EQs

Top lures at Wheeler Lake EQ 2025

Laker Howell wins a second Bassmaster event using topwaters — this time a Bassmaster Elite Qualifier on Wheeler Lake.

Posted on
Photography by
Dalton Tumblin
Captions by
Craig Lamb
Two primary patterns were in play at the Nitro Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Wheeler Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops. Those were the fabled Decatur Flats along the Tennessee River channel. Photo: Craig Lamb
Or the Guntersville Dam tailrace, where Matt Adams took advantage of the current-swept habitat for all three days.
The outlier was an obscure patten seldom exploited during fall on Tennessee River impoundments. The secret is out. You can win a fall tournament on a topwater. Laker Howell had it planned out from the start and proved it with a winning weight of 65 pounds, 11 ounces.
The ‘made dad proud moment’ was the second Bassmaster win for the younger Howell in two months, both times on topwater baits. Who says you can’t win having fun? Howell proved you can with a frog in August and most recently using a walking topwater. Check out his top bait and those used by anglers on the flats and tailrace. 
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Ryan Salzman (10th; 43-7)
Salzman used a walking bait, glidebait and swimbait. He also leveraged the tailrace bite and elsewhere. 
A top choice was this Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil.
Salzman also used a Yo-Zuri Pro Series Glide Bait 180mm.
He also used a True Bass Swimbait Perfect Head 5.5, rigged on 3/4-ounce True Bass Swimbait True Lock Swimbait Head.
Nic Rand (9th; 44-3)
Rand alternated between a jerkbait, walking bait and minnow. 
A Jenko Fishing Persues 110 Suspending Jerkbait was a top choice for triggering reaction bites. 
Alternatively, Rand used a Jenko Fishing Tin Cannon.
Rand also used a Jenko The Don and rigged on a Jenko 1/8-ounce jig head. 
Stephen Browning (8th; 45-15)
Browning fished ultra-shallow areas with a buzzbait and wobble-head jig. 
A top choice was this 5/16-ounce Accent Fishing Products buzzbait with Z-Man RaZor ShadZ. 
He also used a Z-Man Gremlin on 3/8-ounce wobble-head jig. 
Lucas Lindsay (7th; 47-5)
Lindsay used a fluke for surface feeding bass and a creature bait for finesse bites. 
A top choice was a Zoom Fluke rigged on 4/0 Core Tackle Scamper Rig with 4/0 hook. 
He also used a Neko-rigged Geecrack Bellows Gill Creature Bait on 3/0 Ryugi Talisman Hook. 
Pake South (6th; 50-2)
South rotated between a jerkbait and Neko rig. 
He made it with a 6th Sense Divine Swimbait on 3/0 Ryugi Talisman Wacky/Neko Hook. 
For feeding bass he used a 6th Sense Provoke 106X Jerkbait. 
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Fisher Anaya (5th; 50-15)
Anaya’s top lure was a Neko rig. 
He made it with a CrushCity Janitor with a 2/0 VMC Neko Hook and VMC Crossover Ring. 
Colby Dark (4th; 51-2)
Dark set up drifts across main river channel flats. 
His top lure was a 1/2-ounce Black Sheep Custom Tackle mop-style jig, with Strike King Rage Craw. 
Yui Aoki (3rd; 58-4)
Aoki used an obscure Japanese bait, jerkbait and swimbait. 
Leading off was this Dstyle SYUU-CHIN-GAN.
Aoki also used a Megabass Ito Vision 110 Jr. jerkbait. 
Another top selection was this Evergreen Last Ace 168.
Matt Adams (2nd; 65-9)
Adams targeted tailrace bass with a crankbait and swimbait. 
That choice was a 6th Sense Shindo 6.0 Saltwater, rigged on 3/16-ounce Treeshaker Tackle Company Austin Felix Dream Stroller Jig. 
Alternatively, he cranked a 6th Sense Cloud 9 Series C15. 
Laker Howell (1st; 65-11)
Howell focused on a saddle with shell bottom between two bars near the river channel. His fish would funnel in off the main channel, stage on the shell and feed on shad as they came through.
His primary lure was a Livingston Lures Walking Boss. The bait’s cupped mouth imparting a water spit across the surface was key to attracting sluggish largemouth. The bait features a cupped face, a No. 2 feathered tail hook complementing the No. 4 trebles on the front and middle, and Livingston’s patented Electronic Baitfish Sound technology.
He also used a Livingston Lures Walking Boss Jr. 4. Howell used the Bone Cracker pattern for both baits. Howell noted the cupped face was key to eliciting strikes.

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