Clark Wendlandt Previews 2015 Forrest Wood Cup

Fresh off a victory at the Potomac River, Clark Wendlandt is hoping to keep his winning streak alive by taking home his first Forrest Wood Cup. Clark finished third at the Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Ouachita in 2007, so history is definitely there for the making. We spoke with him to see how pre-practice went and what he thinks the keys to victory are.

Garmin: How did pre-practice go?

Clark Wendlandt: The fishing at Ouachita was pretty tough. It’s really hot out there right now. I think it’s going to be tough during the tournament as well, but I think that’s how August fishing should be.

Do you expect much to change between pre-practice and the tournament?

I think there’s a chance it’ll change a little bit and maybe improve. What I was trying to accomplish during pre-practice was to see what the conditions were, see what every area of the lake had to offer. That way, I can just go fishing and won’t wonder what some area of the lake looks like. I fished some, and it’s not that I didn’t fish hard, I just tried to cover a large portion of the lake in a short period of time. I just believe in practicing like that when you’re that many weeks away from the tournament – probably 15-16 days from the first official practice day. You just need to cover as much water as you can.

Will you be fishing shallow or deep?

I will probably be fishing a combination of deep and shallow stuff. I haven’t ruled either one out, so I’m just going to do both and see what’s working. I think to do well you’ll need to catch some deep and some shallow.

Do you think predominately fishing brush piles will win the tournament, or do you think grass is the key?

Again, I think it will be a combination. There isn’t as much grass as usual, but there’s still a little bit. They had a lot of high water there, so it didn’t really have a chance to grow like it might have had there not been high water. I think that will play into it a little bit, but there’s always a little bit of topwater action that time of year. There will be some fish schooling up that are busting on top, but I think we’ll just have to get there and see what the conditions bring.

Will Panoptix be a factor for you at Ouachita?

If I fish deep, Panoptix will definitely play a role. It’s a very important piece of equipment for me and I’ve used it a bunch for locating brush piles and trees, and there are a lot of both at Ouachita. If I end up fishing out deeper, I think it’ll play a pretty big part in how I go about things.

How many pounds will it take to win?

I really haven’t thought a whole lot about it, but I think it’ll take somewhere around 48 pounds over 4 days.

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Clark, and good luck at the Forrest Wood Cup!

Want more of the latest news and updates from Garmin hunting and fishing pros? Follow us at: @garminfishhunt on Twitter and Instagram, and on Facebook @Garmin Fish & Hunt. Don’t forget to tag us using #FishGarmin or #HuntGarmin for a chance to be featured on our channel!

The post Clark Wendlandt Previews 2015 Forrest Wood Cup appeared first on Garmin Blog.