ABT 100 NEWS

Alabama Bass Trail 100 at Wheeler Lake Preview: Featuring Pro Angler Justin AtkinsWheeler Lake Feature Story

By Jason Duran

This Saturday, the Alabama Bass Trail 100 returns to Wheeler Lake. As the largest of Alabama’s TVA lakes, Wheeler is a favorite on the Alabama Bass Trail circuit, challenging competitors with its broad expanse of waters, varied fish habitats, and some of the toughest bass in the state. The ABT 100 puts the best of the best in team fishing on the water. This is the final stop of three. At each event, teams are fishing for a total purse of $100,000 and a first-place prize of $25,000. This year’s field is stacked, but there’s one name that stands out: former ABT angler and now Bassmaster Elite pro-Justin Atkins. Justin and his partner, Kyle Dorsett, are looking to use some of his Tennessee River experience to make a run at the win.

Justin Atkins, is a Mississippi native and now calls Florence, AL home.  With a career studded by major victories, Atkins rose to prominence after winning the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup in his rookie season. Known for his calm under pressure and deep knowledge of Southern lakes, Atkins Won the 2018 Bassmaster Open on Logan Martin and finished 2nd in the AOY to qualify him for the Bassmaster Elite Series. When asked about what it is like to have the opportunity to fish ABT 100 events, he shared, “I really enjoy fishing these events. I don’t get to fish this kind of event much because a lot of tournament trails don’t allow ‘professionals’ to fish. It’s nice to pick a partner that you don’t get to spend as much time with and go do some old-school fishing like this.”

Wheeler Lake is no stranger to this kind of event, but with its expansive habitats ranging from grassy shallows to deep channels, even seasoned teams will need a sharp plan and perfect execution to emerge victorious. Justin shared that a typical pattern for this time of year, “is going to be bait-related. The bait fish are moving around this time of year.” Justin believes the predominant bait in this event will be a “topwater, and it will be a big player. The key will be finding the zone where the fish are. Whether it is the flats in the middle of the lake, on the lower end around some grass, or up near the dam. I was really wanting it to be cooler by this point in the year because that makes that bite even better. With it not being any cooler, I think that is going to keep some other things in play.” He describes the other things to be areas “like deep brush or some deep holes where some schools could have some fish lingering around on them still. The only other factor that could shake things up is they are drawing the river down right now so it has had a lot of current in it. I feel like this positions the majority of the fish in a few places and makes it where guys get specific spots and can really have a great day.” 

Wheeler Lake offers a variety of fishing opportunities, featuring submerged ledges, deep-water pockets, sprawling flats, and shallows filled with aquatic vegetation. This diversity requires anglers to be flexible and ready to adapt quickly. With a mix of largemouth and smallmouth bass that can be unpredictable this time of year, success will depend on quick decision-making and knowing when to switch tactics.

For this week, Atkins suggests a few key baits that will likely be effective. First, a walking-style topwater bait; second, a chatterbait. Many teams will be catching fish on topwater or chatterbaits around the grass, which allows for a mixed bag of fish—this strategy will be essential to winning the event. The third key bait will be a swimbait. While many teams may catch fish further down the lake, the winning fish are expected to come from the dam. Recent competitions have shown that many winning bags come from the long run to the dam. Although teams will fish both areas, the winners are likely to be at the dam, primarily using a swimbait. Justin believes the winning weight will be “20 pounds.  It has not taken that much to win here recently, but putting this group of guys out on the water, and it is a little later in the year, will push the weights up closer to 20 pounds.  If we have 20 pounds, I would feel good about it.”  

Join us for live on-the-water coverage on the Alabama Bass Trail 100 Facebook page and the Alabama Bass Trail 100 Website (www.alabamabasstrail100.org) from Wheeler Lake this Saturday to experience the Alabama Bass Trail 100. Tune in to see Justin Atkins, Kyle Dorsett, and 99 other teams of anglers put their skills to the ultimate test. Whether you’re a seasoned fan or new to competitive bass fishing, Wheeler offers a day full of action, stunning views of North Alabama, and an opportunity to see why anglers like Justin Atkins are so passionate about the Tennessee River and the Alabama Bass Trail 100.

This event will conclude the AOY race and the team that comes out on top will hoist the highly sought-after heavy weight belts. The current AOY top five is: 

The Pre-Tournament Virtual meeting was held on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 6:00 P.M. and is available on the ABT 100 Facebook Page. All anglers should check text messages and emails for any updates and changes for this event. All friends and family are welcome to attend this event; bring lawn chairs. Launch and weigh-in will be held November 2, 2024, at Ingalls Harbor, 802-A Wilson Street NW, Decatur, AL 35601. Launch will be at safe daylight. Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.”  The Podcast is released each week on Tuesday. 

The sponsors of the 2024 Alabama Bass Trail 100 include; Phoenix Bass Boats, Landers McLarty Chevrolet, McGraw Webb Chevrolet,, Garmin,  Power-Pole, AmFirst, CrushCity, Bait Fuel, Pro-Guide Batteries, Sweet Home Alabama, Alabama State Parks, Jacks, Snag Proof, Yamaha, T-H Marine Supplies, Big Bite Bait Company, American Bait Works, VMC, Anheuser – Busch, Inc., fishalabama.org, Rapala, Halo Fishing, NetBait.