A Look at Pickwick & Wilson Lakes Leading up to the Championship
Category: article
Jun 9th, 2020 by Keith Worrall
Modified Jun 9th, 2020 at 8:52 PM
A Look at Pickwick & Wilson Lakes Leading up to the Championship
FLORENCE, AL (June 8, 2020) – Amongst the bass fishing community, the Tennessee
River is widely considered one of the best summertime destinations to find loads of fish piled up out on its world-renowned ledges and offshore structure. One of the crown jewels of this river system is Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL. In just two days, hundreds of the best college fishing teams in the nation will be out on Pickwick Lake competing in the 2020 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
At first glance, this tournament is setting up to be an absolute slugfest. Warm temperatures have been suffocating the south, and the fish have completed their migration from shallow spawning areas out to their summer haunts.
Weather conditions are one item to keep an eye on. Though it appears as if things will clear up in time for the tournament to kick off on Wednesday, the next two days here in Florence call for a solid chance of rain as a tropical storm makes its way north. Thunderstorms and rain will be in store for the next 48 hours or so. Although this may put a slight damper on the conditions for anglers as they pre-fish, it could really present a prized gift to the field in the form of additional current.
“Just having new water run through the system makes fish feed more,” noted Chase Dawson from the University of Tennessee. “If you end up having a tournament where there’s been no rain…and it’s really just stagnant, it allows the fish to spread out…and it’s just a grind.”
Current is a big player out on river systems like the Tennessee River. It seemingly serves as a dinner bell for the hungry bass lingering around the ledges in search of an easy meal. This part of the country has seen a good amount of rain throughout the spring months and into the early summer. Adding a little extra water leading up to the event could result in the TVA pushing water through the system at a steady rate to regulate water levels up and down the river. The anglers will sure be hoping for some much needed current to send these fish into a feeding frenzy. Read more.