CUP
CONTENDERS
HOW THE TOP FINISHERS AT WHEELER LAKE UNLOCKED A TRICKY LATE-SUMMER BITE
A
ll in all, the larger patterns uncovered by the top finishers at the 2016 Forrest Wood
Cup at Wheeler Lake weren’t too surprising to anyone who’s fished the Tennessee
River in summer. Pros mostly targeted schooling bass on or near the main lake and
resident bass in the extreme shallows up tributary creeks.
Yet, the specifics of where and how the top 20 caught their fish are intriguing. There
were shallow-water springs and discharge pipes that attracted bass to key banks. Tricky
runs across mud-shallow backwaters made access a big part of success too. And small-
mouths anchored many bags, especially for the pros targeting schoolers.
We saw old-school lead jigging spoons, popping corks, frogs, buzzbaits (fished all day
long, by the way), shallow-shots and quite a few pitching jigs.
Searing heat challenged pros’ endurance, while daily – and refreshing – pop-up storms
opened brief pattern windows.
On the forage side, a mayfly hatch occurred on day two, but the bigger factor was the
nearly endless supply of pinky-sized young shad that made it tough just to tempt bass into
biting a shad imposter.
Of course, perhaps the most notable pattern at the Cup was the one that was missing:
a true offshore ledge pattern. It was nonexistent to the surprise of most pros in the field.
In the end, John Cox’s magic creek was just right for Cup victory. Here’s how the crew
behind him dealt with Wheeler’s summer challenges.
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2016 I FLWFISHING.COM
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