Top Honors at NACT Battle of the Lakes Go to Mike and Jackson Mitchell
by Ron Presley,
Photos courtesy of NACT
Winners in this unique 12-hour tournament are determined after anglers compete for 6 hours on each of two lakes.
The North Alabama Catfish Trail (NACT) held its Battle of the Lakes on Wilson and Wheeler Lakes. The combined weights from fishing a session on both lakes determined the winning team.
Fishing on Wilson Lake began at 6:30 am on Saturday, October 5, 2014. Anglers had to be back to the scales at Safety Harbor Boat Ramp by 11:30 am. Fishing on Wheeler began at 12:30 pm with anglers required to be in line at the scales at First Creek Boat Ramp by 5:30 pm.
In addition to the total weight competition, the tournament featured a Big Fish Pot and a Flathead Pot with the winners being determined by the overall Big Fish from either lake.
First Place 
Mike Mitchell and Jackson Mitchell claimed the top spot at Battle of the Lakes. The father/son team weighed 111.53 pounds from Wilson and 85.95 pounds from Wheeler for a total winning weight of 197.48 pounds.
The father/son team is no stranger to Wilson and Wheeler Lake. They both guide and are on both often. All their weigh-in fish came while dragging baits.
“We started the day out targeting shallow water fish early on Wilson,” reported Mike. We caught that morning walking but didn’t keep any of those in our 3 fish limit. We had about 65 pounds when we moved to deeper water.”
Mike and Jackson changed to dragging after the shallow water fishing. They moved to deeper water that ranged from 60 to 70 feet deep to finish their time on Wilson.
“We culled all our early fish and ended up with a 55-pounder for big fish,” recalled Mike. Overall we had around 14 fish in the 6 hours we fished on Wilson.”
When they moved to Wheeler they continued to drag. They concentrated on an area where the water was 45 to 50 feet deep.
“We concentrated on deep channel ledges on Wheeler. “We continued to drag skipjack as we had on Wilson. We added 8 fish on Wheeler and felt good about our day but did not think it was enough to pull out the win.”
Mike and Jackson gave credit to their equipment for helping them win the event. They were using Big Cat Fever XH rods rigged with Dragging Master products
“Thanks to the North Alabama Catfish Trail for holding the tournament,” concluded Mike. “And special thanks to all of our sponsors and family!”
Second Place, Big Fish, and Top Veteran 
The runner-up spot went to Tim Adams, David Ryals, and Jonathan Badon. They teamed up to catch a combined Wilson/Wheeler bag of 157.32 pounds to claim their spot. Their bag included Big Fish of the tournament at 60.41 pounds and also earned the Top Veteran Award for the team.
Third Place 
The third spot went to Ron Goucher and Ray Nix. They had a combined weight of 156.86 pounds.
Fourth Place and Top Youth 
Kipp Coram, Bryan Alday, and Flint Alday claimed the 4th spot with a total weight of 125.47 pounds. Flint also earned the Youth Angler Award. The Top Youth Award is sponsored by KatMama Industries.
Top Lady Angler and Flathead Pot 
The Top Lady Angler Award went to Alyssa Bell with 82.20 pounds. Alyssa was fishing with Edward Anderson (Tackle 22 Fishing) who won the Flathead Pot. The NACT Lady Angler Award is sponsored by KatMama Industries.
Final Thoughts
The NACT is a family-friendly tournament trail aimed at fishing for old-fashioned fun. A great group of sponsors, volunteers, and anglers work together to give the participating anglers a fun experience.
The Battle of the Lakes on Wilson and Wheeler Lakes was the final competition for the 2024 season for the North Alabama Catfish Trail.
For more information on North Alabama Catfish Trail visit and follow them on Facebook.
