ABT 100 NEWS

Wilson Lake Recap Story 2025

Spencers Close Out ABT 100 Season in Style with 24.28 on Wilson Lake
By Jason Duran

The Alabama Bass Trail 100 wrapped up its 2025 season Saturday on Wilson Lake, marking the
series’ first ever visit to the smallest lake on the Tennessee River chain. Wilson may not carry
the fame of its sister lakes, but this weekend it showed that when the best teams in team
tournament fishing arrive, it can hold its own with any stop on the trail. Launch and weigh in
were held at Waterfront Marina & Dry Storage in Florence, Alabama, giving anglers direct
access to a lake that may be small in size but proved massive in potential.

A dense fog delay kept boats staged in the cove for safety until just after 9 a.m., forcing anglers
to adjust their game plans on the fly. Tournament officials extended the fishing day and weigh in
by thirty minutes, giving teams a little more time on the water after the late start. The delay may
have slowed the early bite, but it added a layer of strategy, turning Wilson into a test of patience,
timing, and execution on a lake where space and current angles mattered most.

Spencers Win Big on Wilson

Father and son duo Nolen and Robby Spencer of Wartrace and Shelbyville, Tennessee, brought
an impressive 24.28 pound bag to the scales to claim the victory and $25,000 in winnings plus a
$8,000 Phoenix Boats Bonus. The pair relied on careful positioning near the Wilson Dam but
stayed just outside the heaviest crowd.

“We didn’t have a great boat number, so we purposely looked for things off the wall, areas that
didn’t really show anything on the map,” Nolen said. “We caught two big ones in practice and
left. Today we found out there were a lot more there.”

While nearly half the field crowded into the tailrace, the Spencers played a different game, using
patience, timing, and multiple bait presentations to coax the right bites.

“We caught them on a little bit of everything, jigheads with a Freeloader, scroungers on a
Freeloader and spinnerbaits,” Robby said. “Every fish we weighed came on a Crush City
Freeloader. That bait was huge for us, it’s so versatile you can rig it any way you need to.”

For the Spencers, the win was more than a payday. “Being able to win this one with my dad,
that’s special,” Nolen said. “When we first started this, he said, ‘We’re going to win one of these
one day.’ It felt like it was meant to be.”

West and Ellis Find Their Lane for Second

Finishing second, Steven West and Clayton Ellis of Mooreville, Mississippi, brought 22.37
pounds to the scales for a $12,500 check. They steered clear of the tailrace, choosing instead to
study current patterns during practice and develop a broader approach that could hold under
pressure.

“We covered a lot of water and zoomed out our map to see what all our bites had in common,”
Ellis said. “They were related to the current, but not sitting right in it. They wanted that direct
flow but not the full force.”

Their decision to stay mid lake to lower end paid off. “We practiced hard not to go up there,”
West said. “We knew what the tailrace would be like, and we wanted something different.”

The team relied on a jighead minnow and a Zoom Fluke, fishing them on 3⁄16 ounce heads and
catching around a dozen fish throughout the shortened day. “We were shooting for Angler of the
Year,” West added, “but we’ll take second and a good check any day.”

Beck and Harvey Hold Home Lake Ground for Third

Local anglers Donny Beck and Tony Harvey of Florence and Rogersville, Alabama, showcased
their Wilson Lake knowledge with a 22.15 pound limit that earned $10,000 plus a $2,000
Yamaha Bonus and a third place finish.

“Like everybody else, that fog delay hurt us,” Beck said. “We did okay, better than I thought, but
if we’d had that early morning bite, maybe we could’ve chased one of those 25 pound bags.”

The pair stayed around the dam area but worked slack water edges instead of the heaviest
current lines. “That edge of the current had so many boats sitting on it,” Harvey said. “We tried
to stay back and fish a little calmer water, and it worked.”

Their key bait was a swimbait on Johnson Lures swimbait heads (½ and ¾ ounce). “It was
steady all day,” Beck added. “We probably caught 20 fish, and it was just a fun way to finish the
year.”

Gossett and King Claim ABT 100 Anglers of the Year

Consistency defined Zeke Gossett and Ethan King, who locked up the ABT 100 Angler of the
Year titles and took home the championship belts. After finishing just short last year, they sealed
the deal this season with strong performances across all three events.

“Last year we lost by two points, so this year feels like redemption,” Gossett said. “The fish
weren’t cooperating early, but we made a move, found one little area, and that’s where we
caught our weight.”

King recalled the moment that changed their season: “We made a late cull at Eufaula that
jumped us from around eighth into second. That was probably the difference maker.”

“We might wear these belts all week,” Gossett laughed. “Might even wear them out to eat.”

Wilson Lake Delivers the Perfect Finale

With fog, current, and pressure all in play, Wilson Lake proved it belongs in the conversation
with the other Tennessee River giants. Its smaller size highlighted the precision and teamwork
that define the ABT 100, the best teams in team tournament fishing finding ways to separate
themselves when every decision counts.

“Wilson may be small, but it fishes big,” said Tournament Director Kay Donaldson during weigh
in. “These 100 teams proved why this trail is the toughest in the South.

View the full results here:
Wilson Lake Results – Alabama Bass Trail 100

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