Surprise?! Tough Bite Reported At Pickwick

Pickwick Lake, Ala., or connected waters like Wheeler or Wilson, can be an angler's best friend, then sworn enemy. Few waters are less forgiving.

They tease you with a 6-pound smallmouth one day, then taunt you with a boatload of shorts the next.

And that about sums the practice for a lot of anglers fishing today's Pickwick FLW. The water's cold, the fish are scattered and worst of all – Lake Guntersville's just too darn far away.

Add to that the threat of 20 mph winds and rollers today and the field might be looking at a 14-pound cut.

Before more information on the bite, and BassFan's recommendation on the Top 10 to watch, here's more about the lake itself.

Lake Profile

> Lake Name: Pickwick
> Type of Water: Big main-stem river impoundment
> Surface Acres: 43,100
> Primary structure/cover: Rocks, humps, current-breaks, ledges
> Average depth: 15 feet
> Species: Largemouths, smallmouths, spotted bass
> Length limit: 12 inches for spots, 15 inches for largemouths and smallmouths
> Reputation: Big but schizophrenic smallmouths, overall tough this time of year for keepers
> Weather: Began warming yesterday after the coldest few weeks of the year. Temperatures should push into the 70s today
> Water temp: 46 to 48 degrees with some rare 50-degree water
> Water visibility/color: 6 inches to a foot, green stain to brown stain
> Water level: 3 to 4 feet low (significant because it takes away a lot of shoreline cover)
> Fish in: 4 to 20 feet
> Fish phase: Late winter
> Primary patterns: Jerkbaits, shakey-head worms, grubs in tailraces, Carolina rigs, small jigs
> Winning weight: 15 pounds
> Cut weight (Top 10): 16 to 18 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 2 for Wheeler
> Biggest factors: Power-generation schedule and weather. Also, will the warming trend bring fish to the bank?
> Wildcard: A jumbo smallmouth (or two)

Past Events

It's tough to judge this tournament against past events on the Tennessee River chain. Last year's Wheeler FLW was in mid-May – a lot different from the winter patterns in play now. Plus, the fact that anglers launched on Wheeler put Guntersville into play, and the fish were spawning there.

Alvin Shaw won that Wheeler FLW with a 24-08 2-day total, but half that much might do it here.

A more relevant comparison is the 2005 EverStart Championship at Pickwick. Sam Newby won that one with an 18-13 2-day total. That's getting closer to probable weights this week.

The standings from the Championship also show that an angler can recover from a disaster day. Gabe Bolivar made the cut after he caught 2-04 on day 1. And Steve Kennedy finished 2nd even though he only caught 4 pounds on day 4. But that was in the first week of November – the prime time for big smallmouths.

This week, consistency should play stronger. Catch 7 or 8 pounds each day and you'll probably make the cut.

What's Working?

So what's the hot pattern at Pickwick right now? If there's something happening, nobody's talking. There are always tailrace fish – but anglers who commit to those live and die by power generation, which generally slows on the weekend.

There are hump-fish too, but they're equally influenced by current.

There are ledge-fish, but that's a needle-and-haystack game.

In other words, it's a fish-here, fish-there type of game and rock-solid stuff is rare.

Grigsby Excited

Despite the disgruntled field, a few guys are on 'em. Michigan's Chad Grigsby didn't set the world on fire with his practice, but he seems to have something going.

"Everyone's complaining and moaning – normal Pickwick stuff," he said. "I'm not having that much trouble catching them. The 15-inch size limit's a little tough on guys, but I think I can catch a limit.

"The water's warming up and it's going to get better throughout the week. I'm catching largemouths and I'm pretty excited about it because I don't think it's that tough."

He finished 7th at last year's Wheeler FLW and was one of the guys who actually stayed on Wheeler, rather than lock to Guntersville. He chose not to disclose the lake he's fishing today, but did say it's not Wheeler.

"It's typical springtime at Pickwick," he added. "I think either guys are really catching them or really struggling. If I don't catch 14 or 15 pounds I'll be disappointed."

> His guess at the cut weight was 24 to 25 pounds.

Clausen Clueless

The two-tour pros who fished the Classic were lucky if they arrived in time to get a half-day practice yesterday. But Bassmaster Classic champion Luke Clausen didn't even get that. He had to stick around in Orlando, Fla. for post-Classic stuff, so he launched this morning with zero practice.

But if he had to choose one tournament this year to face with zero practice, this is the one because a fish or two a day could bring much-needed points.

"By the sounds of it, I don't know if it's that big of a hardship," he said. "Nobody's catching much and everything's really tough. I've never fished Pickwick before, but I went down and drove the lake about a month ago.

"I'll just go out and fish stuff that looks good. I never fished Wheeler last year, so I'll probably spend my time in Pickwick."

Herren In Survival Mode

Matt Herren was struck with bronchitis during practice. He's on zilch and just wants to escape with as many points as possible.

"I'm struggling," he said. "I'm working hard to get three or four bites a day. Two weeks ago we had a bunch of freezing rain. Anytime a bunch of ice water hits this place it stuns them. Normally I'd have a pretty good idea of what's going on, but right now I'm out to lunch.

"They're calling for big winds today," he added. "If it gets up there to 20 mph from the south-southwest, some stretches will turn into something awful. If you get out there and start spearing waves in this water temperature, it's dangerous.

"That wind could drastically change a lot of plans."

> He noted he'd be "shocked if more than 18 or 19 pounds made the cut."

Top 10 To Watch

Here's BassFan's recommendation for the Top 10 to watch at today's tournament. In no particular order, they are:

1) Anthony Gagliardi – He's absolutely red hot. How hot? Try No. 3 in the BassFan World Rankings and No. 2 in the FLW points. Doesn't cringe at getting local help when needed – it's legal under FLW rules – and always seems to get on quality water.

2) Jonathan Newton – He whacked an 18-pound sack at Wheeler on day 1 last year, and he's a local. His bite fell apart on day 2 and he finished 50th, but if this turns into a milk-run contest, odds could tip to the locals.

3) Mike Hawkes – He was another guy who stayed on Wheeler last year. And like Newton, his bite fell apart. He's 3rd in the FLW points right now and needs another strong finish to stay in the Angler of the Year (AOY) hunt.

4) Chad Grigsby – He's one of the few guys who reported a decent bite. Tends to be streaky, but tough to discount anyone who's excited about a practice here.

5) Luke Clausen – Who won't be watching the Bassmaster Classic champ ? It'll be interesting to see what he does with no practice.

6) Ralph Laster Jr. – The on-again, off-again FLW pro currently leads the AOY race. Started the year 13th at Okeechobee then finished 11th at Murray. Nice.

7) Mark Davis – Didn't fish the Classic and seems to be more relaxed after leaving BASS. Was in the Top 50 at the previous two events and sits at 18th in the FLW points. A pivotal event for him.

8) David Fritts – Deep fish? Smallmouths? We think Fritts will catch 'em. Fishes well in just about any tournament that doesn't include a spawn. He's currently 5th in the FLW points.

9) Scott Suggs – He hates the bank and thrives on deep-water fish. Has the patience to search out isolated bites. He's one of the guys who could connect with a jumbo brown fish.

10) Takahiro Omori – He didn't fish the Classic so he had plenty of practice time. He's ranked No. 14 in the world and is currently 35th in the FLW points.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

Anglers launch at 7:00 a.m. each day from McFarland Park (Florence, Ala.). Wednesday's and Thursday's weigh-ins will also be held at McFarland Park beginning at 3:00 p.m. Friday's and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 3100 Hough Rd. in Florence beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Notable

> John Murray would be happy to catch one keeper tomorrow. Jay Yelas made the long drive from the Classic to get in a half-day practice. BassFan regular contributor Jonathan Manteuffel is fishing the event as a co-angler. To read their reports, click here to go On Tour With The BassFan Big Sticks.

> BassFan News is brought to you by Rapala.

Weather Report

> Wed., March 1 – Partly Cloudy/Wind – high 75°/low 56°
- Wind: From the S/SW at 21 mph

> Thu, March 2 – AM clouds/PM sun – 68°/45°
- Wind: From the W/NW at 8 mph

> Fri, March 3 – Partly Cloudy – 63°/41°
- Wind: From the N/NE at 7 mph

> Sat, March 4 – Few Showers – 64°/51°
- Wind: From the E/NE at 7 mph