Wendlandt’s wizardry

Clark Wendlandt’s recent FLW mastery of Beaver Lake proves both confounding and enlightening

Trying to get Kellogg’s pro angler Clark Wendlandt to explain the secrets behind his recent string of formidable tournament performances on Beaver Lake is a little like trying to get spawning bass to bite a deep-diving crankbait. Despite two victories, four top-10 performances, and $420,000 in winnings in FLW contests on Beaver Lake over the last four years alone, Wendlandt remains both humbled and mystified by his unprecedented domination of the Wal-Mart Open.

“There are plenty of excellent sight-fishermen on tour,” says Wendlandt. “I am not any better than those anglers; I just have a kinship with Beaver Lake that is difficult to explain.”

Wendlandt says that Beaver Lake in April just happens to be one of those rare combinations of time and place where he feels completely in his element.

If the Wal-Mart Open was held on Beaver Lake in the fall, or on another lake in April, Wendlandt admits that his fish-catching abilities would likely be par for the course.

So what is it that Wendlandt knows about Beaver Lake bass in April that makes him unstoppable?

Touching perfection

Legendary tournament veteran Rick Clunn calls it “touching perfection” – a situation where an angler is in a “zone,” when fishing success is effortless, when decisions are easy and where internal and mental struggles are non-existent.

“That’s the way Beaver Lake in April is for me,” says Wendlandt. “Right now I am thinking about an upcoming tournament on Eufaula and already my mind is arguing with itself about what to do. Should I fish deep or shallow? Should I throw spinner baits or crankbaits? When I go to Beaver Lake in April, there is none of the mind static from second-guessing. I know exactly what I am going to do. I am comfortable with my technique. My mind has nothing to fight with itself about.”

Wendlandt points out that he is not the only angler who has such a special kinship with a lake at a certain time.

“Many pros have that one lake at that one time of year that just clicks: Fritts on Buggs Island in the fall, Nixon on St. Clair in summer.”

Fortunately for Wendlandt, he just happens to “click” with one of professional fishing’s highest-paying events that takes place at the same place and time each year.

Seeing fish not as easy as it seems

A big component of Wendlandt’s sight-fishing skills is his natural ability to see fish. Like his sight-fishing predecessors Shaw Grigsby and Guido Hibdon, Wendlandt has an uncanny ability to see bass.

“Sight-fishing is not necessarily about going down the bank throwing to white spots,” says Wendlandt. “It is about seeing the fish.”

Bass are masters at camouflage and Beaver Lake bass are no exception. Even in the lake’s clearest water, a bass can appear to be little more than a rock when an unsuspecting angler floats nearby.

But if that fish so much as blinks, Wendlandt will spy it.

“It’s like a sixth sense that something is there,” said Wendlandt. “I look for the smallest movement, something that is not quite right on the bottom. I have a lot of confidence in my sunglasses, too. I wear Solar Bat glasses – they help me distinguish fish from Beaver’s rocky bottom.”

The ability to `read’ fish is just as vital

Spotting a fish is just the beginning.

“Once I see a fish, then I have to read the fish.” says Wendlandt. “In the sight-fishing game, there are dozens of variables that must be evaluated for each individual fish.”

Examples of these variables include species of bass, size of the fish, mood, temperament, and aggressiveness of the fish, stage of spawn and visibility of the fish relative to differing weather conditions.

Since Beaver Lake has a 15-inch minimum size limit for largemouth and smallmouth bass, and a 12-inch limit on spotted bass, this evaluation can get dicey.

“When I find a fish on bed in the tournament, I evaluate many things based on how I am doing up to that point in the day,” reveals Wendlandt. “One of my strengths on Beaver is being able to determine, in a short amount of time, whether a fish is worth fishing for after considering all the variables. I will pass up fish that don’t meet certain species, length or behavior requirements. But those requirements change from hour to hour during the tournament.”

Righting the ship

Due to the time-consuming nature of sight-fishing, one fish can derail an angler’s entire day.

“Spending lots of time to catch a fish that does not measure, or getting bogged down on one fish that won’t bite can wreck a day,” says Wendlandt. “I have learned how to recognize those situations early and right the ship before it is too late.”

As an example, Wendlandt admits that on day one of this year’s event, he spent an hour on a fish that was 1/8 of an inch too short.

“That is getting off on the wrong foot in a big way,” he said. “I knew I had to recover from such a grave error in a hurry or my day would be done.”

In 2000, Wendlandt finished in 10th place on Beaver Lake because he got off on the wrong foot.

“There were plenty of sight fish up, but I just got bogged down on my first fish and it destroyed my day. Now, I try to see those situations developing before they get out of control and put me in a tailspin. That is why determining if a fish is worth fishing for is such a critical part of my game plan.”

Comfort breeds success

Wendlandt uses bait-casting equipment to sight-fish, an application that raises some eyebrows in bass fishing circles.

“The bottom line is that anglers should use whatever equipment they are most comfortable with,” advises Wendlandt. “Several of the best sight-fishermen on Tour use spinning tackle and light line because they have absolute confidence in that. Maybe they can catch fish that I can’t. But I am more comfortable with baitcasting equipment.”

Wendlandt confides that he does not even carry a spinning rod when sight-fishing. And as long as the Wal-Mart Open continues to go to Beaver Lake in April, chances are, he won’t need one.