DECATUR, Ala. – Practice for Stop 3 Presented by Suzuki Marine of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech saw measurable snowfall on Wheeler Lake, and the high for Day 3 of the tournament is in the low 80s. So, there’s a good chance that some fish and some fishermen are pretty confused. But it’s still spring on the Tennessee River, and this field is perfectly tuned to make the most of it, regardless of the conditions.
Standards are definitely in play
Wheeler Lake is not an easy Tennessee River fishery, but the highs can be very high, and there are some staple patterns that we know will work. There are also a lot of options that are higher risk or maybe not as easy to translate from one fishery to another.
The most obvious pattern in play this week is targeting isolated cover for individual prespawn and spawning fish. A pattern that was popularized and defined by Jake Lawrence on Kentucky Lake, it’s a play that works from March through April, and it should be game on in this one.
“It’s going down,” said Ethan Fields, who finished third in last year’s College Fishing National Championship on Wheeler. “You know I like my brown bass, so that’s what I’ve been chasing around. They’re doing the deed – some are spawning, some are ready to be spawners, and then you’ve got some early prespawners still. The only thing that scares me is the format – three hours of ‘Scope, I have no clue what can be done in that time. But we’ll figure it out tomorrow.”…