ALA-TENN Bass Club Delivers a Nail-Biter on Wheeler

Wheeler Lake proved stingier than Pickwick — and the leaderboard showed it.

The ALA-TENN Bass Club hit Wheeler on August 8th, shortly after a Pickwick Lake tournament where 13.79 pounds was enough to win with a three-fish limit. On Wheeler, it was more of a grind.

Wheeler Lake Sections Map

Thunderstorms rolled across the lake around 1 p.m. Tournament hours were set for 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., but most of the 20-plus teams had already trailered at First Creek Ramp before the rain arrived.

The fishing was tough, but the finish was tight. The top three teams were separated by less than a pound, combining for 24.49 pounds total.

Top Finishers:
• 1st Place – Richard Taylor & Randy Escue – 8.85 lbs.
Taylor and Escue brought two of their three-fish limit to the scales to take the win.
• 2nd Place – Colt Kelso & Jonas Cothren – 8.00 lbs.
A solid bag that kept it close right to the end.
• 3rd Place – Mac Old & Channing Cope – 7.64 lbs.
Old and Cope also weighed two fish to round out the top three.
• Lunker – Rex Crews & William McClain – 3.60 lbs.
Crews and McClain claimed big fish honors with a 3.60-lb. Wheeler bass.

1st Place Richard Taylor & Randy Escue (not shown) with 2 of 3 weighing 8.85 lbs. Photo provided

Colt Kelso & Jonas Cothren, 2nd Place 8826, 8 lbs. Photo provided

3rd Place Mac Old & Channing Cope (not shown), 2 of 3 weighing 7.64 lbs. Photo provided

Rex Crews & William McClain (not shown) with tournament 3.60 lb Lunker. Photo provided

The club shifts to a three-fish limit from June through September to reduce warm-weather fish mortality — a conservation move that continues to pay off.

Based in Lawrence County, Tennessee, the Alabama-Tennessee Bass Club draws anglers from southern Middle Tennessee and northern Alabama. The club is 73 members strong, fishing as 40 teams throughout the season.

The schedule features 10 regular monthly tournaments from February through October, held across the Tennessee River system — Wheeler, Wilson, Pickwick, and Kentucky Lakes — on a rotational basis. Lakes are selected by draw at the January meeting, and all four must be fished before returning to any one lake.

Rather than competing against the angler in the boat, members fish as partners, taking on the rest of the field as a team.

The tournament year wraps up on the second and third Saturdays in October, with results from both days paying out normally and combining for the club’s classic pot.

More information is available at ala-tennbassclub.com.

The club shifts to a three‑fish limit from June through September to help reduce warm‑weather fish mortality — a conservation move that continues to pay off.

The Alabama–Tennessee Bass Club is based in Lawrence County, Tennessee, drawing anglers from Lawrence and surrounding counties in southern middle Tennessee as well as northern Alabama. The club is 73 members strong, forming 40 teams that compete throughout the season.

The schedule features 10 regular monthly tournaments, running February through October. The tournament year wraps up on the second and third Saturdays in October, with results from both days paying out normally and combining for the club’s classic pot.

Events are held across the Tennessee River system — Wheeler, Wilson, Pickwick, and Kentucky Lakes — on a rotational basis. Lakes are selected by draw at the January meeting, and all four must be fished before returning to any one lake. Rather than competing against the angler in the boat, members fish as partners, taking on the rest of the field as a team.

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