention.
Multiple six pound class bass anchored the bag, including fish weighing 6.50, 6.20, and another just over six pounds. Late in the afternoon, a deep fish initially believed to be another drum surfaced beside the boat as a largemouth, triggering a scramble for the net and delivering the upgrade that helped secure the win.
Lewter and Wagnon Fall Just Short
Just ounces behind the winners, Drake Lewter of Madison and Tyler Wagnon of Athens finished second with 28.82 pounds, earning $7,500 after one of the most disciplined performances of the tournament. Blasting off mid pack, the duo pulled into a mid lake area and never left, committing to a long stretch of rock structure where bass staged in transition.
Using forward facing sonar, they targeted individual fish with a Crush City Mooch Minnow, focusing on bass relating to rocks in mid lake areas rather than committing fully shallow or offshore. The area continued to replenish throughout the day, allowing them to steadily upgrade while staying confident in a single location. Their patience nearly produced the victory in one of the tightest finishes of the event.
Midday Adjustment Lifts Gault and Swindle
Third place finishers Elliott Gault of Leesburg and James Swindle of Parrish weighed 28.52 pounds to earn $6,000, overcoming a practice setback that forced them to adjust quickly. A productive area found late in practice turned muddy overnight following rain runoff, leaving them to begin tournament morning on water they had not practiced. They started around grass using a lipless crankbait to secure an early limit before recognizing a key change in conditions. As the sun climbed, bass positioned beneath shallow docks, and the pair switched to a green pumpkin Backwoods Custom Jig, flipping shaded cover during the strongest feeding window of the day. Between roughly 12:30 and 1:30 p.m., nearly every flip produced quality bites.
“Every time we flipped, it was a big one,” Gault said. The surge included a 7.45 pound largemouth, pushing them into the top three.
Guntersville Still Has the Big Ones
While the top three separated themselves with nearly 29 pound limits, the broader story was the strength of the field. Despite sustained fishing pressure, Guntersville delivered:
55 bags over 20 pounds
More than 20 pounds required to earn a check
Seven bass exceeding seven pounds
Big Bass honors went to Greg Lamb and Don Lamb, whose 7.58 pound largemouth earned the event’s $1,000 Big Fish payout.
The results reflected a lake in seasonal transition, with bass scattered between staging areas and shallow cover, rewarding anglers willing to trust their decisions and allow patterns to develop throughout the day.
Season 13 Begins
With the North Division season underway, Lakey and McGehee leave Guntersville with early Angler of the Year momentum and their first Alabama Bass Trail victory on one of the Trail’s most demanding fisheries. They punched their ticket to the ABT Championship.
If the opener proved anything, it is that Guntersville continues to reward patience. In a tournament where conditions changed throughout the day and margins remained razor thin, success ultimately belonged to anglers willing to stay committed long enough for the right bites to come.
The North Division now turns toward Pickwick Lake as the 2026 season continues to unfold.
For a complete list of standings please visit https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/lake-guntersville/results/
Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.” The Podcast is released each week on Tuesday.
The 2026 Alabama Bass Trail Team Series is made possible through partnerships with industry leading brands: Phoenix Boats, AMFirst, Larry Puckett Chevrolet, 13 Fishing, Rapala, VMC, CRUSHCITY, Buffalo Rock, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Jack’s, Garmin, Thompson Tractor Company, Pirnah02, Alabama State Parks, Halo Fishing, Snag Proof, NetBait, Bait Fuel, Alfa Insurance Thomas ALFA MAN Shelton, TH Marine Supplies, Power-Pole, Pro Guide Batteries, Yamaha, SCUM FROG, E3 Sports Apparel, FishAlabama.org, Sweet Home Alabama, and Alabama Mountain Lakes.
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
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