Hawkes leads ounce-for-ounce scrap in Arkansas
Big bite dies, quagmire results in FLW Tour event on Beaver Lake
ROGERS, Ark. – Quality bass: It’s what separates the leaders from the pack in professional fishing.
But what happens when no quality bass are caught? You end up with an ounce-for-ounce juggernaut like the one that resulted after the day-three weigh-in of the Wal-Mart Open today.
None of the top 10 pros produced that one 4- to 5-pound kicker needed to put them firmly in lead of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour qualifier. Now just 1 pound, 5 ounces separates fifth place from first.
Mike Hawkes of Sabinal, Texas, leads after day three with five bass for 9 pounds, 5 ounces – just a scant 6 ounces over second place.
“As you can see from the weights, it looks like that flipping bite is going away for everybody, including me,” Hawkes said. “I’ve got one place that was my life-saver today. It’s just a place where I can catch a limit of spotted bass pretty quick – I caught five in five casts.”
Each of the previous days, Hawkes has landed his quality bites on either a Sweet Beaver or an Oldham’s jig, but Saturday that bite never showed up.
“I think we’ve caught them all up,” he said. “We’ve all been fishing for shallow fish that are either spawning or guarding fry for three days, and they’re not replenishing. For that reason, I’m trying to fish all new water. I repeated on some of my old flipping water today, and it reminded me of why I need to keep fishing new water: That old water is tapped out.”
The biggest key for Hawkes over the last few days has been to swim the Sweet Beaver and jig through bushes and limbs.
“From what I’ve found, these fish are not on the bottom,” he said. “They are suspended up high in the water column. The water is maybe 4 feet deep, but most of my fish have been in the first foot of the water column, so swimming a lure has been best for me.”
As for tomorrow, Hawkes says he’s going to spread his safety net by going to his spotted-bass hole and getting a quick limit on a Carolina rig. Then he is going flipping on all new water to try to defend his lead with a big bite.
Newby lurks in second
Just behind Hawkes is Berkley pro Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla., with five bass 
weighing 8 pounds, 15 ounces.
Newby is waiting patiently to pounce with a big bite or two tomorrow.
“No big ones today,” Newby said, shaking his head. “That’s the difference between today and the first two days.”
Interestingly, though, the co-angler winner, Berkley teammate Stetson Blaylock, won the Co-angler Division from Newby’s boat today with 10 pounds, 9 ounces. Blaylock’s limit did include a solid 4-pound kicker, indicating that Newby is around the right kind of fish.
“I did lose one great-big one today,” Newby added. “I found a new spot that I think is going to pay off tomorrow.”
Newby did reveal that he is flipping a tube and casting a spinnerbait to catch his fish.
“I also found one key thing that I think is going to help me,” Newby said candidly. “I expect to catch a much better bag tomorrow.”
Mabrey’s magic rock produces for third
Kyle Mabrey of McCalla, Ala., moved up to his best position of the week – third – with five bass weighing 8 pounds, 13 ounces.
Much of Mabrey’s success this week has come off of one magic rock he found during practice.
“It’s a huge boulder – about the size of a truck – that’s part of a landslide off the bank that spills out into about 100 feet of water, and it’s got a bunch of fish around it.”
Mabrey said the rock has produced about 75 percent of his fish this week on a variety of lures.
“I’ve caught some fish doing some other things, but that rock has really saved me each day,” he said. “I stopped there this morning and caught my first seven keepers off it.”
Arey mowing yards for fourth
Matt Arey of Shelby, N.C., sits in fourth place after day three with five bass for 8 pounds, 9 ounces.
Arey is working a unique pattern that involves people’s lawns – as i
n their flooded yards.
“There is a ton of bait up there on those flooded lawns – shad and different kinds of minnows,” he said. “I guess they’re up there feeding on the nutrient-rich lawn grass, and the bass are staged out on the first old shoreline break in front of those yards.”
Arey says when the bass move up to feed on the shad near the lawn grass, it’s game on. He uses ChatterBaits and crankbaits to catch them.
“I probably caught 15 keepers in about 45 minutes on a spot like that this morning,” he said. “Once my co-angler and I got a limit, we went flipping up the river, and I did catch one decent cull by flipping.”
Cochran looks to close in Arkansas again
George Cochran of Hot Springs, Ark., moved up to the fifth-place position on day three with five bass weighing 8 pounds.
After glancing at the leaderboard momentarily following the weigh-in, Cochran only smiled at his deficit and uttered, “A pound and 5 ounces – that’s nothing on this lake.”
That’s a dangerous statement from Cochran, who is a closer in big-money events. He’s won two BassMaster Classics and the Forrest Wood Cup in his home state by coming from behind on the last day.
“I love coming from behind to win,” said Cochran. “That’s what we all dream of, and that’s where I get my real adrenaline rush: closing the gap on the last day.
“I’m just spinnerbaiting docks and shallow grass. I lost a decent fish today that shook me up for a couple of minutes, but I regained my focus and went back to work. I can’t wait to get up and get out there tomorrow – these are the situations I live for.”
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros in the Wal-Mart Open on Beaver Lake after day three:
6th: Greg Bohannan of Rogers, Ark., five bass, 7-6
7th: Mark Pack of Mineola, Texas, five bass, 7-5
8th: Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., four bass, 6-13
9th: Richard Strother of Tyler, Texas, three bass, 4-2
10th: Alvin Shaw of State Road, N.C., two bass, 2-5
Day four of the Wal-Mart Open on Beaver Lake will begin Sunday at 6:30 a.m. from Prairie Creek Marina located at 1 Prairie Creek Marina Drive in Rogers, Ark.