Scouting the Championship Lake: Breaking Down Green Lake with a Pro

NEENAH, Wis. – Here at the Bass Pro Tour Evinrude Stage Eight Presented by Tracker Off Road in Neenah, we’ll have a new lake to focus on when the Top 10 launches on Sunday morning. After fishing Lake Winnebago and Lake Butte des Morts, we now shift gears to Green Lake, which will serve as the host of the Championship Round.

After the Shotgun Round, each group had the opportunity to ride around the lake for four hours without making a cast. Anglers who decided to do this were rewarded with a sneak peek at the lake where the final day of the event will go down.

Some took advantage of the ride-around, and others decide to pass on the opportunity to view the lake. It was a big gamble as only 10 of the original field of 80 anglers will even qualify to fish there. For the majority of the field, the championship lake ride-around winds up as a wasted trek.

Alton Jones was one angler who decided to put some time in on Green Lake, and he ended up not qualifying for the final day. But we were able to ride along with Jones to get an up-close look at how one of the best anglers in the world breaks down a lake with limited time.

Starting Fresh

Before making the 45-minute drive to Green Lake, Jones had no idea what to expect when he arrived. He didn’t scour the internet for fishing reports (which is within the rules) and also did not spend time looking at Google Earth or mapping apps.

All he knew was an address. His reasoning was he wanted to fish the conditions and go there with a fresh mind.

Watching the Wheels Turn

As Jones drove to Green Lake, you could see the wheels turning as he started noticing clues along the way. Thinking out loud, he made several observations about how the fishing may play out on this body of water long before he launched his boat.

For one, he noticed driving to the lake required driving through some remote areas.

“It may have less pressure than the Winnebago Chain because it is further from the cities,” he stated.

As the truck got closer to the water, he noticed a steep incline reaching the lake.

“This lake has to be deeper than Winnebago,” he predicted.

And that’s true. According to the Wisconsin DNR, Green Lake has a maximum depth of 236 feet where Winnebago tops out at 21 feet at its deepest point.

Launching on Green Lake

Once Jones launched his Skeeter, the breakdown of a new lake was instantaneous, and he continued to voice what he was thinking during his initial moments of Green Lake.

“It has healthy grass, and because of the sand, I feel like this place should have a good population of smallmouth,” Jones mused. “It’s also a really deep lake, which tells me it takes longer for the water to heat up here and the bass spawn is probably behind the other lakes.”

Windproof Yourself

One of Jones’ biggest goals for this four-hour voyage was to find multiple locations on the lake that would be fishable, not matter what direction the wind is coming from.

“You want to ‘windproof’ yourself and have places to fish that are protected no matter what the wind is doing,” he shared.

Throughout the trip, he would voice things like, “this would be a good area with a southwest wind,” and he continued to search until he found enough areas to protect him from any wind direction.

What to Expect

If what Jones saw on Green Lake is any indication, the anglers who qualified for the Championship Round are in for a treat. It’s a lake with clear water, shallow bass in all stages of the spawn, and no fishing pressure from the field this week. That is an excellent combination and will make for a fitting end to the week.

“They can’t hide in this clear water. The Top 10 is about to have some fun at this place,” Jones predicted.