Three-Fish Limit Set For Snag Proof Open On Guntersville
Frog bite is beginning to turn on just in time for the Snag Proof Open on Guntersville!!
The 8th annual Snag Proof Open on Lake Guntersville Aug. 11 will feature a three-bass limit because of the 100-degree heat that has prevailed across the country this summer.
“We are going to a three-fish limit this year,” said Jamie Shay, tournament director. “Since we are having the tournament in August we are going to look out for the fish.”
That is quite a contrast to the much cooler weather anglers experienced in the 2011 Snag Proof Open on Guntersville which was held on Oct. 1. Even with the extreme heat, however, Shay said fishing should be much better than it has been by the day of the tournament.
“The frog bite is beginning to turn on and it’s producing as much as anything else right now. The grass is starting to come out and by the tournament it should be a lot better. I think two weeks of sunshine will be great for the grass.”
The soft plastic frog is an essential part of an angler’s arsenal when it comes to bass and grass – and Lake Guntersville is famous for its grass. Real frogs live in watery stands of aquatic grass and bass consider them a delicacy.
Tournament rules allow anglers to modify a Snag Proof Frog, but the essential part of their lure has to be an original Snag Proof Frog. Modifications allowed include using weights for techniques such as Texas and Carolina rigs and drop shots. Anglers may also paint or stain the frogs and they can change the hooks and add trailer hooks without using leaders. Frogs can’t be used as a trailer on a jig, spinnerbait or buzzbait if those lures have a hook of their own. They also can’t be used in umbrella rigs or other multiple-lure rigs.
With a three-fish limit, Shay said it probably will take 15 to 18 pounds to win the tournament.
“Three 5-pounders or maybe somebody with a 7-pounder, a 5-pounder and a 3-pounder will win it – but that’s just a guess.”
Participation in the October tournament last year was down, Shay said, because of 30 mph winds and 55-degree temperatures.
“But we still had 130 boats last October and this year we are back in August, so I anticipate between 150 and 250 boats. The guys are calling in left and right. They all want to be in. There’s a good buzz going on around the tournament,” he said.
Anglers may register for the tournament online at www.snagproof.com, with on-site registration Aug. 10 starting at 3 p.m. at The Bait Tackle and Grill at Goose Pond. A mandatory meeting will be held at the grill at 7 p.m.
Shay and his wife, Michelle, who moved to Lake Guntersville four years ago from Florida, now own The Bait Tackle and Grill at Goose Pond.
“We took over Feb. 1 and it has been a fun, exciting and crazy ride for sure,” he said. “Business was extremely good during the spring and then it slowed a little in this 100-degree heat this summer but it has been exciting. We’ve heard a lot of good fish stories.”
The Snag Proof Open at Guntersville is sanctioned by BoatUS and the Anglers Weigh-to-win Program, a cash contingency program for BoatUS Angler members.
The Guntersville Open will be the third and final Snag Proof tournament of the year. The first, the 3rd Annual Potomac River Open, was held Sunday, July 29. The second, the 11th annual California Open, was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 4 and 5, on the California Delta.
Snag Proof Open
Sat, Aug 11, 2012
Lake Guntersville
Goose Pond Colony
Call Jamie Shay 256-599-0132
