Bronzebacks best bet at Beaver

Beaver Lake promises different kind of fishing for 2007 Wal-Mart Open

ROGERS, Ark. – Since 1998, the FLW Tour has made an annual stop in northwest Arkansas, home of the tour’s title sponsor, Wal-Mart, to showcase bass fishing’s top talent on one of the Natural State’s most precious gems: Beaver Lake.

Once again, the FLW Tour is back in Rogers, Ark., this week for the Wal-Mart Open, but things are much different this time around.

In the past, this $1.5 million event has been held at the end of March or beginning of April when Beaver Lake bass are moving from the prespawn to the spawn.

This year, anglers will face the 28,000-acre impoundment in the middle of May, and Beaver Lake will fish like a new lake.

For the most part, the bass are done spawning. The lake is some 10 to 15 feet higher than it has been over the past few years, and water temperatures are in the mid-70s.

How that will impact the overall catch and patterns remains to be seen.

Even though the lake is high, the water is extremely clear. Wal-Mart co-angler Trevor Jancasz, who is fresh off a win from the last FLW Tour event at Lake Norman, believes that schooling fish are going to play a factor early in the mornings.

Jancasz has been on the water for several days and noted that clouds and overcast are needed to keep the bass up.

“If the day dawns cloudy, rainy or foggy, the schooling bite lasts longer and guys will catch some good ones that way,” Jancasz said. “But if the day dawns bright, sunny and still, it gets tough pretty fast.”

As competitors prepared for bassing battle this morning, a light fog lifted off the lake, but the bright sun and clear skies were not far behind.

Some anglers, like Chevy pro Larry Nixon, believe a solid smallmouth pattern is going to be the key to doing well this week.

Over the last few years, the smallmouth population in Beaver Lake has exploded.

Smallmouths and largemouths must be a minimum of 15 inches to be deemed keepers, while spotted and meanmouth bass need to be just 12 inches.

Also, the daily bag limit for smallmouths on Beaver was recently changed from four fish to five, meaning fishermen can now weigh in all smallmouths instead of stopping short at four and having to substitute a spotted, meanmouth or largemouth bass to fill out a five-bass limit.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in practice fishing for smallmouths,” Nixon said. “I never got on to them like I wanted to, but I’ve got a hunch somebody is going to dial into a solid smallmouth bite here and do well.”

BP pro Shinichi Fukae, who won the Wal-Mart Open last year, said he is going to commit to smallmouth fishing today as well.

“One day in practice I had a good limit of keeper smallmouth,” Fukae said this morning, as he strapped a bevy of spinning rods to his deck and filled his pockets with packs of tiny jigheads. “Smallmouths will be the key to winning.”

Another potential winning game plan could involve fishing up in the river portion of the lake for largemouths.

Over the last several years, the river has not been much of a factor due to the low water and spawning patterns. But with higher water in the bushes, the river could become a player this year.

Shortly after takeoff this morning, several boats had already started to gather around the Highway 12 bridge – a well-known area for producing fish.

Logistics

Another different aspect of this year’s Wal-Mart Open will be the indoor weigh-ins on Saturday and Sunday.

In the past, the final-day weigh-ins have been held at the Wal-Mart in Rogers. This year the weigh-ins on the final two days will be held at the John Q. Hammons Center.

On Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the official morning takeoffs of the Wal-Mart Open will begin at 6:30 Central time at Prairie Creek Marina located at 1 Prairie Creek Marina Drive in Rogers.

On Thursday and Friday, the weigh-ins will also be held at Prairie Creek Marina beginning at 3 p.m.

On Saturday and Sunday, the fishing festivities begin with the opening of the Family Fun Zone at noon both days at the John Q. Hammons Center located at 3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway in Rogers.

The Family Fun Zone is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers and review the latest products from Berkley, Lowrance, Ranger, Evinrude, Yamaha and other manufacturers while children are treated to fishing themed games and rides like the Ranger Boat simulator.

The first 300 children, 14 and under, visiting the Family Fun Zone on Saturday will receive a free FLW Outdoors hat.

On Sunday, the first 300 children, 14 and under, visiting the Family Fun Zone will receive a free rod and reel combo.

Saturday’s weigh-in of the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers will begin at 4 p.m., and one co-angler will be named winner and awarded $40,000.

Sunday’s final weigh-in, also beginning at 4 p.m., will conclude the Wal-Mart Open with one pro pocketing $200,000.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:08 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 43 degrees

Expected high temperature: 75 degrees

Water temperature: 70-75 degrees

Forecasted winds: N at 5 to 10 mph

Day’s outlook: sunny