June holds the promise of some great summertime fishing on Alabama lakes and rivers.
Alabama Waters
Lake Weiss
Captain Lee Pitts says that Lake Weiss will be at full pool level after being lower last winter. The dam’s generating schedule will be on a normal level, and fishing will be better when water is being moved through the dam creating a current in the lake.
About the fishing, Captain Lee says, “After a great springtime top-water bite, bass will still be found in shallow water. The first wave of bass, both largemouth, and spots, will be moving off the shorelines and out into deeper water. Weiss is known for open water bass fishing. Anglers should use their electronics to locate old house foundations and other hard material structures in deeper open water.”
For crappie fishing, anglers will want to work docks. There will still be few late spawners holding under docks, and anglers will have good luck shooting docks with jigs. Crappie will be breaking up from their spawning schools and going into a less concentrated pattern. The big crappie are still there, but they’re not found in big schools now.
Lake Guntersville
The heavy grass of all kinds which make Lake Guntersville famous for its bass fishing should be greening up well and starting to form mats in June. Bass anglers won’t go far wrong by working soft plastics over the grass beds.
“Captain Jake Davis says, “The bass should be on shell beds in June. There will be a good top-water bite along the grass lines. Anglers can use jigs, crankbaits, and swim baits on these shell bed bass.””
Captain Jake Davis says, “The bass should be on shell beds in June. There will be a good top-water bite along the grass lines. Anglers can use jigs, crankbaits, and swim baits on these shell bed bass.”
Spinnerbaits will be good early in the morning on Guntersville.
A very good bite for anglers on Guntersville in June will be shellcracker bream. They’ll be spawning in two to four feet of water. These extra-large bream will respond well to worms fished close to the bottom.
White bass, stripers, and hybrids will be busting on shad in open water in June. Anglers can throw shad-look top-water plugs to attract these hard-pullers.
Captain Jake says, “The whole lake should be really good in June- there’s no bad spots to look for fish.”
Lake Eufaula
Our buddy Captain Sam Williams feels that this summer should be very good for anglers on Lake Guntersville,
He says, “If the weather and bite keep on like this spring, it will be hot!
Look for bass in and around cover. Hydrilla patches will be very good. After such a warm winter, the water is back up to full pool level, and the grass is holding bait. Look for grass and you’ll find the bass.”
Anglers can find fish on early morning top-water lures and then use shallow running jerk baits. Frogs and buzz baits will be good in June.
The Eufaula crappie will be on ledges in June around brush piles. The crappie don’t leave the brush.
Trolling for crappie in open water around the deep brush piles can be very good for big crappie in June.
Catfish will be red-hot in June. Captain Sam says, “I like jug fishing using cut bait for big catfish in June.”
Anglers need to be aware that in June in case of stormy, heavy-rainfall weather, the south end of the lake clears faster because of its sandy bottom, but the whole lake should be quite good.
Captain Sam says, “Shellcracker bream will be bedding, so get some pink worms, and find the big shell cracker bream. You’ll stop fishing when you’re too tired to pull them off the hooks.”
June brings fine weather, warm days, and good open water fishing. Photo by Ed Mashburn.
Miller’s Ferry
Our expert on the fishing at Miller’s Ferry, Joe Dunn of Dunn’s Sports in Thomasville, tells us that in the month of June, water movement is crucial for fishing success on the lake. The water is going to be clearing up from spring heavy flows, and when the dam is pulling water and making current in the lake, anglers can do some real good.
Joe Dunn says, “Bass anglers will want to work major creeks and out in the main lake in June. Crankbaits, Carolina rig soft plastics, and shaky head worms will work well. There will be a good top-water bite early in the mornings around grass and on the points. Look for green trees down in the water on the main lake- bass will always be around these.”
For crappie, an angler will want to look out in the main lake in deeper water. Most anglers troll for crappie using jigs, Road-runners, and other weighted jig-type lures tipped with live minnows in June. Jigs can be a bit larger in June than were used in early spring.
Bream anglers should have great luck on Miller’s Ferry in June. They’ll be bedding, and they will be eating the huge willow fly hatches that will start in June.
In fact, anglers won’t go far wrong on Miller’s Ferry in June by using bream pattern crankbaits when the willow flies start their hatches. The big bass love to eat the bream that are too busy eating willow flies to pay attention to the big bass coming up below them.
Wilson Lake
Captain Brian Barton tells us that June can be a dynamite month for anglers looking for major catches of catfish below Wilson and Pickwick Dams. It’s one of the best months for catching lots of eating size and bigger cats.
He says, “I like big chunks of cut skipjack or shad. Worms, chicken livers and even shrimp will work well for smaller catfish.”
Captain Brian tells us, “My most memorable fishing trip was in early June about ten years ago. I pulled to the wall of Wilson Dam, and the catfish were schooling on the surface along the dam feeding on newly hatched shad minnows. We filled a 120-quart cooler with cats and were home by 9:00. That was a day that every cat angler dreams of.”
There will be lots of white bass, stripers, and hybrids gathering below the dams when water is being pulled through, and anglers can use live shad or large minnows in the live water below the dams to have a ball catching these hard-pullers.
Smallmouth bass will be holding along steep rocky shores and along the sheer rock bluffs. Soft plastics in crawfish patterns can be deadly on these north Alabama brown bass.
Panfish anglers who work any of the major feeder creeks which empty into Wilson and Pickwick can fill up an ice chest in short order by working worms and crickets close to the bottom where the bream will be holding on their beds.
Sipsey Fork
According to Brandon Jackson of Riverside Fly shop, anglers who want to catch some of the fine trout in the Sipsey Fork in June should start thinking about terrestrial bugs. He says, “We’re going to see more hoppers by then. And when they’re flying around, hopper flies are really good. Also, beetle flies are good, even the big Japanese beetles will be eaten by the trout.”
Another good point of planning trout fishing trip to the Sipsey in June is that by then, the generation schedule of pumping water through the dam will have usually settled down and will be in the normal pattern. This means that during the week, water will be running hard in the afternoons, but water won’t be pumped hard on the weekends.
For anglers who want to get started in the fly fishing game for trout, Brandon Jackson recommends the Boost rod from Echo which sells at Riverside for $89.99 and is a good quality rod that is packable and easy to travel with.
Spinning gear anglers should be able to catch all of the trout they want in June by using small single-hook Roostertails in small sizes, as well as Trout Magnet, lures in 1/16 oz. sizes.
Mobile Delta
Captain Wayne Miller tells us that bass anglers on the massive Mobile Delta will be fishing full-blown summertime pattern. The water should be down to normal levels, and that means all of the rivers will be tidal-influenced in June. The tide affects the river waters far up on the Alabama River and all of the other rivers which feed into the Delta.
“Most bass tournaments on the Delta are won by anglers fishing the middle and upper areas of the Delta, and the lower Delta is just not as productive now.”
Captain Wayne advises bass anglers to look at the main rivers since the lakes off the rivers will be getting quite shallow with the lower water levels in June.
Most bass tournaments on the Delta are won by anglers fishing the middle and upper areas of the Delta, and the lower Delta is just not as productive now.
In June, anglers can expect a good early morning top-water bite on big Spooks and big buzzbaits. As the day moves on, heavy spinnerbaits worked deep on wood cover in the main rivers will be best. Big soft plastic and crankbaits worked near wood cover will be good, too.
Bass anglers need to find deep treetops and work the entire sunken tree structure carefully. These “tops” will require lots of casts to cover correctly to find the fish.
Captain Wayne says, “June can be a grind for catching fish. However, the bass are still there and just need a little persuading to bite.”
Some really big bass will be found all over the region in June. Photo by Ed Mashburn.
Florida Waters
Apalachicola River System
Tony Poloronis of Outcasters Bait and Tackle in Apalachicola tells us that anglers who go on the Apalachicola River system in June, especially down toward the mouth of the river, should not be surprised if several kinds of saltwater game fish show up on any fishing trip. Reds, specks, and flounder are commonly found in the same waters that bass and bream inhabit.
In June, anglers on the Apalachicola system should be able to find some great bream fishing for both bluegills and big shell crackers. These fish will still be bedding, and places on the main river and the smaller streams will work. Look for lily pads, and the bream on beds will be close.
Anglers who fish the fingers of the river where it meets the bay will have good luck on bass in June. Soft plastics, crankbaits, and spinner baits, especially Snagless Sallies, worked around reed beds will find plenty of bass in June.
For some serious hard pulling, anglers might want to run up the river to the point where the Pinhook River enters the Apalachicola. Both hybrid bass and the big saltwater stripers often hold here, and they can get very big. Live bait including shrimp and flashy artificial lures will attract the attention of the big striped bass.
Lake Talquin
Jeff Dubree of Whippoorwill Lodge on Lake Talquin tells us that June will probably be the last month for anglers to get after the fish is anything like comfort. It gets pretty hot in full summer.
In June, anglers can do very well on catfish using cut bait and stink bait in the creeks and ledges of the main lake.
Bream anglers will find lots of bedding bream in shallow water all over the lake, and throwing a dark-colored Beetlespin is a good way to find the hungry bream. For best luck, fish the full moon.
Bass at Lake Talquin will be moving from shallow spawning waters to deeper points and ledges in the main lake. Depending on how hot the weather gets, there can be a very good early and late top-water bite.
AS the month goes along, Jeff DuBree tells us that anglers fishing at night can have very good results for bass around lighted boat docks using lipless crankbaits.
Crappie anglers do well fishing at night using lights attached to their boats and letting bait congregate below the lights.
Lake Seminole
Jody Wells guides out of Seminole Lodge and Marina, and he tells us that anglers on Lake Seminole in June can expect some very good bass fishing.
He says, “It’s going to be good in deep water in June on soft plastics, and early and late throwing top-water frogs. Fish over hydrilla, lily pads, anything you can throw over will hold fish.”
Bass at Seminole in June will average four pounds, with larger and smaller fish.
The bream will be on the beds in June and all through the summer. Crappie, known as speckled perch at Seminole, will be very good all through the summer. June anglers can use live minnows or other minnow-looking artificials to catch plenty of crappie.
Anglers can find some good hybrid and striper fishing in June, but visiting anglers need to be aware that certain areas of the lake are marked and set off limits for fishing because these are spring areas where the big stripers congregate for water temperature protection. Hefty fines will occur for anglers trying to catch stripers out of these areas.
Jody Wells recommends anglers start their trips at Seminole Lodge and Marina (850-593-6886) which is right on the water, is clean and has good dock facilities for anglers.
Important Contact Information
Joe Dunn
Dunn’s Sports
334-636-0850
33356 Hwy 43, Thomasville, AL
Captain Sam Williams
Hawks Guide Service
334-687-0400
Brandon Jackson/ Randy Jackson
Riverside Fly Shop
17027 Hwy 69N
Jasper, AL
256-287-9582
Riversideflyshop.com
Captain Lee Pitts
256-390-4145
Captain Brian Barton
256-412-0960
brianbartonoutdoors.com
Captain Jake Davis
Mid-South Bass Guide Service
615-613-2382
Jeff DuBree
Whippoorwill Sportsman’s Lodge
Lake Talquin
850-875-2605
Jody Wells
850-209-2420
Tony Poloronis
Outcasters Bait and Tackle
631 Hwy 98, Apalachicola, Florida
850-653-4665
