Staff Picks: Wheeler Lake

May 6, 2005 • MLF • Archives

Tournament site

After a yearlong hiatus, the Wal-Mart FLW Tour is returning to the familiar confines of the Tennessee River in northern Alabama. While anglers will be launching from Decatur on Wheeler Lake, the same river pool that hosted Aaron Martens’ FLW win in 2003, this tournament is going to have a different complexion. For starters, it’s a month earlier than it was in 2003. Postspawn fishing should dominate, but don’t be surprised if a few straggling spawners come off a bed or two. Most importantly, though, everybody’s talking about Guntersville Lake, the next pool upriver from Wheeler. Two years ago, Guntersville and its vaunted bass fishery were off-limits. This year that’s not the case. The field will get to stretch out along the river as far as they want, and tour pros are licking their chops at the prospect of locking up and tapping into the 20-pound-plus limits that the Big G has to offer. Flats, grass, flipping and pitching – this is going to be garden-variety TVA river fishing for the FLW, only with a big twist this year. Martens, Larry Nixon, Rick Clunn and Randy Howell have all won FLW events on this part of the Tennessee River, but none of them did it with Guntersville in play.

Hot picks

It was a three-way tie for top staff pick. Alabama faves Matt Herren and Aaron Martens plus flipper extraordinaire J.T. Kenney all cleared three picks apiece. Another Alabaman, Steve Kennedy, Okeechobee champ Kelly Jordon and dazzling Dean Rojas were next with two votes apiece.

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Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop No. 5

Wheeler Lake, Decatur, Ala.

May 11-14

Rob Newell
Contributing editor
FLW Outdoors

Record: 3-1
Points: 3,056

VS.

Gary Mortenson
Editor
FLWOutdoors.com

Record: 2-2
Points: 2,533

1) CLARK WENDLANDT .The word from the deepest parts of the bass-fishing underground is that the “slight-deviation-from-normal-performance” period is officially over. So just in case it’s true. …

2) KELLY JORDON .The man has won a lot of money in Alabama in May.

3) DAVID DUDLEY .If Dudley remembers to put gas and oil in his boat for the run to Guntersville, he’ll be a factor at Wheeler.

4) ANTHONY GAGLIARDI .Having a solid year but no top-10s as of yet. Wheeler is the one.

5) STEVE KENNEDY .Kennedy’s FLW Tour finishes so far this season: 2, 128, 11, 158. There is a major trend going on here, and I’m going to cash in on Kennedy’s next spike.

1) AARON MARTENS .The last two times the FLW Tour has come to Lake Wheeler (in 2002 and 2003), Martens turned in a first- and second-place performance. Now a resident of Alabama, he’s fishing well and is among the top anglers in the nation. In short, this is a no-brainer pick.

2) JEREMIAH KINDY .I’m officially on the Kindy bandwagon. Kindy not only finished 11th on the same body of water in 2003, but he’s currently ranked 18th overall in the FLW Tour standings for this season. He’s fishing about as well as anyone and has a great familiarity with Wheeler.

3) WESLEY STRADER .This is a gut pick, but my gut is telling me that the Spring City, Tenn., native is ready to throw down the gauntlet this time around. He finished ninth at Wheeler in 2002 and knows this body of water as well as anyone.

4) DEAN ROJAS .Rojas has two straight top-20 finishes on Wheeler and he’s poised for yet another. Quite simply, Rojas is one of the most consistent anglers on the tour.

5) DAVE LEFEBRE .After a short absence, the Keebler Kid is back on my list. Lefebre is currently ranked 11th overall in total points and I fully expect him to make a legitimate run at the 2005 Angler of the Year title. However, in order to do that, he needs to turn in a relatively flawless performance on Wheeler, which I fully expect him to do.

Chris Eubanks
Editor
FLW Outdoors

Record: 2-2
Points: 2,827

VS.

Jeff Schroeder
Editor
FLWOutdoors.com

Record: 2-2
Points: 2,665

1) RICK CLUNN .Clunn has a good history on Wheeler. Plus, it’s just time for a win.

2) MATT HERREN .Herren is fishing like a man on a mission, and he’s fishing close to home. He should be able to read the conditions and know when to lock through to Guntersville and when to stay in Wheeler.

3) KELLY JORDON .Jordon started the season on fire and cooled off. The flipping-and-pitching bite could be a dominant pattern at the event, and Jordon is one of the best.

4) DAVID WALKER .Walker is also fishing close to home and knows the Tennessee River lakes well. Plus, if he locks through to Guntersville, a 60-mile run one way doesn’t bother Walker.

5) J T KENNEY .The king flipper, Kenney is in great position to hold his place atop the points standings.

1) AARON MARTENS .The California Kid says that Guntersville is one of his favorite fisheries in the country – and this comes from a guy who grew up fishing bass nirvanas like Castaic and the California Delta. He likes it so much that he moved here, which says a lot. Any tournament that puts in on Wheeler and has Martens in it, forget about it. This dude bleeds crimson tide now.

2) MATT HERREN .As the immortal Vince Neil once crooned: I’m on my wa-a-ay. Home, sweet, home.

3) RICKY SHUMPERT .I have this theory that Shumpert, the Sultan of Santee Cooper, also has some kind of mystical connection with this part of the Tennessee River. My only question is whether Rowdy Ricky can get it done again now that the floodgates to Guntersville are open.

4) TOMMY BIFFLE .Have flipping stick, will find Decatur Flats.

5) J T KENNEY .Way too hot to handle right now. Everybody’s going to pick him next month at the Potomac, but can-do Kenney needs to slam the door on AOY right now. With that flipping stick of his and AOY pressures mounting, I’m betting he finishes higher at Wheeler than he does at the Potomac.

Patrick Baker
Editor
FLWOutdoors.com

Record: 2-2
Points: 2,614

VS.

Keith Lebowitz
Co-host
“FLW Outdoors” on FSN

Record: 1-3
Points: 2,609

1) AARON MARTENS .Martens hasn’t exactly set fire to the 2005 FLW Tour, but the last two times Wheeler Lake was a stop along the trail, he was red hot. Fishing in his home state, Martens will be the man to beat.

2) RANDY BLAUKAT .He’s another angler whose high mark in 2005 will be reached by revisiting past successes on this Alabama fishery.

3) DEAN ROJAS .Rojas has lost a little bit of his early-season momentum, but look for this angler – a threat anywhere – to use Wheeler as a late-season rejuvenator.

4) MIKE HAWKES .Having just missed the cut the last two times the FLW Tour made this stop, Hawkes must be itching to fish a finale on Wheeler Lake.

5) SCOTT MARTIN .He cracked the code the last two times he came to town on tour; I’m betting he hasn’t forgotten the password into the top-five club.

1) MATT HERREN .Being an Alabama native, his recent performance at the Eufaula EverStart tells me he wants this title.

2) BOBBY LANE .Bobby tells me that this is his favorite lake in the world. Hopefully, I won’t be embarrassed by picking him.

3) STEVE KENNEDY .I just like listening to his dog bark at him when he’s onstage. When he makes the cut, that gives us two more days of Louie.

4) J T KENNEY .He top-10ed at the EverStart in Alabama last month. One Alabama lake is another Alabama lake. The guy cashes a check at every tournament, so why not this one?

5) JASON KILPATRICK .After starting off ice cold, he’s become white hot. Kilpatrick will be a factor again.

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