February 2025 - Alamo Lake — Midweek Bass AZ

Alamo Lake Tournament Summary

The tournament required anglers to adapt to a tough bite, with many focusing on a combination of shallow and deep water to locate fish. The most effective strategies included early morning reaction baits, followed by slower finesse presentations as the day progressed. Main lake points, secondary points, and areas with submerged brush played a key role in producing quality fish.

Top 3 Teams & Their Strategies

1. 1st Place – 12.73 lbs | Nick Teschler & Archie Tourney

• Pattern: Focused on two main lake points leading into large spawning creeks, where fish positioned shallow along the sides.

• Baits: Jigs with Chigger Craw trailers were the key, while a late-day crankbait helped with the final cull.

• Strategy: The bite picked up around mid-morning, with steady action on the jig. A missed opportunity on a Carolina rig could have further improved their bag.

2. 2nd Place – 11.06 lbs | Bill Briggs & Steve Tinsley

• Pattern: Stayed on a 200- to 300-yard stretch of shoreline, where fish were scattered between 5 and 25 feet.

• Baits: Early limit on crankbaits, then transitioned to Carolina rigs and drop shots as the sun came out.

• Strategy: Grinding through slow bites and making multiple culls throughout the day helped them secure second place.

3. 3rd Place – 10.29 lbs | Joe Beaty & Brian Dudley

• Pattern: Identified two key areas holding fish during practice and committed to them.

• Baits: Texas-rigged creature baits, swimbaits, and craws.

• Strategy: Started on the wrong side of a key area but quickly adjusted to put together a limit. Spent the afternoon culling and searching for bigger fish in trees.

Key Takeaways

• Reaction Bites Early: Several teams had success with crankbaits, swimbaits, and spinnerbaits in the morning before transitioning to slower techniques later in the day.

• Jigs & Soft Plastics Were Key: As the day wore on, jigs, drop shots, Carolina rigs, and Texas-rigged baits like creature baits and lizards produced quality fish.

• Shallow to Deep Transitions: Many anglers started shallow, especially near main lake points and secondary points, before shifting to deeper water as conditions changed.

• Brush & Structure Held Fish: Areas with submerged trees, laydowns, and brush piles played a major role, with several teams reporting lost fish due to snagging in cover.

• Slow & Methodical Presentations: Once the sun came up and the reaction bite faded, finesse presentations such as drop shots, Texas rigs, and Carolina rigs became the most productive.

This tournament emphasized the importance of adjusting techniques throughout the day, balancing reaction baits for early bites with slower, bottom-oriented presentations later on. Congratulations to Nick Teschler & Archie Tourney for taking first place with 12.73 lbs!

Team Reports

Nick Teschler

I went out on Tuesday to practice and had no clue what was going on. The only fish I caught were random, and I couldn’t find a pattern. On tournament day, things started clicking for us around 10:30 AM.

We focused on two main lake points leading into large spawning creeks. The fish were positioned shallow along the sides of these points. I caught all my fish on a jig with a Chigger Craw trailer. We landed at least 15 fish, including our biggest one, which also came on a jig.

Archie lost a good fish on a Carolina rig, but I was able to cull one more fish with a few minutes left using a crankbait. The fish weren’t as far along in the spawning process as I expected, but the jig was the key to our success.

Congrats to everyone who figured out this tough bite!

Archie Tourney

I was fortunate to have drawn Nick Teschler for my second tournament with Midweek.

Nick put us on fish right away. I was throwing a Carolina rig and caught a couple of small fish. Later in the morning I changed to a drop shop and caught a little better fish. I was back and forth with a jig and the Carolina rig. I finally caught a decent fish on the Carolina rig but failed to land it.

I had a good time fishing with Nick and watching him catch the big fish of the tournament.

Bill Briggs

First, I want to thank God and everyone who makes these tournaments happen. I had a great time fishing with Steve and wish I had shown him more of the lake, as the fishing can be incredible at times.

After three days of practice, I realized it was going to be a grind. The fish I found were scattered between 5 and 25 feet of water. I told Steve that our best option was to work back and forth along a 200- to 300-yard stretch of shoreline since other promising areas would be crowded with boats.

I started with a crankbait while Steve threw a jig. The crankbait bite was productive, and we had a limit in the boat pretty quickly. However, once the sun came out, that bite died off. We switched to drop shot and Carolina rigs, grinding it out to make several culls throughout the day. A slow presentation seemed to be the key.

Thanks again to everyone who helped put this event together!

Steve Tinsley

I want to thank the club directors and weigh-in crew for running another smooth tournament. This was my first time meeting Bill Briggs, and I really enjoyed fishing with him. Bill spent several days pre-fishing Alamo and did a great job developing a solid plan for tournament day.

Bill told me he had only found one area where he was confident we’d catch fish, so we committed to staying there all day—and it paid off. Bill had a limit in the boat within the first hour. It took me a while to get my first bite, but I was able to cull a couple of the smaller fish he had caught early on.

Most of our fish were caught on a Carolina rig after the morning crankbait bite shut down. I also managed to catch one on a drop shot.

Joe Beaty

First off, great job to Nick and his partner for catching the big bass that secured their victory! And a big thank you to the weigh-in team for another well-run event.

I arrived at the lake on Sunday and fished every point and cove I could find. Eventually, I located two areas holding multiple fish. My partner, Brian, arrived Tuesday at 1:30 PM, and we went straight to one of those spots, quickly catching five fish. We decided that would be our starting area for the tournament.

At blast-off, I mistakenly started on the wrong side of the area. As I was realizing this, Brian hooked into a fish—a 1.5-pounder—which stayed in our bag all day. Without that fish, we wouldn’t have secured 3rd place.

Once we moved to the correct spot, I caught a 2-pounder, followed by a dink. Brian caught another 2-pounder, then another dink, giving us a limit. We moved to our second area, where I caught two fish that helped us cull the smaller ones.

We then hit the trees in search of a bigger bite. Brian landed another 2-pounder, leaving us needing just one more to upgrade. We fished used-up water, watching Brian Colby catch two dinks. With an hour left, I suggested we return to our starting spot, where I caught a fish just under 2 pounds.

I fished Texas-rigged creature baits all day, while Brian caught his fish on a swimbait and craws.

Joel Steenstra

Thank you Midweek Bass Club for the great tournament. I have to return to AK for my fishing season but I will be back for the Nov tournament.

I was fortunate to be paired with boater Mike Bidek. He is a wealth of knowledge and has the lake figured out. He made all the right moves and kept us on fish. We pre-fished on the Sunday before the tournament and did well. It was a big confidence booster for me as I am just getting reacquainted with bass fishing.

On tournament day we got two quick ones on crank baits. On the same shoreline we were fortunate to grab our biggest bass over 3lbs on the inside of a point. We continued to fish various main lake points and secondary points, catching small 1lb fish and eventually upgrading them with 1.5-2lb bass. Everything after the initial crankbait bite came on free rigs and jigs.

It was a fantastic experience.

5th Place
Ken Landry & John Zupet
10.19 lbs

I met up with my partner, John Zupet, early Tuesday for pre-fishing. We started in a cove near the dam where John had previously caught fish. We both landed fish on a drop shot, and I picked one up on a jig. The bite slowed, so we moved around the lake, mostly eliminating water.

I had a favorite point on the north side that I kept checking, but it never produced. On Wednesday, we started by the dam again and caught an early crankbait fish, but that was it. We moved to my point, where we each caught fish on a drop shot, including a 4-pounder.

We ended up catching six fish off that one point and made three culls. Had a great time with John, and a big shoutout to the tournament officials for running a great event!

6th Place – Victor Cunningham & Bart Bohlen

9.87 lbs

Victor Cunningham

Alamo was a challenge for many of us due to post-cold front conditions. Bart and I pre-fished Monday and Tuesday, finding fish between 2 and 19 feet of water. The fish seemed to move shallower as the day warmed, and wind and cloud cover improved the bite on both practice days.

On tournament day, we were met with bluebird skies and no wind. We adjusted our strategy and started in a shallow bay. By 10 AM, we had our weight, but we struggled to upgrade throughout the rest of the day.

We rotated through spinnerbaits, drop shot, Carolina rigs, Texas-rigged Brush Hogs, and 6-inch curly tail worms. Thanks to the Midweek team for all their hard work and dedication!

Bart Bohlen:

As a new member of the Midweek Club, Alamo was my first tournament. I was fortunate to partner with Victor Cunningham, who showed me the ropes of tournament fishing. I learned a lot and had a great time.

We pre-fished both Monday and Tuesday with good results, throwing spinnerbaits, Carolina rigs, drop shot, crankbaits, and plastics to find the best bite. On Wednesday, we stayed shallow and primarily fished plastics. The morning bite was best, but we managed to catch a few throughout the afternoon as well. Overall, it was a great day!

Joe Michels

For the first time in months, I couldn’t find a reaction bite—not a single one. My only option was to fish bottom-bouncing baits. I decided to go with Texas-rigged lizards, a bait I hadn’t thrown in months, except when pitching to shallow cover, which is a different technique.

I started with a 3/8 oz Texas rig and focused on main lake points in 15 to 25 feet of water, but I had no luck. Only when I moved shallow did I start getting bites. However, as soon as I set the hook, I found myself tangled in brush. I quickly realized the fish were holding in and around brush, so I decided to target shallow, brushy points on tournament day. I also had one other location where I hooked into a very good fish during practice, near the mouth of the river. More on that in a moment.

I started tournament day at my big fish spot, throwing a lizard along a bluff near heavy timber, but nothing happened. As soon as we moved to flat, brushy points and focused on isolated brush, we started catching fish—me on a Texas rig and Rusty on a Carolina rig. When we came across shallow, rocky points without brush, I switched to a Mitch’s Bug-I-Jig with a Hula Grub and continued catching fish. It turned out to be the best jig fishing day I’ve had in years, mainly because I usually prefer reaction baits over jigs.

We caught about 20 fish throughout the day, gradually upgrading our bag, including a 2.25-pounder. On our final pass by the bluff, I pitched a swim jig to the base of a tree and caught a 2.5-pounder. Just before we wrapped up for the day, I threw a lizard next to a bluff and hooked into a good fish, only to have it wrap itself in a bush and come off. That was the end of our day.

Lance Kuhler

Congratulation to Nick and Archie and to everybody else that put their toe on the line at Alamo. Before I start, I want the thank Greg Prather and my partner for helping me change a tire after the tournament. I could not have done it without their help. I had the pleasure of fishing with Tom Atherton he did a great job and we had very complimentary styles. We got to fish part of the day on Tuesday and confirmed that there was a pretty good crankbait bite at least early in the morning. We made a couple of casts right by the takeoff and caught a crankbait fish right away so we really did not do that anymore during practice. We caught fish every other way possible during practice and were confident that we had several ways to catch fish and several good areas. I broke my trolling motor cable and fell flat on my backside at about 11 o’clock and that was the end to our day. I drove to Wickenburg Marine for the repair and a sore back.

On tournament day our plan was to hit the banks close to the ramp with a crankbait and keep doing that until it didn’t work anymore. When it was our turn we went around the start boat and headed right for the closest shore. Unfortunately, someone else had the same idea and when I put my trolling motor down someone had some choice words for us. Sorry guys. I swear I thought they were in line waiting their turn to go out. Anyway, we bailed on that idea and headed across the lake to some other shoreline that looked good during practice. We hit the banks with cranks and caught two 2 pound fish in the first 5 or ten minutes. One for me and one for my partner. It was a good start and I had so much confidence in the crankbait pattern that we didn’t give up on it for another three hours. We wasted half our day for only two fish. Plan B was to Carolina Rig and dropshot some areas where we had success during practice. For an hour we got no bites so we tried the crankbait one more time on the original shoreline that we tried to start on. No bites there either. We decided to go flip the trees and were headed there on the trolling motor when I got a decent fish on a crankbait near the ramp. Once we got to the area that we wanted to flip our plan was to have me flip the trees and bushes while Tom fished the lane in between with a Texas rig. Tom caught a decent fish right away and now we had 4. A few minutes later, I flipped a fish and we had a limit. I felt like we were in good shape and we had two more hours to flip trees. I felt like flipping gave us the best shot to win because I broke off a couple in the trees during practice so that’s what we did. We got a couple of bites but didn’t catch anymore fish. As I raised my trolling motor one last time, my cable broke again and this time I really hurt my back. As I am writing this it still hurts. And that’s why Greg Prather, my partner and all the other guys that helped me were so important. I could barely move after the second fall. Despite that it was a great tournament.

Charlie Mackintosh

Congratulations to Nick and Andy on their win! During practice at Alamo this February I found the fishing to be fair, catching 6-10 fish per day. I expected it would take 10 lbs for a check. My best luck was drawing Steve as a co-angler. We started the day in a big cove and covered 3 spots that yielded nothing, then went to a point with rock on one side and brush on the other side again yielding nothing. Our third area consisted of a bank with multiple main lake points and we were able to quickly put together a small limit by 9:15 with the drop shot and jig.

Our next area was a long rocky bank down lake with a shallow flat and deeper water at the edge of the flat. We worked our way down the bank and as I futilely threw a crank bait toward shore, Steve threw his drop shot to the deeper side sticking our best fish of the day followed by a second fish that stayed with us to weigh in. Although we spent another 40 minutes working the deeper water (12-15’), we were unable to produce any more upgrades.

From there, we spot-hopped without additional upgrades until we were in a big bay, fishing at a prominent cut point, and I was able to stick our second-best fish with a jig. That was around 2 pm and was our last upgrade. We caught fish steadily throughout the day and probably landed 15-20 fish. We were pleasantly surprised when we learned we had clawed our way to the last check. A big thanks to my partner “Fergy” and to the Midweek weigh-in crew and board for another smooth and enjoyable event!

Steve Ferguson

I had the pleasure to fish with Charlie Macintosh for the first as a co angler and we had a great time together. We prefished Monday and Tuesday the day before, Charlie went up a week prior solo and caught some good fish. Our prefish was not bad using dropshot and crankbaits along with some bugeye jigs Charlie threw and whacked a few on jigs and cranks pretty quick, so we had areas.. TOURNAMENT DAY we had a couple areas that produced in practice but we were boat #30 so we didn't know if spots were taken or not, we started off in trees with no luck then moved to a smal point with some brush and got on a good dropshot bite using a robo oxblood 5.5 in. And got a pretty quick limit, then moved to other area with a couple small ones, we upgraded 2 of our fish on a long 12 ft flat, and Charlie went Shallow and I went deep, the bites came in 12-15 feet, a 2.7lb on drop shot and 3 others. These fish were moved up into shallow water and then went to deeper water, we believe. All in all, a great time with Charlie and sneaked by with a 9th place . Thanks again for the weigh-in team and board members who make these events seamless. Congrats to all the placers.

February 2025 - Alamo Lake

Alamo Lake Tournament Summary

Key Takeaways

Team Reports

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