Guntersville Lake

Jackson & Marshall Counties (shared with TN), Alabama

Guntersville Lake is a Tennessee River reservoir in northeast Alabama that stretches 75 miles from Nickajack Dam to Guntersville Dam. It is best known for largemouth bass that live in its milfoil and hydrilla beds.

Air temp in Scottsboro, AL Loading current temperature…

Red pins match the numbered boat launches below. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Current air temperature at Guntersville Lake (National Weather Service) ↗

Surface area69,100 acres

Max depth—

Shoreline890 mi

Boat motorsCheck local rules

Species

Fishery rating out of 5.

Largemouth Bass●●●●●

Fish the edges and holes in milfoil and hydrilla beds, where big bass are caught.

Crappie●●●●○

Spring and fall are best, and bridge pilings produce at night in summer.

Bluegill●●●●○

Bream fishing is strong lake-wide in late spring and early summer.

Blue Catfish●●●○○

Several blues over 80 pounds have come from this lake.

Sauger●●●○○

Sauger run upstream in winter and early spring, and the tailwater below Guntersville Dam is a known spot.

When they bite

Month-by-month activity for each target species.

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Largemouth Bass
Crappie
Bluegill
Blue Catfish

SlowFairGoodHot

Boat launches

6 launch sites. Fees and hours change, so confirm before you go.

1Lake Guntersville State Park Boat RampPublic
State park ramp at 5966 AL Hwy 227, GuntersvilleDirections ↗
2Guntersville Municipal Park Boat RampPublic
City park ramp in GuntersvilleDirections ↗
3TVA Honeycomb RampPublic
TVA ramp on Camp Ground Rd, GrantDirections ↗
4Marshall County Park #1 Boat RampPublic
County park ramp at 18976 US 431, GuntersvilleDirections ↗
5Jackson County Park Boat RampPublic
County park ramp on County Park Rd, ScottsboroDirections ↗
More public accessPublic
See Alabama DCNR or the lake manager's website for all ramps and feesDirections ↗

Size & creel limits

Special rules for this lake, confirmed from official state regulations. Minimum size and daily limit.

Species	Min size	Daily limit
Largemouth Bass Guntersville Reservoir; black bass combined, max 5 smallmouth	15 in	10 / day combined
Smallmouth Bass Guntersville Reservoir; max 5 smallmouth	15 in	10 / day combined

Other species in this lake: look up the limits at Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Outdoor Alabama) ↗

Verified October 2026. Rules change, so confirm current limits with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Outdoor Alabama) before you fish.

Bait & tackle nearby

Closest shops to the lake and its boat launches. Call ahead for live bait and hours.

Guntersville Tackle and OutdoorNearby
3760 AL-69, Guntersville, AL(256) 582-9870 Directions ↗
Waterfront Bay Grocery and TackleNearby
6955 Scottsboro Hwy, Scottsboro, AL(256) 582-6060 Directions ↗
Keller's Tackle and GroceryNearby
33043 US-431, New Hope, AL(256) 723-4054 Directions ↗

Search more bait shops near Guntersville Lake ↗

Local tips

Work frogs, swim jigs, and bladed jigs over and along the grass beds for bass.
In winter and early spring, fish the Guntersville Dam tailwater for sauger.
At night in summer, fish bridge pilings with minnows or small jigs for crappie.

Angler reports

Water temp, what's biting, and anything else other anglers should know about Guntersville Lake.

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View on interactive map

Zoom and pan on a street, satellite or terrain map. Red pins are boat launches; blue pins are bait shops nearby.