the bRush bite by august on Wheeler, the ledges will have been pressured by the locals, making the brush pile bite one of the better options – more so than at any other tennessee River impoundment. productive brush piles can be found from one end of the lake to the other, and having a milk run of brush piles, with each capable of producing a keeper or two, just might be a championship strategy.
huNtsville
Ditto laNDiNG located at 2963 Ditto landing Rd. in huntsville, the takeoff site for the cup is situated at the far upper end of the reservoir, just a short trip from Guntersville Dam.
i-65 bRiDGe
the RiveR the upper end of Wheeler from the Guntersville Dam west to about the interstate 65 bridge is primarily a narrow river with just a few sweeping bends. the banks are lined with rock and wood that act as current breaks, though anglers can also sample a smattering of backwaters with shallow cover ranging from brush and laydowns to pads and bank grass.
the tailRace the tailrace below the Guntersville Dam is smaller than most on the tennessee River. though it can become crowded with boats quickly, the tailrace area can be a premier place to fish.
GuNteRsville DaM
Facts aND FiGuRes: length: 70 miles— area: 67,000 acres— shoreline: 1,000 miles— age: 70 years
a quick histoRy one of nine reservoirs on the tennessee River, Wheeler lake was formed by the construction of Wheeler Dam in the 1930s. the dam was the second to be built by the tennessee valley authority, following Norris, and the resulting reservoir is now sandwiched between lake Guntersville and Wilson lake.
Wheeler lake is named for joseph“ Fightin’ joe” Wheeler, a u. s. congressman and former cavalry general who led confederate troops during the civil War. along with Wilson and pickwick, Wheeler covers Muscle shoals, enabling barge traffic across the middle part of the tennessee River system. thus, its water level is kept reasonably stable, with seasonal fluctuation of 5 or 6 feet.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 I FLWFISHING. COM 77