[Early Spring/Prespawn]
Date: March 11, 2022
Venue: Lake S, a flatland reservoir
Water: 52 to 55 degrees, stained
Weather: Clear, high of 60 degrees followed by a rapid frontal passage
Pro: Clark Wendlandt, 56, Leander, Texas. A 30-year veteran of both the FLW and B.A.S.S. circuits, Wendlandt has qualified for five Bassmaster Classics and was the 2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
Boat: Ranger Z520R with 250-horsepower Yamaha outboard, Garmin trolling motor and electronics and twin Power-Pole shallow-water anchors
handy with tools, an embarrassing fact that caused me considerable shame as a child because my dad was a master carpenter. His repeated attempts at teaching me the proper techniques for hammering, sawing and chiseling repeatedly resulted in bent nails, splintered wood and bloody fingers. Sadly, my klutziness has followed me into senior adulthood. My boat dealer’s service technician calls me “Hippo Hands” because I am incapable of picking up a screwdriver without dropping it. As with tools, so with fishing tackle — for a member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, my lure presentation skills are shockingly rudimentary. Which explains why I am in total awe of Clark Wendlandt, the veteran Texas pro. Whereas the new generation of Elite Series anglers display technical prowess with today’s sophisticated bass boat electronics, Wendlandt is an old-school lure presentation virtuoso, the Paganini of pitching. Wendlandt combines angling savvy with performance artistry — just watching him fish is enthralling, whether or not he’s catching anything. During our day on Lake S, I marveled at his uncanny ability to consistently deliver his bass baits into
