2021 Bassmaster Elite Whataburger Neely Henry Lake Day 3: Logan Leads with 43-08lbs!

 Canadians Cory Johnston 20, Gustafson 34th & Chris Johnston 36th 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Wes Logan, of Springville, Ala., is leading after Day 3 of the 2021 Whataburger 
Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry Lake with a three-day total of 43 pounds, 8 ounces.
(Photo: BASS)

GADSDEN, Ala. — Wes Logan grew up fishing this 11,200-acre Coosa River fishery, so it’s no surprise his intimate knowledge of the lake helped him climb to the top of the leaderboard on Day 3 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry Lake.

But with the Neely Henry bass still adjusting to extremely heavy rains last week, Logan admits he’ll have to lean on every bit of his experience if he’s to win his first B.A.S.S tournament Monday.

Logan has three consecutive limits for a total weight of 43 pounds, 8 ounces. He was in eighth place after Day 2, but a 16-15 bag on Sunday tied for the tournament high and vaulted him into the pole position at Neely Henry.

Despite his know-how on Neely Henry, Logan is leery of all nine of the remaining competitors. That’s mostly because the lake has been a mystery since the extreme storms trained across the area last week. The water level soared, the lake muddied and the bass scattered to some unusual places. It was a combination that tested the Elites from the start, Logan included.

“The only thing that helps me is I know how things act when something changes here,” Logan said.

And there have been plenty of shifts on Neely Henry in the past few days. The north end of the lake had high water following the heavy rain but is now draining into its south end, which had been extremely shallow. As the water pushes through the lake, bass are moving with the heaviest flow, which Logan said convinced him to try for offshore bites on Sunday.

It’s not what he’d normally do, but this week has been different.

“I caught a 3 1/2-pounder in a place I’ve caught fish in the past, but this time it was in bright sunshine and in 6 inches of water,” he said. “That fish shouldn’t have been there. I was running by and wasn’t even going to go in there, but I went with my gut feeling. I’ll have to do that tomorrow because where I thought I could win the tournament, there’s not going to be any water in the grass anymore.”

Logan’s heaviest bass weighed 5-4, which was only 2 ounces shy of the heaviest catch on Sunday. He said he’ll look for more of that caliber bass on Day 4, feeling he’ll need the extra weight to hold off his competitors.

2021 Bassmaster Elite Whataburger Neely Henry Lake Day 2: Paul Mueller Leads with 30-06lbs!

Canadians Cory Johnston 24th, Gustafson 41st & Chris Johnston 46th

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Paul Mueller said consistency will decide who wins the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry Lake.

If that’s the case, the 37-year-old pro from Naugatuck, Conn., is in the perfect position at the halfway point of the tournament.

Mueller caught a five-bass limit on Saturday that weighed 15 pounds, 3 ounces, the same total he boated Friday on this 11,200-acre reservoir of the Coosa River in northeast Alabama. His 30-6 total leads the event, which began a day late due to heavy rains earlier in the week that swelled Neely Henry’s water level in places and stained the water throughout.

Those conditions have made fishing tricky for most anglers through Day 2, but Mueller has stayed steady. Fifty other anglers weren’t so lucky as the 98-angler field was trimmed to 48 following the Day 2 weigh-in at the Gadsden City Boat Docks.

“To win one of these, you can’t have one bad day,” Mueller said. “If you slip, it’ll keep you from winning. I’ve been in that position more times than winning. You have that bad day, you finish fifth or whatever.”

Mueller weighed three largemouth and a pair of spotted bass on Saturday. He said he didn’t cover nearly as much water as he did a day earlier, but he’s pounding the areas he is fishing.

“I’m doing what I like to do, chunking and winding a crankbait,” he said. “I’d rather do that than eat. I like to do my own thing and not fish next to anyone. It’s important for me to fish my own stuff. And if you can do what you like to do, you’re better off. You don’t play someone else’s ball game.”

Mueller’s heavy on Saturday was a 4-pound largemouth. He added a spotted bass that weighed about 3 1/4 pounds, another quality bite here this week, but he lamented missing two spots he said were heavier than the couple of 2 1/2-pounders that rounded out his Day 2 bag.