Any game fish or species with a size limit listed must be landed with head and tail fin intact. In the summer, Tour Grade Football Jigs with Rage Lobster trailers are my favorite bait, followed by Series 6XD crankbaits. Now it’s also producing the heavyweights. This means that changes in minimum sizes may not be reflected in the information below. The largemouth bass population on Wheeler Lake is very healthy. Note: Although the news release below notes that size restrictions and daily limits for bass, walleye, and channel catfish are lifted in rivers, streams, and beaver ponds statewide, certain waters that are often considered "rivers" are managed under lake rules. Winter Fishing Wheeler Lake. Most anglers drift live threadfin shad, locally called yellowtails, in the swift current for … Please note: We endeavor to keep this list of minimum fish retention sizes as accurate and up to date as possible. Wilson Reservoir and its Tributaries of Big Nance and Town Creeks – It is illegal to possess any smallmouth bass less than 15 inches in total length. Searching out all 68,300 surface acres on Wheeler lake for summertime bass can be awful intimidating on such a huge impoundment. Fish may not be harvested (catch and release only). NOTE: Regulations listed below may not reflect fish species actually found in the lake. FLW BFL News Tournaments Wheeler … They also feed at night. Wheeler Lake Impounded 1936 North Alabama. Local Pro, Bill Huntley, the originator of the Bumble Bee spinner bait, made this area of Wheeler Lake famous, with numerous limits of giant bass. "It should take 65 pounds to win, no more than that," he said. Now, 5-pounders are as common as in the early 1990s when Wheeler was in its heyday. No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is 25. Sauger must be at least 14 inches, although up to 3 sauger less than 14 inches may be kept. • *Size limits: note: total length of fish measured from the front of the mouth to the tip of the tail with both mouth and tail closed. Bass anglers can expect better than average catch rates of bass up to lengths of 15 inches or 1 - 1.5 pounds, but anglers will have to work hard to find larger fish. Statewide except the water bodies listed below: Smallmouth Bass. See Wheeler Lake's WDNR Lake Page for more information on this lake's characteristics. Numbers of bass above 15 inches are below the Alabama reservoir average. This total shall not exceed more than the limits or exceptions listed below. Alabama's second largest lake can be downright tough when bass come off the beds in May. There are lake headwaters, that offer cool, running water throughout the summer. Beck Dominates at Wheeler Lake . Running 70 or so miles from the Guntersville Dam to the Wheeler Dam, Wheeler Lake isn’t nearly the same from end to end. See bag and size limits for this lake. June 20, 2020 to March 7, 2021. The daily bag limit is 3. March 26, 2018 Ryan Salzman of Huntsville, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 25 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win. Spinnerbaits are also good choices until the fish move into the bushes to spawn. Charter fishing with Professional Bass Guide Brent Crow on Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson, Pickwick or Smith Lake, Lake Guntersville fishing guide, Guntersville, AL. As a Wheeler lake bass guide, I can be on the water in 10 minutes and have fished this lake for over 30 years. Wheeler offers just about every type of fishing possible, shallow, deep, finesse, power, you name it and you can do it and catch fish on Wheeler. Striped, White & Hybrid Bass Limits A total of 40 game fish may be kept in any one day. From the lakes headwaters (situated just below Guntersville Lake dam), to over 50 miles south at midlake where the Interstate 65 crosses the lake are good places to fish all summer. Wheeler 26 pound limit, May 2013 Wheeler Lake Fishing Guide As a Wheeler lake bass guide, I can be on the water in 10 minutes and have fished this lake for over 30 years. Wheeler Reservoir – It is illegal to possess any smallmouth bass less than 15 inches in total length. The minimum length limit is 14" and the daily bag limit is 5. The minimum length is 15", but walleye, sauger, and hybrids from 20" to 24" may not be kept, and only 1 fish over 24" is allowed. Fish may not be harvested (catch and release only) Largemouth bass. In 2012 Wheeler leaped from the bottom of Alabama’s quality bass barrel to No. On Smith Lake, it is illegal to possess a black bass that measures 13-15 inches in length. Slight fluctuations are normal and usually represent strong age classes within the fishery. 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