“Since 99 percent of open tournaments are held on Columbus Lake, anglers must lock through to fish Aliceville. I don’;t like to catch fish on Aliceville and take them to Columbus, but that’;s what you have to do to win. On the first day of the last Stren Series tournament, there were 80 boats in the lock. The winner fished Aliceville. There’;s no telling how many thousands of pounds of bass anglers have taken to Columbus over the years.”

Schoenrock said the magic water temperature on Aliceville in March is 58 degrees. Below it, he targets staging bass on drop offs. Otherwise, he’;s sight fishing for big fish on the beds.

His lures for fishing the colder water are 1/4- and 1/2-ounce Rat-L-Traps or 6-inch, Texas-rigged lizards.

“It’;s necessary to search for them on break lines at the edge of the spawning flats or the migration routes leading to deeper water,” Schoenrock said. “A Rat-L-Trap is an excellent search bait, especially for grass. If the grass is too thick for the 1/2-ounce lure, step down to the smaller lure. The bigger bait typically catches bigger bass, but I’;ve caught 8-pound fish on the smaller bait.”

When Schoenrock has located and caught all the aggressive fish in an area with the hydrilla, he switches to the lizard.

Aliceville’;s bass are the first to spawn in the lakes in Schoenrock’;s fishing area. When the water temperature rises to 58 degrees, he searches for bedding fish in water 5 feet deep or less. Always looking for a big fish to win, Schoenrock doesn’;t stop for every bass.

To catch a big fish, Schoenrock may spend an hour working one bed with a lizard. Last spring, he caught two 7-pounders on the same day.

The angler also pointed out that the River Mount area produces the biggest fish. He recommended fishing Coal Fire and Pumpkin creeks as well. To fish these areas, launch your boat at the Raleigh Ryan Access Area on the west side of river across from Pickensville.

WILSON LAKE
SMALLMOUTHS
If you catch a 4-pound smallmouth in most parts of the country, it’;s considered a trophy. For a tournament angler fishing Wilson Lake, it’;s a decent fish that may boost his rank on the leader board. Regardless of your perspective on fish size, no other freshwater fish can match the fight of a smallmouth as it explodes into the air, flipping its body to throw the hook, followed by a running battle in deep water.

Barry Holt, successful Tennessee River guide and tournament angler, says fishermen occasionally catch 6- to 7-pound bronzebacks from Wilson, but adds that the lake holds bigger fish. Wilson produced the current state record, which weighs 10 pounds, 8 ounces.

Located between Wheeler Lake to the east and Pickwick to the west, Wilson is 15 1/2 miles long and covers 15,930 acres. The lake is unique amid other reservoirs on the river in Alabama, as it doesn’;t have many broad, extensive feeder creeks.

The lower section of the lake is deep, with water depths reaching 95 feet, while the upper end is much shallower. At the base of Wheeler Dam near the turbines, the water is just 6 to 12 feet deep.