Planning to fish Wheeler Saturday morning pending the weather. It opens at 7:00. Do I need to be there early to get in line? Is there usually a line?

This is also an open invite. Join me if you can.

good luck..... have fun there..

No real long lines. The most I have seen is around 4 vessels queued up at the gate. But, it is an orderly affair and moves along pretty fast.

Most of us early types get there ahead of time and while we are waiting for the attendant to show up in the golf cart, we start rigging up. If you are at the end of any sort of line, be sure and pull off on the left shoulder . . . there is a merging FM road there at the entrance forming a "Y" and some fast vehicles come over a hill without good vision so stay to what would be the left.

Once you have driven down to the entrance and paid, there are 2 nice ramps so everyone is on the water pretty fast. Plenty of trailer parking slots within a quick walk from the ramps and a nice close bathroom before you jump in and take off.

Brad

So weird, I've loved in Weatherford my whole life and fished Gbury and Squaw creek but never Wheeler. I may join you. What are you fishing for? I don't know much about it other than its clearish and rocky.

There's a few of us going up there on Sunday too!!!

There were 5 of us in line last Friday, and we were all on the water within 10 or 15 minutes.

Great LMB fishing when they are biting and they have Walleye too

Thanks for the info. I will be fishing for LMB. If its just raining I will be there. If there are thunderstorms that look like they will hang around I will probably pass.

Scratch that. We're going Sunday morning.

so how was it guys?�

I went out for a couple of hours this evening. This was my first chance to make it out to the lake.

It was an awesome place, big enough that we had no clue there were more than 5 yaks on the water, but small enough to can paddle it in less than an hour and a half I would assume. Also nice with the no wake.

I had a few small bass, much to small to bite chase my crank bait all the way to the yak.

Amazing how clear the water is.

I am trying to get my wife to go out next Saturday or Sunday morning so she can float around and hopefully I can catch a dang fish!!!

I was out there on Sunday as well. Super clear water, blue bird skies and no wind. Water temp was high 80's to low 90's. Marked quite a few fish on the graph suspended over ledges, but couldn't get them interested. Tried drop shot, Carolina around the grass, shakey head and crank baits with no success. Oh well, beautiful lake, probably fishes better when there is a little chop and cloud cover.

Me and a few of our buddies were out there Sunday too!!! Finally found a pattern that worked around 10 and caught a few small 12-15". Had fun, and a beautiful lake. Crystal Clear water, made it a treat to see the bass and blue gills every where. Also had a Fox greet us on the far side of the dam too, very cool. Can't wait to get back there with the kids!!!

Could you tell the pattern that worked?

I went for a few hours on Sunday afternoon. Had a few good bites but only caught this one. I saw many groups of bass this large and larger but could get them to hit. My buddy had 2 good ones on but didn't get them in his yak. Always a great little lake to go kayak fishing on.
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creature bait pulled through the grass. but with the water being so clear I had to sit on the other side of the grass and launched it over the grass and into the clearing.

I will be heading out there again on Friday morning. Open invite.

Very possible that i head there as well. May also go Saturday

FYI on fishing Saturday. Being the 4th of July, the Water District is having their annual firework show. The park will be packed with food venders, live bands, and several thousand people gathering from early in the morning to watch the firework show in the evening. If your going to watch fireworks and listen to music it is an awesome experience in a wonderful setting but it will be difficult getting in and out of the water to fish because of parking. Most parking will be remote parking in the pasture to the north of the park. You can go to SCWD.com to read more.

Good to know, thanks!

Maybe i'll go to Bachman or somewhere closer Saturday

Depending on weather and work schedule, I may head back out this upcoming weekend. Anything new to consider as this was from 2 yrs ago?

Only that in the past year or so, Wheeler Branch has changed its rules and no longer allows motor boats, and anything that holds water in a bilge area.

Canoes and kayaks, maybe jon boats (call and check) are all okay. They never allowed motor boats to do anything but troll anyway, but now they are all gone.

So, if anything, lines will be shorter. About the most bass boats I ever saw out there was limited to 4 or 5 anyway. Guys with 20 to 60K tied up in big boats with big motors really don't want to troll small lakes that much. I think the guys who did take big boats out there did it because it was convenient for them.

It may be a few weeks past optimal time, but I always found the post-spawn period for several weeks to be some of the best fishing out there.

I'd work the drop off on the dam side of the little island first thing in the AM. A drop shot works well. And, I like to cruise the length of the dam, too, usually next, then I start working just outside the grass lines down from the dam to the launch area, hit some of the coves. It is an easy lake to cover pretty extensively over one long day.

Brad

Anyone drift for catfish out here?

I have seen a couple of very large catfish caught there by bank fishermen, one by the raised fishing pier, the other if I recall correctly, off the boat launch.

Those are on opposite sides of the water inlet and it makes me think that maybe that stretch would be "good water" for cats. The water inlet is over by the swim platform if you are familiar with Wheeler Branch. It could be they have located to be near the occasional current.

I'd also try over in the very deep water off the dam.

Brad

I didn't drift for these, but here are two I caught at Wheeler Branch. I believe it was about three years ago. I caught both of them trying to catch some bluegills with worms while I ate my lunch.

Nice! Still waiting on two of the three kayaks I ordered to come in and then we'll be hitting this place.