Fantasy fishing waters of FLW Tour – Part II

Mooney Bay Marina at takeoff. Photo by Gary Mortenson.

December 18, 2002 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Tour anglers play schedule maker for 2003 season, weigh-in on dream fishing locations

After logging thousands of miles exploring some of the nation’s best fisheries, most anglers on the FLW Tour know a thing or two about what comprises a good tournament lake. Some of the variables are obvious. You want a lake that has a lot of fish. You want a location (and time of year) that minimizes the chance of inclement weather. And you want a lake that has enough variables to allow anglers to employ a diverse array of techniques and styles. However, as bass-fishing veterans know, there are a host of other factors that determine what is and what isn’t an ideal tournament lake. But could the experts agree on what those factors are?

To answer that question, the editors at FLWOutdoors.com spoke with some of the most knowledgeable anglers on the FLW Tour after the conclusion of the 2002 FLW Championship. FLWOutdoors.com asked anglers to pretend they were in charge of coming up with the perfect 2003 FLW Tour schedule. Specifically, anglers were asked to list their favorite tournament lakes for each month of the 2003 FLW Tour season and explain the reasons behind their decisions. While some lake choices were fairly predictable, others were quite surprising.

Here is what some of the nation’s best had to say.

Carl Svebek:

January: Lake Okeechobee – Clewiston, Fla. You almost have to go to the “Big O” because it is too cold everywhere else! No, really, Okeechobee still holds some of the greatest bass fishing in the country. If the tournament is at the right time in January, some really large stringers can be caught.

February: Toledo Bend Reservoir – Many, La. What an incredible fishery! The best part is that you can catch a lot of fish almost any time of the year. There is a lot of structure and hydrilla. And even if the bass aren’t spawning at that time, the Rat-L-Trap bite is usually great this time of year.

March: Sam Rayburn Reservoir – Jasper, Texas. What can I say; I love this lake during the spawn. Some of my biggest stringers have been on this lake. Having grown up on Lake Sam Rayburn, I would have to say that it produces the most consistent 20-pound-plus stringers this time of year.

April: Beaver Lake – Rogers, Ark. Beaver Lake is probably one of the most competitive tournament lakes in the country. It has a lot of clear water and it’s a lot of fun to fish. Although it is not known for its huge sacks of fish, it’ll really test your skills on the water. As an added bonus, it’s located right next to Bentonville – Wal-Mart USA!

May: Kentucky Lake – Gilbertsville, Ky. Early May usually brings incredible fishing in the shallows around the buck brush lining this massive lake. If shallow-water fishing is not your strong point, fishing ledges is another great way of catching them.

June: Lake St. Clair – Mt. Clemons, Mich. This tournament lake is awesome for smallmouth bass. There are enough variables there so that when tournament time comes around, it is really anyone’s game. Lake St. Clair also makes for a great way to end the season. Heading to Michigan in June is also a sure way to beat the Texas heat!

September Championship: Lake Champlain – Ticonderoga, N.Y. This is probably the best lake in the United States. It has both largemouth and smallmouth bass. But you’d better have over 16 pounds a day if you want to get close to the leaderboard. In short, Lake Champlain offers fun fishing at a great time of year in the beautiful Northeast.

Wesley Strader:

January: Lake Okeechobee – Clewiston, Fla. The main reason is that it’s warmer than any other place in the country during January. Also, Okeechobee sort of gets you pumped up for the whole season. I like fishing Okeechobee because it covers a great big area and it takes a lot of time to figure out what’s going on. It’s just a great lake to fish.

February: Sam Rayburn Reservoir – Jasper, Texas. It’s full of hydrilla and it’s loaded with big old bass. You’ve got several different types of fishing you can choose from on Rayburn as well. You can throw a rattletrap in the hydrilla, flip buck bushes, use spinner baits or you can throw a deep-running crankbait. At that time of the year, there is a little bit of everything going on. And that’s what makes it challenging.

March: Guntersville Lake – Guntersville, Ala. Because the fish are in pre-spawn phase, you definitely can catch some big old fish down there in March. Rattletraps, jigs and spinner baits should all work well during that time of year. The lake is just loaded with fish. And during March, all the fish in the lake are biting.

April: Neely Henry Reservoir – Gadsden, Ala. The lake is chock full of docks. There is a lot of shallow water, which I really like fishing, and the lake is loaded with largemouth and spotted bass. On that body of water you have the chance to catch a 4- to 6-pound spotted bass. You have a whole lot of lures you can use that time of year including twitch worms, spinner baits, jigs and tubes. It’s mostly shallow-water fishing.

May: Kentucky Lake – Gilbertsville, Ky. In May, two things could be happening. If it’s the beginning of the month, the fish will be spawning in the buck bushes, and they can be caught on jigs, tubes, worms, spinner baits. And if it’s the end of the month, there will still be some fish in the buck bushes. However, the fish will start moving to the ledges where you can fish them with crankbaits, Carolina rigs and big spinner baits.

June: Watts Bar Lake – Spring City, Tenn. In June, you have a variety of ways to fish. Some fish are still shallow while other fish are out deep. It’s similar to the fishing on Kentucky Lake, but you don’t have to run as far. It’s got the same river systems, but it’s just a smaller version of the lake.

September: Lake Champlain – Ticonderoga, N.Y. That’s the most fun I’ve ever had at any lake in September. If you get tired of catching smallmouth, you can go largemouth fishing. The fish know the winter is coming on, and those fish are only concerned with eating. And both types of fish will bite. Throwing plastics over the grass for largemouth, you can back off and start flipping a tube or jig on the edges of the milfoil. Burning a 1/2-ounce spinner bait for smallmouth. But you could go out there and catch 10 largemouth in a row, and then suddenly, you could catch 10 smallmouth in a row. Normally, fishing in the South in September is pretty tough. For Champlain, it’s exactly the opposite. Fishing there is so easy it’s scary.

Aaron Martens:

January: Lake Okeechobee – Clewiston, Fla. Okeechobee has a lot of things going for it in January. It has warm weather, the fishing is good, and the lake is so big that it easily holds a full field of fishermen.

February: Lake Seminole – Bainbridge, Ga. In late January and early February, the weather is still decent and the fishing can be very good, if not challenging. Lake Seminole also fishes pretty well with a lot of boats.

March: Guntersville Lake – Guntersville, Ala. This is a big lake that offers up the opportunity to use a variety of techniques to catch quality bass in both deep and shallow water.

April: Clear Lake – Clear Lake, Calif. The main reason to head to Clear Lake in April is because everyone will have a chance to catch a 10-plus pound largemouth bass. Not surprisingly, the lake is very clear with a lot of big bass to be caught.

May: Lake Shasta – Redding, Calif. Everyone should be able to catch a limit on Lake Shasta in May. In fact, most competitors will catch somewhere between 20 to 60 keeper bass a day. As an added bonus, Lake Shasta is a fun spotted bass lake set in a very beautiful area of the country.

June: Lake St. Clair – Mt. Clemons, Mich. In short, Lake St. Clair offers incredible fishing with more than enough room for fishermen to spread out. Bass can be caught in a variety of ways, and anglers can choose to target either largemouth or smallmouth bass. At St. Clair, every competitor should have an excellent chance of catching a limit every day.

September: Lake Champlain – Ticonderoga, N.Y. Lake Champlain is truly an incredible fishery. One the best things about it is that anglers can use variety of techniques to catch both largemouth and smallmouth bass.