DECATUR, Ala. — The weather in northern Alabama is hot, humid and feels more like summer than the first days of October. The summer doldrums are indeed locked in place this week at the Nitro Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Wheeler Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops.
The second of three EQ events will be played out on a drastically different playing field by design than what panned out last month at Lake Champlain. Fishing pressure aside, what makes the Wheeler event different is another level of pressure.
That is the realization that there is no room for error going into the second of third events. For some anglers, that means fishing consistently and staying within striking range of a Top 10 points finish. For others, this week is a last chance to qualify for the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series.
Three strike zones of opportunity await the anglers on this Tennessee River impoundment. Those are two specific live scope areas on the lower and upper ends, and the Decatur Flats in the mid-section. The latter location will likely receive much angling pressure given its consistent seasonal productivity.
“There will be opportunities for scoping at each end, with the shallow strike zones around the Decatur Flats,” Laker Howell said. “I’m committing to a shallow water bite, where I’ve found several zones of vegetation.
“In the best-case scenario, everyone will have the opportunity fish their strengths in shallow and deeper water.”
Cody Stahl, second in EQ points going into the tournament, predicted that the conditions are ideal for junk fishing.
“The bass are in that kind of in-between stage between deeper areas out on the channel and moving back into the creeks,” he said.
Stahl wisely eliminated what he considered unproductive water and narrowed his strike zone to one preferred area of Wheeler.
“It was hard to find sweet spots with concentrations of fish,” he said, “so I concentrated on a single area with the potential to hold the most fish.”
For junk fishing that’s a wise move when lure choices are dictated by specific pieces of cover. Stahl’s strike zone extends from 2 inches up to 8 feet of depth.
Beyond the unknowns, one thing is for certain. This event marks a turning point for more than half the field of anglers seeking to qualify for the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series. For those outside the reasonable range of a Top 10 cutline, they will have to make one final push or cash out for the final event in November at Lake Okeechobee.
