Elite Series pro Clark Wendlandt has spent quite a bit of time fishing pro-level tournaments on Lake Guntersville, and he knows the deep-water pattern can be very unforgiving. One day an angler can load the boat with 20 pounds in five or six casts and the next day they are have totally disappeared.
“Recently I talked about taking risks on Bassmaster.com. I believe that there comes a time to play your hand and place a bet, but on a lake like Guntersville in June, more often than not, a big risk will bite you rather than pay off,” Wendlandt said. “I made the decision to look for something different and overlooked this week — primarily because I wasn’t catching the right size fish from the Guntersville ledges.”
When an opportunity arises to fish unpressured and unused water, Wendlandt — like most anglers — prefers it.
“You have to be careful when you bet on parts of the lake that are untouched by other competitors,” he said. “Sure, it could mean that a sneaky spot has gone undiscovered, but most likely nobody is fishing there for a reason. You have to take that into consideration when practicing to win big money on the pro level.”
He also said sometimes it’s necessary to survive a tournament and earn AOY points over putting it all on the line with a finicky pattern.
“I had a good Day 1 with over 20 pounds, but that pattern picked up later in the day,” he continued. “Day 2 has been alright, too. Good enough to fish again on Sunday. I’m not on the winning fish, so I need to make the most of the opportunity I have — and have fun along the way.”
Wendlandt said a couple of guys will find a special spot along the ledges that might hold up across four days of competition, and they may win there. However, if a consistent grass bite is located, that pattern could beat a ledge bite.
“The key to winning on the ledges is keeping tabs on roaming fish,” he said. “The bass certainly concentrate on specific spots along the Tennessee River edge, but they could be there one hour and gone the next. There will be fish in the grass all day long this time of year. But that’s when endurance is critical — an angler could go several hours fishing monotonous looking, expansive grass flats without getting bit. Then suddenly bump into the mother lode.
“Both approaches require intense focus, and either angler will earn their win at Guntersville this week. That’s a fact.”
Will the champion of this event win on the ledges or in the grass? Or maybe something different altogether? Time will tell. One thing is certain, Guntersville offers ample opportunity on many sources of fish-holding structure. Cracking the code will make a fine story indeed.
More to come.