Although Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., is only 80 miles from Lewis Smith Lake in Jasper, Ala., the two fisheries are nothing alike. For those unaware, the second FLW Series Eastern Division event is currently underway on Wheeler – and the weights are impressive. We’re not even halfway through the opening-day weigh-in and the top-10 cut weight is already over 14 pounds.

Don’t expect that at Smith. Unless the largemouths flock to the beds to spawn, this will be a low weight, scratch-and-claw tournament. A good day on Smith is 7 or 8 pounds. The only thing these two lakes have in common is proximity. Wheeler is a grassy Tennessee River fishery and Smith is a clear, deep, rocky impoundment. Wheeler is known primarily for largemouths, but sometimes smallmouths can play a role. Smith was, and still is to some extent, a trophy spotted bass lake. Flippers and grass anglers like J.T. Kenney and Chris Baumgardner will hate Smith because they’ll likely be forced to use spinning tackle and light line.

So if you’re perusing the Wheeler leaderboard, don’t assume you’ll see the same names up there next week. On the other hand, momentum is everything in this crazy sport. Pick at your own peril.

Brett Carlson is a staff editor at FLWOutdoors.com and also an FLW Fantasy Fishing pundit.