Sunny and scattered showers of baitfish
FLW Tour pros competing with natural buffet on Lake Wheeler
Tommy Robinson bundles up for a chilly day one at Wheeler Lake FLW Tour Open 2012-09-20. Photo by David A. Brown
DECATUR, AL, Sep 20, 2012 by David A. Brown – There are no vegetarian bass, and the Tennessee River’s offering no incentive for such a dietary option, as the FLW Tour Open field takes to a Lake Wheeler literally brimming with bait.
“There’s bait from the top of the water column to the bottom, out on the river ledges all the way to the backs of the pockets,” said Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury.
Such baitfish prevalence, he said, is exacerbating an existing seasonal challenge. This is the time of year when bass abandon their hot summer patterns and head for creeks and pockets where they’ll gorge on shad. This week isn’t likely to see any mass migrations, as conditions and food status are not prompting any significant changes.
“There’s tons of fish in the river but they’re just in a funk right now. It’s the late summer and the water temperature hasn’t really fallen yet. The summer fish that have been out on ledges have been beaten on all summer long and they’re wanting to transition (to fall patterns) and go shallow. But the fish can be anywhere. They don’t have to go back (shallow) to find bait – they can eat anywhere they want. They can be in between the ledge and the backs of creeks or pockets. Anywhere they open their mouth, they can eat.”
A calm, sunny and cool morning greeted anglers at the day-one launch – predictable conditions, given the cold front that passed through about a day prior. As Michigan pro Tommy Robinson reported, the front side of the weather system brought torrential rains that raised the lake level. The ever-diligent TVA is presently sending some of that water downstream, so anglers can expect a healthy dose of current, and that’s a good thing for those who hunt the green fish.
Tommy fished days 1 and 2 finishing in the money at 30th place with 10 bass weighing 20-15, winning $5,830.
Courtesy of FLW Outdoors, FLW Tour Opens, Wheeler Lake (Sept. 20-23, 2012).
Category: Tommy's News
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