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Scouting Report/Watch List

Wheeler Likely To Be Tough For All But A Few

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Photo: FLW

Mark Rose's offshore prowess could make him a threat this week.

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Bass fishing in August is generally pretty difficult throughout the Southeastern portion of the U.S. The water, like the air, is hot, and fish become lethargic under sultry conditions just like people do. Enticing decent-sized ones to bite is not an easy task.

Once again, the Forrest Wood Cup will play out during the "dog days" of summer on a venue that sits below the Mason-Dixon Line. The setting this time is Alabama's Wheeler Lake, which is a particularly tough nut to crack from a fishing perspective when the thermometers peak out.

Big fish live in Wheeler, as they do on any other body of water on the Tennessee River chain, and some will show up in anglers' bags this week. Only a few competitors will box 3- and 4-pounders with any type of consistency, however, and many in the 50-angler field will struggle (or outright fail) to collect a daily limit.

Wheeler differs from its sister reservoirs in that it doesn't contain a lot of offshore ledges that harbor schools of bass throughout the summer. It consists of a lot more shallow water than Guntersville or Chickamauga, and from an angling standpoint, that water isn't as fertile as it once was due to the disappearance of most of the aquatic grass over the past decade.

This won't be the toughest Cup in history – remember, the event was held on the Three Rivers near Pittsburgh, Pa. just seven years ago and has visited several other bodies of water that don't fish well during the warmest part of the year since then. But it won't be a lot of fun for those who end up in the bottom half of the standings, as their rods will be bent infrequently.

Before getting deeper into the bite, here's some lowdown on the fishery itself:

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake name: Wheeler
> Type of water: Lowland impoundment on the Tennessee River
> Surface acres: 67,000
> Primary structure/cover: Buck brush, docks, shoreline grass, ditches, channel swings, mussel beds, rocky points
> Primary forage: Shad
> Average depth: 20 to 25 feet
> Species: Largemouths, smallmouths, spots
> Minimum length: 12 inches
> Reputation: Unpredictable – can serve up 18 pounds one day, 8 pounds the next
> Weather: Warm and humid with some thunderstorms in the forecast.
> Water temp: Low to mid 80s, depending upon location
> Water visibility/color: 6 to 10 inches/slightly stained
> Water level: Close to full pool, but fluctuating
> Fish in: All depths
> Fish phase: Summer
> Primary patterns: Pitching, flipping, topwaters, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, crankbaits, dropshots, shaky-heads, under-spins, Carolina-rigs, jigs, tubes, etc.
> Winning weight: 64 pounds
> Cut weight (Top 20 after 2 days): 25 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 2 for Wheeler
> Biggest factors: Can more than one kicker be caught each day?
> Biggest decision: Whether to fish shallow, deep or somewhere in between
> Wildcard: A big smallmouth (or two)

Here's a look at how Wheeler lays out, courtesy of Navionics:

Window is Closed

It's been 3 months since Takahiro Omori won a Bassmaster Elite Series event at Wheeler by catching more than 81 pounds over 4 days. That derby took place within the annual window during which the lake is at its best.

That window has now been closed for about a month, and weights this week are unlikely to approach what the top finishes in the Elite tournament amassed. Keeper bites are flat-out hard to come by.

"I really hate Wheeler in July and August – it's the worst possible time to be on the water," said Brent Crow, who runs a guide service that covers several Tennessee River impoundments. "In the wildcat tournaments the past 2 weeks, there's been two people weigh in anything each week and (the fields are) down to about 10 boats from 30 or 40.

Photo: FLW

Scott Martin has a lot of experience on the Tennessee River and a strong record in the Cup.

"Wheeler fishes great from March to June, but after that it's hard."

He said the Cup could be won via a variety of techniques across a broad spectrum of locations. The top finishers will likely bounce around and employ several different tactics, as there's simply nowhere to camp and load the livewell.

"I don't think anybody's going to find a school like at Guntersville or Pickwick where you can just sit there and catch them for 4 days. This isn't a 'spot deal' where somebody's going to find the Mother Lode.

"Junk-fishing is probably the way to go – don't come in with any preconceived notions and know that you're only going to catch one here and one or two there. You can catch one fish off lots of different stuff.

Crow said the Elk River, with its massive amount of woody cover, will produce some quality fish. The tailrace below the Guntersville dam could do likewise, but not for a bevy of competitors because it fishes extremely small.

He's been told by a trusted source that there's a small amount of milfoil in the Decatur Flats – the long stretch in the middle portion of the impoundment that formerly produced the lion's share of tournament-winning stringers before the grass disappeared.

"I'll be curious to see if anybody finds those little patches and catches fish out of them. We haven't had any of that in 10 years."

A Scant Few Will Prosper

Rex Chambers, another Tennessee River guide-service operator, agrees that most of the field is going to have a tough time this week. However, he expects to see a few big sacks of ledge-fish come across the scale at the Propst Arena in Huntsville.

"I think it'll be won deep," he said. "I've heard everybody talking about 14 pounds a day (being enough to win), but I think that's crazy. I'm thinking somebody's going to have 2 days when they catch 20-pounds-plus and 2 more of 16 or so, but that's just going to be the upper echelon.

"Between the Interstate 65 bridge and the Elk, on the ledges down that way is where I think it'll be won. Somebody will find two or three pods on a main-channel ledge or where a feeder creek runs in and pull out a jig and catch some 4-pounders. And if he gets lucky, he can mix in a good topwater bite. You can be sitting in 27 feet of water and throwing up into 5 feet and all of a sudden there'll just be an eruption of 3- to 4-pounders chasing shad. Sometimes that can produce a really big fish."

Although he'd put his money on the main-river ledges, he's not counting out the Elk.

"There's so much timber in there that it's unreal and the shad population is huge. Somebody will make a Top-5 there. Going all the way to the back would be about a 1 1/2-hour ride, but it could possibly be won up there."

Field Notes

Here are practice notes from a few of the anglers who'll be competing this week:

Greg Bohannan
"It's pretty dang tough here, although I came up and pre-practiced and I thought it was worse then than it is now. I've had a few bites, but they're kind of far between. When you get one you'd better capitalize on it and if you get a 4-pound bite, you'd better make darn sure you put that one in the boat.

"It'll be your typical tough tournament in August and Wheeler is different than the other Tennessee River lakes because there aren't lots of pods – a lot of fish are out roaming and chasing bait. I feel like it'll be junk-fishing at its finest and there might not be one thing that's going to dominate. The guy who wins will probably have to mix it up some."

Jeff Sprague
"Everybody says that ever championship event in August is tough, but there will be a handful of guys who catch them here. It's been really difficult to get bites, though, let alone to get keeper bites. I think the river's going to play a big role.

"I haven't spent a lot of time out deep, but there are fish out there, no doubt. This lake sets up so differently than the other Tennessee River lakes because it's hard to find those knick-knack areas where they are. I think most guys will be fishing shallow – 10 feet or less.

"I think it's going to be a grind to catch anything over 2 pounds and a 4-pounder will separate you tremendously."

Photo: FLW

JT Kenney says that Wheeler will make some competitors "look like idiots" this week.

JT Kenney
"We're all known for talking about how tough it's going to be and then everybody comes in with at least 14 pounds, but that's not happening this time. I fished the first 2 practice days from daylight to dark and then until 5 o'clock on the last day and I never had five bites on any day. I did catch a couple decent ones, but I couldn't catch a limit.

"Something that might have the fish messed up is there's bait everywhere. I think all the fish have to do is open their mouths and they swim in – it's that bad.

"This time all the poor-mouthing is for real. There's going to be a lot of zeroes and ones and twos. Some of us are going to look like idiots."

Brandon McMillan
"It's pretty difficult to catch five, no doubt. I'm going to have to get pretty fortunate to do it. I've made up my mind that I'm going to fish shallow, but I'm certainly not saying that's the best move. I don't think I have a chance fishing out deep.

"I'm staying with Chris and Cory Johnston and Jeff Gustafson and I'll bet that we didn't get 30 bites between us on the 3 practice days. I wasn't expecting it to be this tough, but it's pretty brutal.

"When I've been here before you could catch 30 or 40 fish a day, even though (the best five) might only weight 8 pounds. I'd be happy with 8 pounds at this one."

Top 10 to Watch

Here, in no particular order, are BassFan's picks for the Top 10 to watch in this event.

1. Mark Rose – If this event is going to be won offshore, he's as likely as anybody to be the man to do it. His victory in an FLW Open at Wheeler in September 2012 showed he has the chops to claim his first Cup title.

2. Michael Neal – He's been a Tennessee River standout ever since launching his career 4 years ago and he's coming off an excellent regular-season campaign during which he finished 8th in the points. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on.

3. Scott Martin – His all-around game is stellar these days and he's an excellent closer – if he goes into the final day with a lead, chances are good that he'll seal the deal.

4. David Dudley – The veteran can catch quality at any depth and could be a threat if a shallow-deep combo attack proves to be "the deal."

5. Dan Morehead – He hasn't had a Top-10 at the Tour-level in 2 1/2 years, but this could be the event to end that streak. He's another guy who'll be a threat if the ledge-bite dominates.

6. Jacob Wheeler – His Cup record is spectacular and his ledger from the Tennessee River is sparkling, as well. He'd certainly love to become the first two-time winner of the event on a venue that shares his name.

7. Denny Brauer – He's retired from full-time tour-level competition, but his performances in triple-A derbies prove that his shallow-water game is still strong. He's won at Wheeler before – he topped a late-summer Bassmaster Open in 2003.

8. Jay Kendrick – This was his first year on the FLW Tour, but he's nonetheless a seasoned competitor from his B.A.S.S. days and has a ton of experience on the Tennessee River. He can flip-flop from shallow to deep, or vice versa, without missing a beat.

9. Shinichi Fukae – He can find finicky fish in the folds, current seams and other places, and then catch them with a dropshot rig. If he opts to go upstream toward Guntersville Dam to make a big noise with a little bait, he could show up with all three species of bass in his bag.

10. Clark Reehm – He has a penchant for covering water and is a good shallow cranker. If he can put a quick limit in the well and then settle in to upgrade, he could contend.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

Anglers will take off from the Ditto Landing (2963 Ditto Landing Road in Huntsville) at 7 a.m. ET each morning. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the Propst Arena (700 Monroe St. SW in Huntsville) beginning at 5 p.m.

Weather Forecast

> Thurs., Aug. 4 – Partly Cloudy - 93°/72°
- Wind: From the WSW at 5 mph

> Fri., Aug. 5 – Isolated T-Storms - 93°/72°
- Wind: From the W at 6 mph

> Sat., Aug. 6 – Scattered T-Storms - 93°/71°
- Wind: From the WNW at 6 mph

> Sun., Aug. 7 – Mostly Sunny - 91°/69°
- Wind: From the N at 10 mph

Field List

2016 FLW Tour Points (Top 35)

> Andy Morgan
> Chris Johnston
> Stetson Blaylock
> Jacob Wheeler
> Jeff Gustafson
> Jeff Sprague
> John Cox
> Michael Neal
> Mark Rose
> Shinichi Fukae
> Scott Canterbury
> Matt Arey
> Wesley Strader
> Cody Meyer
> Jamie Horton
> JT Kenney
> Clark Wendlandt
> Bryan Thrift
> Darrel Robertson
> Scott Suggs
> Greg Bohannan
> David Dudley
> Bryan Schmitt
> Todd Auten
> Shane Lehew
> Brandon McMillan
> Terry Bolton
> Cory Johnston
> Dan Morehead
> Clark Reehm
> Jim Tutt
> Jimmy Reese
> Jay Kendrick
> Brandon Cobb
> Troy Morrow