DECATUR, Ala. – Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa., described day two of the Stren Series Championship on Wheeler Lake to be an “off day.”
Northwest winds howled up the lake against the current creating rollers and a “wind tide” that essentially held up water in the back bays and flats.
“Normally when they pull water, even if it’s just a little bit, it creates a filtering effect on those flats,” Lefebre described. “But when there is a hard west or northwest wind blowing up the lake, it keeps that from happening.”
In addition, wind takes away an angler’s stealth.
“Boat control on those flats is critical,” noted Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., who is 
in third place. “One key to catching those fish is being able to ease around quietly with minimal use of the trolling motor. And that was just impossible yesterday.”
Many of the top-10 anglers who survived yesterday’s cut are hoping for better conditions today. And it looks like they are going to get them.
As of this morning, the wind had shifted a little more to come out of the northeast, and more importantly, it had subsided a bit from yesterday’s gusts.
“The bite should turn on at about 1 o’clock today,” Lane predicted. “That’s what time they’ve started biting the last two days. And if this wind shifts a bit and lays down, it should get right by this afternoon.”
But not all top-10 finalists are waiting on the flats.
Ott Defoe of Knoxville, Tenn., who sacked yesterday’s biggest limit of 14 pounds, 12 ounces to jump into the top 10, is not fishing the Decatur Flats area.
Defoe is fishing the extreme back end of a major creek with a Sonny B, a small flat-sided crankbait.
“I’m pretty committed to my area,” Defoe said. “I have to idle for miles to get in there, and it takes so long to get there that I can’t be exploring a lot of other options once I start fishing.”
Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2800 Spring Ave. S.W. in Decatur beginning at 4 p.m. CST. For those who can’t watch the action in person, FLWOutdoors.com provides FLW Live, a real-time viewing application that is the next best thing to being there.
The community is invited to attend the Family Fun Zone Friday and Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday, features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy. Admission to all activities is free.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:10 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 30 degrees
Expected high temperature: 56 degrees
Water temperature: 52 degrees
Forecasted winds: NE at 5 to 10 mph
Day’s outlook: sunny and cool