Anglers' Pictures
Anglers' Pictures from Wheeler Lake
Email your pictures to Doug Darr.
The certified spotted bass record for Wheeler Lake is 6-pounds, 3-ounces. We are still looking to certify lake record largemouth bass (8-pound minimum) and smallmouth bass (5-pound minimum). We also have an angler recognition program for other sport fish.
Dave caught this 91.4 lb blue catfish on April 22, 2013. |
Andrew Ekema celebrates his eleventh birthday catching his largest fish ever, a 7-pound blue catfish from Wheeler Lake, October 2012.
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Taylor Ashley and Austin Mize, members of the defending state champion Hayden High School bass fishing team, show off a pair of chunky Tennessee River bass taken on a brisk day at Wheeler Lake recently.
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Amber Godwin caught this whopper from Wheeler on March 26, 2012. |
David Arnold caught this dark smallmouth bass from Wheeler on July 18, 2011, using a white crankbait.
Wheeler has lots more to offer than just huge catfish. |
Josh McWhorter caught this 70-pound flathead catfish with the help of Capt. Jason Bridges on March 21, 2012.
Tim caught this 95-pound blue catfish on March 5, 2011, while fishing with Captain Jason Bridges of www.wheelercatsguideservide.com.
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It is rare to see a fish this large smile for the camera.
A small bait is not needed to catch blue catfish at Wheeler Lake on the Tennessee River.
Good water quality in a productive system with flow is the Wheeler Lake receipe for large blue catfish. The former world record, 111 pounds, is from Wheeler Lake.
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You know you have a big catfish when they hug you back. |
Tina Fuller of Arkansas holds a 38-pound blue catfish caught from Wheeler Lake. |
Chris Fuller of Arkansas with a monster 71-pound blue catfish from Wheeler Lake. Caught on December 23, 2010 on Skipjack. |
A 74-pound monster blue catfish from Wheeler Reservoir. Caught in March of 2011 on Skipjack. |
Chris Fuller holds the largest blue catfish of the trip, 85-pounds! Caught in March of 2011 on Skipjack. |
Twelve-year-old Jeff Williams went fishing with Jeff Williams and landed this 60 pounder in September of 2010 from Wheeler Lake (photo by David Rainer). |
Jason Bridges of Arab wrestles with a large blue catifsh that led to a sixth-place finish in the Big Cat Quest championship on Wheeler Lake during the summer of 2010 (photo by T. J. Stallings). |
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John Corban Sivley with dinner from Guntersville tailwaters. |
The headwaters of Wheeler/Guntersville tailrace can be seasonally good for a number of species. This fine flathead catfish was caught in August of 2010 by Allen Sivley. |
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102-pound blue catfish
Jerry Cline (my dad), Josh Cline (my brother) and I had the pleasure to fish Wheeler Lake in Alabama with Guide Mike Mitchell on Friday, February 5, 2010. This day was one that we will never forget!!!
We anchored on our second spot around 9:00 AM, and the fun began. The first rod dropped, and Dad uses a TWC rod to land a 30 lb blue catfish. The second TWC rod dropped, and I catch a 40 lb blue. No bites for 15 minutes, and we go to our next spot.
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First rod drops, and Josh uses a TWC rod to catch a personal best, a 66 lb. blue. Second TWC rod drops, and Dad fights and land his personal best, a 72 lb. blue. No bites for a few minutes, and we move again.
My rod goes down, and I grab the rod out of the Monster Rod Holder and immediately know that this is a monster. It felt like I had just hooked into a car. I have never felt something so big and so strong in all my life of fishing! I kept telling Mike, my dad and Josh that this is a giant. After about a 10-15 minute fight Mike lands the fish in the net. Josh and Mike lift the giant blue catfish into the boat. After several minutes of extreme excitement, it is time to weigh the fish.
Mike pulls out his 100 pound scale, and the scale reads FULL!!! I can't believe that I have just caught a 100 pound fish. Mike then brings out his 110 pound scale, and the catfish weighs 102.52 lbs!!! The blue catfish was 54 inches long, and the girth measured 40 inches. We take several pictures and release the big fish back into Wheeler Lake. The total for the day was 8 blues for 420 pounds!!!
Joe Ludtke
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Jason Williams and Allen Neuschwander brought in the new year right with an 86-pound blue catfish caught on January 2, 2010.
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Brandon Price caught and released this 40+ pound blue catfish from Wheeler Lake on the same trip.
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The largest blue catfish ever caught on video was this 101-pound, 54-inch Lake Wheeler fish caught on November 15, 2009 by Jason Bridges of Arab, Alabama's www.wheelercatsguideservice.com, and Rusty Devore from Missouri.
The men followed that up with a nice trio of blue catfish: 63, 68, and 72-pounds, again from Wheeler.
Joel Brown caught this 23 inch freshwater drum on September 26, 2009.
Stephen Browning hooked this 51-inch flathead catfish in Wheeler Lake during 2009 while throwing a Rapala DT10 in a "hot mustard" color.
