In the fast-paced world of pro bass fishing, where speedy boats are as prevalent as the will to win, pedestrian anglers can sometimes be overlooked. However, this shore-casting contingent will be the focus of a fisheries-enhancement project at Wheeler Lake that has FLW Outdoors literally putting money into the bank.
Bringing in the fish
A $5,500 donation, made by FLW Outdoors through the FishAmerica Foundation in the wake of the May 11-14 Wal-Mart FLW Tour event at Wheeler Lake, will benefit bank anglers in northern Alabama’s Joe Wheeler State Park. The money will be used to attract fish to waters near popular shore-fishing locations by submerging structure.
Northwest Alabama Parks District Superintendent Tim Haney said: “I have a lot of shoreline fishermen, and I have basically one dock that’s dedicated to fishing.”
Large treetops of cleared trees from within Joe Wheeler State Park will be combined with wooden pallets to provide the submerged habitat. According to Haney, the pallets can last from five to seven years underwater, and even after the outermost branches of the treetops deteriorate, a significant base is left to provide structure for fish.
“It’s something fairly substantial,” Haney said. “These aren’t just little treetops.”
Such structure is relatively inexpensive, so most of the donation will go toward paying for the labor. Haney said he plans to keep on some of his seasonal staff past summer to work on the project this fall.
Placing the structure will require a fair amount of precision on the part of park employees. Some of the structure can be dropped off the dock, while structure placed offshore in other areas will be deployed by boats. Depth, as well as allowing for rising and falling lake levels, is a key consideration for optimal results when placing the structure, Haney said.
“It’s a fair amount of work to get it out there,” he said. “You don’t want to drop a tree into a 45-foot drop-off.”
In addition to frequenting the dedicated fishing dock, anglers also shore-fish from the state park’s nearby day-use area.
“Through the donation, we can make available a project that’s going to bring fish in to the bank fishermen,” Haney said. “We put it within casting distance of the shore.”
When the FLW Tour visited Wheeler Lake in 2002, the $5,000 donation was used to resurrect an annual “kids’ fishing rodeo” at Joe Wheeler State Park that had been on hiatus for the preceding few years due to lack of funds, Haney said. A subsequent donation made by FLW Outdoors after the 2003 Forrest Wood Open at Wheeler Lake paid for the children’s fishing event that year and left enough funds to pay for the 2005 event as well, taking place this weekend at the state park. This year’s rodeo is being administered by park officials in conjunction with Wal-Mart’s national youth fishing program, an annual event.
Approximately 1,000 pounds of catfish are stocked for each annual event. All fish remaining after the events are released into the lake. These fish provide additional angling activities throughout the year.
Wheeler is located in north-central Alabama and is the state’s second largest lake. Part of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s lake system, Wheeler stretches 60 miles from Guntersville Dam to Wheeler Dam near Rogersville, Ala.
Bass fishing is the most popular form of angling on Wheeler Lake, according to FAF research. Largemouths are the primary species, but smallmouth bass are common from Decatur, Ala. – host site of the recent FLW Tour event – to the west end, especially from Elk River down. The lake also offers anglers a host of other quarry including catfish, crappies, saugers, striped and white bass, and bream.
Bringing the bucks
In addition to FLW Outdoors’ standard $5,000 donation, the May 11-14 FLW Tour event on Wheeler Lake yielded another $500 for the habitat-enhancement project through fans and competitors who purchased special wristbands.
New in 2005, FLW Outdoors, FAF and BP-Castrol are administering a conservation program through which the wristbands, which signify support for the preservation and restoration of America’s great fisheries, are sold for a minimum of $1 each. Proceeds are donated to a local fisheries-enhancement project.
The next opportunity to support the new conservation program will be at the June 22-25 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Chevy Open presented by Kellogg’s on the Potomac River. All donations received at the tournament will benefit a local fishery.
As it has in the past, FLW Outdoors will continue to donate a minimum of $5,000 at each of its seven FLW Tour events in 2005 as well as at a variety of its other tournaments.
In 2000, FLW Outdoors announced its partnership with the FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation arm of the American Sportfishing Association. Since then, FLW Outdoors has directly donated nearly $250,000 and helped to generate more than $1 million for local conservation projects.