2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Lake Eufaula Preview

May 10, 2021 • Kyle Wood • Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit

The fourth stop of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers heads back to Alabama to one of the most famous lakes in the country – Lake Eufaula. With a mid-May timeframe, the Grundéns Stop 4 Presented by A.R.E., should see some big bags of fish caught both shallow and deep.

Lake Eufaula

Eufaula, Ala.

May 13-16, 2021

Hosted by Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce

Eufaula has everything from grassy backwaters to main-lake ledges.

About the Fishery

Straddling the Alabama-Georgia line, Eufaula has long been touted as the “Bass Fishing Capital of the World,” as nearly every inch of the Chattahoochee River impoundment’s 45,000 acres is full of bass habitat.

Lily pads, gator grass and hyacinth are the most abundant vegetation in the lake. There’s also hydrilla, though it’s prevalence varies from year to year.

Off the bank, there are countless brushpiles and some old timber. The lower end features numerous ledges where large schools of bass flock as the summer heat sets in.

While there are spotted bass to be caught in Eufaula, it’s the largemouth population that receives the bulk of the attention.

Josh Stracner did his work offshore in last year’s Toyota Series event.

Last Time

Josh Stracner spent his time offshore last June in a Toyota Series event and sacked up 64 pounds, 15 ounces for the win. He spent the first two days fishing ledges on the lower end of the lake before switching to brushpiles on the final day. Nearly every other pro in the Top 10 fished offshore, brush or a combination of both for their finishes.

The Bassmaster Elite Series held an event on Eufaula right after the Toyota Series in 2020. Buddy Gross won it fishing brush, but there were a few notable finishes that came shallow as well.

Before that, the Bass Pro Tour stopped there in early February where Jacob Wheeler would get the win targeting brush with a spinnerbait. The lake was dirty and rising, but that pattern held true for many of the top performers.

Of course, there have been plenty of Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine events scattered throughout the years there, but when it comes to Pro Circuit history you have to go back to 2015 for the last time the FLW Tour hit Eufaula in mid-May. Bryan Thrift won it fishing brush all over the lake. Others fished similar patterns, however, a few of the Top 10 relied on shallow patterns like running bluegill beds for hungry largemouth still up shallow.

Cal Lane shows off the shallow side of Eufaula.

What to Expect This Time

There should be a bit of everything going on for this tournament. Sure, the offshore game of fishing ledges and brush will get a lot of attention, but the shallow bite should be good, too.

The most popular pattern will likely be looking for fish on the deeper ledges and standing timber on the lower end of the lake. Fishing brush and Eufaula go together like peanut butter and jelly, so there will be plenty of guys idling to mark as many of the thousands of brushpiles in Eufaula as they can find.

Don’t count out the shallow bite, though. There should be plenty of fish still up shallow holding around either a shad spawn, bream beds or both. Shallow patterns may not yield the numbers available offshore, but there can be some really good size in play.

Josh Butler relied on a big crankbait and a football jig in 2020.

Baits and Techniques

If it catches a bass, there’s a good chance you’ll see it thrown in this tournament. Spinnerbaits, vibrating jigs, swim jigs, topwaters and Texas rigs for punching mats will be key baits for shallower fish around Eufaula’s grass.

Offshore, expect deep-diving crankbaits, swimbaits, spoons, Scroungers, Texas rigs, Carolina rigs and football jigs to do the work.

Though not really a factor in the event, Eufaula is home to some big gators.

What to Watch For

Finding something “different” in the offshore program will be a big piece of the puzzle for a winning campaign on Eufaula. Despite its size, Eufaula’s offshore turf can fish relatively small, especially considering the Pro Circuit field size. Finding isolated brush or stumps either deeper or shallower than everyone is looking could be the route to go in order to get some key bites as the tournament rolls on.

Getting in a bad rotation offshore will also be something pros mention throughout the event. Timing your day to where you can run new water instead of places that were hit minutes before you arrive is always tough in offshore tournaments. The pro who can adjust as the tournament rolls on, like Stracner did in his win, and tap into a pattern they hadn’t checked since practice may be well-placed come the final weigh-in.