Galbraith Rolls To Victory On Lake Wheeler

DECATUR, Ala. – Roy L. Galbraith won the Boater Division in the American Bass Anglers Open Series, Presented by Caymas Boats, Alabama North Division 1, third tournament of the season, held June 25, 2022, at Wheeler Lake.

Launching at Ingalls Harbor in Decatur, Ala., the angler from Guin, Ala. brought in a 5-bass tournament limit for 16.83 pounds with a 3.90-pound kicker. That gave the division points leader a 3.37-pound average. Beating the competition by nearly 4.5 pounds.

“I went downriver and threw topwater baits on a few points,” Galbraith detailed. “I caught a couple good smallmouth doing that. Then, I hit the grass with a big worm and a 5/16- or 3/8-ounce jig in about six to 10 feet of water. I stayed in the grass the rest of the day just dragging baits.” 

In second for the boaters, Tony Tidwell from Horton, Ala. also landed his 5-bass limit. He finished with 12.45 pounds.

“My co-angler and I had a good day,” Tidwell remarked. “A fine young man, I enjoyed fishing with him. We went out to the flats. In practice, I drifted across a spot not too far from the marina that I felt had a lot of good fish. We fished that flat around some grass. That flat had some high spots and little ditches with grass in the bottom of them. We mostly threw Carolina rigs and jig. We each caught about 25 fish.”

Ben M. Yarbrough from Athens, Ala. placed third among the boaters with five keepers at 11.88 pounds. He anchored that sack with 3.70-pounder. 

“I just went out there on the flats and threw a swim bait or a Spook,” Yarbrough said. “I just got the right ones to bite, but I lost a few good ones. I caught all my fish in four feet of water.”

Marty Brown of Ringgold, Ga. finished fourth with a 5-bass limit weighing 11.44 pounds. He topped that bag with a 3.98-pounder. Right behind, Dustin Perkins from Adamsville, Tenn. found five keepers for 11.14 pounds and fifth place.

John D. Anderson from Bay Springs, Miss. finished in ninth place with a 5-bass limit going 8.86 pounds. Nearly half of that bag came from a 4.08-pounder that took the tournament lunker title and put $170 in Anderson’s pocket. He got a little help from Garmin.

“I was fishing a jig in 25 to 27 feet of water around brush piles that I found in practice,” Anderson advised. “I saw the fish on my Garmin Panoptix LiveScope system. It bit one time and I missed him. I threw back in there a couple minutes later and that time I got him.”

In the Co-Angler Division, Scott A. Norman of Acworth, Ga. landed a 3-bass division limit for 11.91 pounds. That gave the division points leader a 3.97-pound average. Norman anchored his bag with a 3.85-pound mossback. 

“We fished jigs and Zoom Ol’ Monster worms in grass about six feet deep,” Norman revealed. “We probably caught more than 30 fish.”

Placing second, Duane Parker of Calhoun, Ga. put three keepers in the boat. His sack tallied 7.51 pounds, topped by a 2.86-pounder. “We went to the back of the creeks and fished dirt shallow,” Parker remarked. “I caught all my fish on a shaky head in 2.5 feet of water or less.”

In the third spot for the co-anglers, Gary W. Bates from Athens, Ga. found three good keepers for 7.46 pounds. He capped that catch with a 3.14-pounder.

“I had a great boater,” Bates said. “In the morning we started fishing rocks with a football jig and caught two right away. Then, he took me to some places with grass around the highway bridge. We fished the grass on a Strike King Hybrid Hunter. I caught the rest of my fish on that crankbait. I caught 17 fish total.”

Landing in fourth, Cooper “Coop” J. Cromwell from Savannah, Tenn. put three keepers on the scale for 6.76 pounds, including a 3.32-pound kicker. Just behind in fifth, Todd R. Mowery also found three keepers and ended the day with 6.32 pounds.

The division next goes to Neely Henry Lake on Sept. 10, 2022. That tournament runs out of Coosa Landing, located at 200 Lake Street in Gadsden, Ala. To register for this tournament, CLICK HERE.

American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Garmin Electronics, Power Pole, Lucas Oil, RT Outdoors, Sportsman Card, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.

About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments for the weekend angler and, at the same time, offering each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. 

For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Open Series, the American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, the annual Military Team Bass Tournament, and the Top 150 Solo Tour, all presented by Caymas Boats, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406

This story was written by ABA staff writer John N. Felsher. To submit articles of interest email info@americanbassanglers.com.