Staff Picks: Pickwick Lake

Tournament site

The Wal-Mart FLW Tour has put in at Pickwick Lake only once before, but this waterway is by no means an unfamiliar tour stop to most of these pros. The FLW Tour has also launched a tournament out of Wheeler Lake – two easily accessible pools up the Tennessee River – in 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2005. Not only that, Pickwick Lake itself has hosted Stren Series tournaments, including last November’s championship, in four out of the last five years. In short, the Pickwick-Wilson-Wheeler chain may be one of the tour’s most familiar venues, certainly so on the TVA system. In 2000, Rick Clunn won the prior FLW Tour event launched out of Pickwick by dredging ledges with his crankbait. Your picks might want to lean towards anglers who you know can handle impoundment fluctuations and adapt because current always plays a key role here. Keep in mind, too, that these lakes, particularly Pickwick, boast healthy populations of both largemouth and smallmouth bass. Whichever bite is dominant will undoubtedly determine the top anglers at this one.

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Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop No. 3

Pickwick Lake, Florence, Ala.

March 1-4

Rob Newell Contributing editor FLW Outdoors Record: 2-0 Points: 1,504	VS.	Keith Lebowitz Co-host “FLW Outdoors” on FSN Record: 1-1 Points: 1,227
1) JONATHAN NEWTON.It’s Newton’s time to shine, it’s his home lake, and he’s due. 2) DAVE LEFEBRE.If the big smallies are biting deep, Lefebre will have them cornered. 3) MARK HARDIN.Jerkbaits could be a factor at Pickwick, and Hardin is a jerkbait expert. 4) GREG PUGH.Solid pick any time the FLW Tour visits Alabama. 5) DAN MOREHEAD.Morehead is always dangerous on the TVA chain.		1) GABE BOLIVAR.He almost won here four months ago at the Stren Championship but lost the event to Sam Newby by 1 ounce. For a rookie, Bolivar has gotten off to a hot start, cashing big checks at his first two FLW Tour-level events. It should be a great battle between him and Jason Knapp for rookie-of-the-year honors. Bolivar is the complete package and will be a star on this tour for years. 2) DAVE LEFEBRE.Davey Boy is feeling a little giddy after finally showing up this season on the second day of the Chevy Open at Lake Murray. When a sleeping giant awakes, look out, rest of the field. Dave nearly made the top 10 here back in November and should be a factor this week. 3) STEVE KENNEDY.We haven’t heard his dog, Louie, barking since the Stren Championship back in November. Kennedy was in the driver’s seat but failed to land many keepers on the final day. This will be his first top-10 of the season. The Big Dog will hunt in this one. 4) JONATHAN NEWTON.The man is in no danger of having to carry that National Guard “bottom-feeder” alligator head around. Newton, too, fared well here in November. (See a trend in my picks yet?) He’s so excited about this event, he can’t stand it. Besides, you didn’t think Steve Kennedy was going to be the only Alabama native in my top five, did you? 5) SAM NEWBY.Not to pick Sam in the top five would be a crime. His $140,000 win here in November proved that the veteran still has some fight left for all those young guns out there. He must turn his FLW season around in a hurry if he’s going to make the championship for the second year in a row.

Brett Carlson Editor FLWOutdoors.com Record: 1-1 Points: 1,247	VS.	Jeff Schroeder Editor FLWOutdoors.com Record: 0-2 Points: 1,326
1) MIKE HAWKES.I’m not going to lie to the citizens of Punditville, I don’t know all that much about Mike Hawkes. But what I do know is that he’s a solid stick who has a track record for fishing the Tennessee River system effectively. I suspect the Sabinal, Texas, native will lock into Wheeler where he’s had great success over the years. He’ll be fine so long as he locks through cleanly. 2) GREG PUGH.In the past three seasons Pugh has firmly entrenched himself as an upper-tier FLW Tour pro. Much like Hawkes, Pugh loves the bass-rich waters of the Tennessee River. I thought about taking both members of the Pedigree posse, but after looking at their past performances on Pickwick (alliteration notwithstanding), the Cullman native is the Alabama angler who will cull his way to the bank. 3) CLARK WENDLANDT.Clean Shoes’ day-two performance on Lake Murray was a really encouraging sign that things are beginning to turn around. With maybe the exception of Dave Dudley, nobody is streakier than Shoes. I plan on riding Wendlandt’s hot streak from its origin: Pickwick Lake. 4) LARRY NIXON.Unbeknownst to this pundit, Nixon won the 2002 FLW Tour event on Wheeler Lake in dominating fashion. In early-season tournaments, changing weather patterns are commonplace, and nobody adjusts better than Larry Legend. 5) MATT HERREN.I should have listened to my own advice and stuck with the consistent Herren at the Chevy Open. How did he do? Herren whacked over 35 pounds in the opening round and finished in the top 10. The Trussville, Ala., pro currently sits in seventh place in the points race with the tour now returning to his home state. Matt, if you’ll forgive me, I promise to pick you at every event until you’re hoisting the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year trophy.		1) MATT HERREN.He’s just too good – and consistent – to ignore right now, especially heading back home to Alabama. All he needs now is a win. 2) JONATHAN NEWTON.He will be – and should be – on everyone’s picks list at Pickwick. His worst finish in competition above the BFL level in northwest Alabama is 91st, but he has two top-10s, including a 2003 Stren victory, at Pickwick. His top-five finish at last year’s Stren Championship only adds weight to this pick. If the fishing’s tough – which, compared to Lake Murray, it will be – look for Newton to put his local knowledge to full advantage. He loves fishing at home. 3) DAN MOREHEAD.The bow hunter of Kentucky Lake also seems to have his aim set squarely on Pickwick Lake whenever FLW Outdoors rolls into town. A Stren Series Central veteran, he has extensive experience plucking tricky smallmouth bass out of northwest Alabama. 4) SCOTT MARTIN.He’s been too quiet for too long, and Martin has a habit of popping up into the finals when you least expect it. That, combined with a decent track record on the Pickwick-Wilson-Wheeler chain, earns him the fourth pick. 5) GABE BOLIVAR.His 1-ounce loss to Sam Newby at the Stren Championship in November hurt, but I think Bolivar’s poised to make some real noise at the elite level eventually. I think he starts at Pickwick. The Western rookie has been quietly moving up the results since the FLW season started, and he obviously knows something about fishing in northwest Alabama. When it’s a small-limit, river-impoundment tournament like this one will be, Bolivar finds a way to get it done.

Gary Mortenson Editor FLWOutdoors.com Record: 1-1 Points: 1,221	VS.	Jason Sealock Associate editor FLW Outdoors Record: 1-1 Points: 1,204
1) MIKE HAWKES.Like Gagliardi just before the Lake Murray event, Hawkes is flying far under the radar for too many bass-fishing fans. Hawkes already boasts a 10th-place finish on nearby Wheeler Lake in 2005 as well as a 13th-place finish at the same FLW Tour venue in 2003. With anglers permitted to fish Pickwick, Wheeler or Wilson lakes, versatility and knowledge of the areas is extremely important. And Hawkes has both. If that weren’t enough, Hawkes is currently ranked third overall in the 2006 FLW Tour AOY contest which means he’s fishing as well as anyone. 2) DAN MOREHEAD.Morehead scored a second-place finish at Pickwick during the 2004 Stren Central Division season, he boasts a 30th-place Stren Central Division finish at the same venue in 2003, and, most recently, he notched a sixth-place finish at the 2005 Stren Championship on Pickwick. In 2003, Morehead was crowned the FLW Tour’s AOY and appears to be fishing well again. I’m ready to roll the dice. 3) LARRY NIXON.Another Wheeler Lake killer. With a 12th-place finish (2005), a 36th-place finish (2003) and a first-place finish (2002) already part of his FLW Tour credits on Wheeler, Nixon has the added advantage of being one of the best smallmouth anglers on tour. As for smallmouth bass, Pickwick Lake has them in spades. You do the math. 4) RANDY BLAUKAT.I can’t remember the last time I picked Blaukat in a Pundits’ Picks segment, but nevertheless, I’m going with him this time around. Sure Blaukat is one of my main competitors as a rival pundit, but I’m finally willing to give him his due. Blaukat has been incredibly consistent on nearby Wheeler, turning in a 14th-place finish (2002), 18th-place finish (2003) and a 22nd-place finish (2005) the last three times the FLW Tour has stopped at such a venue. My guess is that he won’t disappoint this time around, either. 5) DAVE LEFEBRE.After a disappointing showing at Okeechobee this year, Lefebre rebounded at Lake Murray, turning in a respectable 32nd-place finish. Basically, I’m banking that the Keebler Kid is finally back on track. With a 21st-place finish at the 2005 FLW Tour event on Wheeler Lake and a ninth-place finish at the 2005 Stren Championship at Pickwick to his credit, Lefebre should have what it takes to make a run at the title.		1) JONATHAN NEWTON.I’d say he’s a “lock” to make the top 10 (pun intended). Seriously, he’s fished well in the past on and around Wheeler, his home lake. He made the top 10 here just four short months ago in the Stren Series. 2) DAVE LEFEBRE.The Keebler Fudge Shop Fandango is a great coldwater, jig-and-crankbait angler, and he’s done well in the past on Pickwick Lake. He’s great at finding those bass others have missed and can catch smallmouth with the best of them. 3) DAN MOREHEAD.Another great clear, coldwater angler. He’s awesome with those finesse jigs and can flip and pitch shallow wood effectively. He’s also finished strong here in the past, and this is generally the time of year he really starts to heat up. 4) ANDY MORGAN.Can catch those cold bass in skinny water. With 10,000 laydowns on Pickwick Lake, Morgan is right at home with a big flipping stick in his hand. 5) ANTHONY GAGLIARDI.Call it riding on the coattails of a recent win, but Gagliardi can crank those prespawn bass with the best of the bunch. When the crankbait bite is down, he’s equally effective with jigs and spinnerbaits. And the pressure to win is off, so I look for him to do well fishing with confidence and calmness this week.

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