We are one week away from the 6th stop of the Bassmaster Elite Series on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. The last time the Elite Series has visited this Tennessee River impoundment was in late April/early May of 2016. This will be a different fishery this time around as many of the bigger schools of bass will be on deep offshore structure. We will see anglers have success with lures such as deep diving crankbaits, big worms and jigs, drop shots, swimbaits, spoons, and hair jigs. And of course, we will most likely see the “jig head/minnow” with forward facing sonar play a role for suspended bass. We will suggest two anglers per bucket based on their strengths, momentum, tournament history on Tennessee River impoundments, and more! Let’s dive into it!
Bucket A: Jordan Lee or Trey McKinney
(Photos Courtesy of Bassmaster)
If you’ve been paying attention, these two anglers have been on fire this year. Trey McKinney has a 30-point lead over Jordan Lee in the Progressive Bassmaster AOY standings, and McKinney is confident going into this tournament as he had recent success in 2023 on Wheeler Lake finishing in 7th place at a Bassmaster Open. Jordan Lee has also given many reasons as to why you should pick him. He has the momentum train rolling as he is fresh off a Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour win at Kissimmee Chain just a couple weeks ago and has had much success on Lake Guntersville which can fish similar to Wheeler this time of year. If you choose to pick a different angler to separate yourself from the rest of the players, there are many other great anglers to consider. You could pick other young successful offshore anglers like Jacob Foutz, John Garrett, or Cody Huff, or you could pick a veteran like Brandon Lester as he has had success on Tennessee River impoundments.
Bucket B: Brandon Palaniuk or John Cox
(Photos Courtesy of Bassmaster)
When it comes to these two anglers, they have each had outstanding careers in bass fishing and will forever be remembered as legends of the sport. Brandon Palaniuk has had much success in Alabama, especially when it comes to Tennessee River impoundments. Palaniuk’s last two tournaments in Alabama have both been 2nd place finishes, and they were back-to-back events in 2023. As a matter of fact, one of those finishes was the Bassmaster Open on Lake Wheeler. He has also had two 7th place finishes on Pickwick Lake, which fishes like Wheeler. Palaniuk is sitting in 41st place in the AOY standings, one place from the Bassmaster Classic cutline. Look for him to make a big jump over that cut line after this next event! John Cox is known by many people to be the best shallow water angler in the world, which could still play a role as lots of fish will still be up shallow feeding on bream. While August is much tougher than June on the Tennessee River, Cox did win the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup on Wheeler Lake throwing a frog in August. His previous 3 tournament finishes this year are 20th, 22nd, and 15th. Look for Cox to keep the momentum train rolling!
Bucket C: Kyoya Fujita or Taku Ito
(Photos Courtesy of Bassmaster)
These two Japanese anglers have had a couple rough patches this season, but this next tournament should set up well for them with the fish being offshore. Fujita already has a win this year at the first event of the season on Toledo Bend, and he also finished in 3rd place in Alabama this year at the Bassmaster Open on Logan Martin Lake. He is known for his skills utilizing forward facing sonar with a “jig head/minnow” presentation but is known for other finesse tactics as well. Taku Ito is also a skilled finesse angler who can get bites around schools of fish that other anglers can’t seem to catch. He also has a 17th place finish on Pickwick Lake in June of 2022. These pressured schools of offshore fish on the Tennessee River could require finesse tactics, and Japanese anglers like Fujita or Ito could be the ones to use these tactics to get it done!
Bucket D: Brandon Cobb or Joseph Webster
(Photos Courtesy of Bassmaster)
While Brandon Cobb is having a subpar season for his standards so far sitting in 71st place in the AOY standings, his previous three Elite Series finishes in Alabama are 7th, 10th, and 19th. This gives him some hope and confidence going into these next two events as they’re both in Alabama. Look for Cobb to turn his season around during these next couple of events! When it comes to Joseph Webster, this is his third season on the Elites. He finished in 7th place at the Harris Chain this season, marking his best finish on the Elite Series so far. He resides in Hamilton, AL, which is less than an hour and a half away from Decatur. He finished in 10th place at the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup on Wheeler and has had great success on Pickwick Lake as he finished 26th place when the Elites visited there in 2022 and 5th place in a 2021 Bassmaster Open both in Counce, TN. Look for Webster to have another solid finish on the Tennessee River in his home state!
Bucket E: Buddy Gross or Matt Robertson
(Photos Courtesy of Bassmaster)
When it comes to offshore fishing, these two anglers are two of the best in Bucket E. While they are sitting in 91st and 101st in the AOY standings, they know that one tournament can turn things around for them. If there was one tournament for the remainder of the season that they had the most confidence in turning things around, odds are they would pick this one as there are giant schools of fish offshore this time of year. Buddy Gross has had much success on the Tennessee River as he finished in 23rd and 10th place in Elite events on Pickwick, and he finished in 1st and 2nd place in FLW Tour events on Pickwick and Chickamauga. While this is only Matt Robertson’s 4th season as a professional angler, two of his six Elite Series top 10s have come from Pickwick and Chickamauga. Don’t be surprised if either Gross or Robertson has another stellar finish on the Tennessee River this next event.