Wesson conquers home waters
By Greg McCain

Gadsden-area angler David Wesson has long been a competitive fisherman on the Coosa River and has even won an Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation (ABN) tournament on another fishery. He had never, however, won an ABN event on his home waters, at least prior to Saturday (April 12)

Fishing close to home on Lake Neely Henry, Wesson corrected that gap in his fishing resume in the third ABN qualifier of 2025 by topping the field of 75 boaters with a tournament-best limit that weighed 16.94. That total topped second-place competitor David Pair (River City Anglers), who had 16.45.

Nick Glenn (Hamilton Bassmasters) had a three-fish limit that weighed 10.37 and won the co-angler title. Charles Rosato (Birmingham Bass Club) took second with 9.34.

Ryan Sweeney (Coosa Valley Anglers), who finished fourth overall, boated the Academy Sports + Outdoors Big Fish with a 6.03 largemouth.

All anglers battled unusual water conditions. Heavy rains in the days leading up to the tournament created stained to muddy conditions and normal- to high-water levels above the tight squeeze that is Minnesota Bend north of the Coosa Landing launch ramp in Gadsden. Water levels were about three feet low below Coosa Landing.

Wesson, who won the 2023 ABN qualifier on Lake Eufaula, said finding “stable water” was a key for him. He started off the day catching his best fish, a 4.29 post-spawn female, on a swim jig and then a three-pounder on a frog.

“After that, I started sight fishing some bed fish that I had found in practice (on Friday). I filled out my limit with that.”

He caught the bedding fish flipping a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog. His final three fish were all males that weighed 2½ to 3½ pounds.

“It was hard to see them,” Wesson said. “A lot of times it’s knowing where they are and making multiple presentations to them before they start swimming off with it.”

Wesson (Neely Henry Bassmasters) said he had found quality fish in practice but was not sure if they were good enough to win.

“Not to win but good enough to do well,” he said.

Pair went down the lake and cranked up most of his second-place limit, including a 4.75 big fish.

“I ran down and was fishing just off the main drag in small pockets throwing a squarebill,” he said. “I threw a squarebill on any hard bank. I did that and then I flipped wood and upgraded some.

“I fished a place just south of Canoe (Creek). It’s got a long rip-rap. I don’t get to fish here that much, but I got on some fish there Thursday when I got here.”

In winning the co-angler title, Glenn started well with a 4½-pounder on a floating worm but then spent a good part of the day trying to fill out his limit.

“The bites were slow,” Glenn said. “I caught a big one early but didn’t have a limit until probably 12 o’clock. Then we slung a prop and lost about 45 minutes of fishing.”

Glenn partnered with fellow Hamilton Bassmasters club member Jake Childers, who had a top 10 finish.

“I was throwing a watermelon floating worm up shallow weightless,” he said. “I thought that was a key on pressured fish. I caught the second one, about a four-pounder, on a spinnerbait. The last one was on the floating worm.

“I’m just blessed. I would like to thank the good Lord. He was looking down on me today.”

Completing the top 10 leaderboard among boaters were Joey Aderhold (Birmingham Bass Club), 16.39; Sweeney, 14.67; Bo Quinnie (Wiregrass Bassmasters), 13.94; James Coleman (Wiregrass Bassmasters), 13.13; Joe Lay (Lake Tuscaloosa Bassmasters), 12.74; Childers (Hamilton Bassmasters), 12.70; Pat Murray (Belgreen Bassmasters), 12.70; and Jeff Corley (Birmingham Bass Club), 12.21.

In the co-angler division following Glenn and Rosato were Johnny Brown (Wiregrass), 9.10; Gary Borden (Wiregrass), 8,42; Donny Davis (Belgreen Bass Club), 7.89; Greg Wray (Tennessee Valley Bass Club), 7.57; Chad Macks (LA PO Boys), 6.97; Damian Pugh (Wiregrass), 6.94; Jonathan Watson (Birmingham Bass Club), 6.70; and William McRee (Birmingham Bass Club), 6.55.

Childers and Glenn won the team competition with a combined 23.07. The top seven teams qualified to fish that component of the ABN State Tournament this fall. Following the leaders were Aderhold and Kyron Jones (20.23; Corley and McRee (18.76); Derek Jackson and Colby Bendall (17.58); Aaron Cherry and Jason Cherry (16.66); Quinnie and Mark Black (16.56); and James Clifton and Mark Clifton (15.95). Top teams from the state competition qualify for the B.A.S.S. Nation Team Championship on Lake Hartwell in December.

Others winners Saturday included:
Rosato, Fishin’ 4 A Cure
Charles Nowling, Academy Sports + Outdoors drawing.

After three events, last year’s Angler of the Year, Joe Lay, has returned to the top of the standings. Following Lay in the AOY boater standings are Carson Maddux and Pair. Among co-anglers, Watson, Davis and Chris Marler are the top three in the standings.

President Eddie Plemons thanks all the sponsors who support the ABN schedule. In addition to Academy, they include Airport Marine, Fish Life Fish Care Products, Impulse Lithium batteries, AmFirst BassCash, Office Partners, Halo Rods, Radicull Culling Devices, Davis Bait Co., George Paint and Body, BassCats Boats, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Mercury, Motor Guide, Lowrance, NetBait, Shell, Hammer Rods, Shelby County, Strike Zone Lures, Charlie’s BBQ, the Rod Glove, T-H Marine, Power-Pole, and Alabama Hosting.
The ABN regular season concludes in June on Wheeler Lake out of Decatur’s Ingalls Harbor. The circuit will be back on Lake Eufaula in early November for the two-day state championship.

Greg McCain is a freelance writer from Russellville, AL, and a member of the Belgreen Bass Club. In addition to producing content for this website, his credits include articles in Georgia Outdoor News, the ACC Crappie Stix blog, the Cornfield Fishing Gear website, CrappieNOW online magazine, and Great Days Outdoors.