Shallow, Deep and in Between at Eufaula
Challenging conditions face the Walmart FLW Tour anglers at Stop No. 4
A couple of weeks ago Eufaula was high and off-color, and the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Quaker State that begins this morning was shaping up to be a shallow-water showdown. The lake has fallen by a couple of feet since then, however, and now the odds are even that both inshore and offshore patterns will be in play. In fact, one Eufaula expert who isn’t fishing the tournament expects it will take a mixture of patterns to make it to Sunday’s championship round and claim the $100,000 that goes to the winner.
“There isn’t a big population of offshore bass in Eufaula anymore anyway, and the ones that are in there are still transitioning between the shoreline and the ledges. It’s just not happening on the ledges enough yet to rely on that,” says Bobby Padgett of Lagrange, Ga. “If I was fishing, I’d try for one or two good ones out of the [gator] grass first thing, then go offshore and try to fill out my limit with some good, solid keepers.”
At least one angler agrees with him. Jacob Wheeler thinks an angler’s versatility will decide this tournament, along with a variety of baits and presentations.
“You’ll see boats running all over the place for the next couple of days,” says the Hoosier pro. “Some fish are out deep, some are in the brush piles and some are in the grass. Nothing is going to dominate, so the tournament is going to be spread out as far as guys trying different things. The bad thing about the ledges is that the hybrids are schooling up with the largemouths to the point where you catch a lot more of them than anything. Part of the problem is figuring out something the largemouths will bite that the hybrids won’t.”
Though there probably isn’t a square inch of Eufaula’s ledges that hasn’t been fished before, Tennessee pro Randy Haynes in particular made them seem brand-new again a couple of years ago when he mopped up on the offshore bass and won an FLW Tour Open with 73 pounds, 1 ounce. Eufaula’s bass are famous for moving from spot to spot during the day, which means it’s something of a timing issue and well-suited to the tactics of run-and-gun anglers who stop, make a few casts and then move on. Another thing that makes the Chattahoochee River impoundment’s secondary and main-lake ledges productive is that brush piles keep popping up here and there on them like mushrooms in a pasture after a night’s rain. If he pinpoints the right ones planted in the right places, an angler can cobble together some solid limits.
Pitching and flipping the gator grass was setting up to be a major strategy before the lake started falling, and it still might be in play for the deeper beds. However, Padgett cautions that it’s probably not sufficient enough to win a four-day competition.
“Like I said, it would definitely be part of my mix,” says Padgett, who’ll fish his third consecutive Walmart Bass Fishing League All-American in June. “I’d be throwing a frog or a big Zoom Speed Worm or Speed Craw rigged with a 1/4-ounce weight. Get those one or two fish in the first hour, then move offshore. The shad spawn is going on, but that’s not a factor for anybody except maybe some of those in the first flight.”
As unpredictable as fishing generally is, someone might find a mother lode of offshore bass and bust four heavy limits. Or a contender might mine scattered grass beds for a winning stringer. Anything is possible, but more likely the event is going to be a junk-fishing expedition each day.
“This is one of those tournaments where I’m going to have a dozen or so rigs out on the casting deck, and I’m going to be using all of them,” concludes South Carolina pro Todd Auten. No doubt any number of competitors would say the same thing.
Conditions
Sunrise: 5:45 a.m
Water temperature: 66 degrees on average
Air temperature at launch: 66 degrees
Forecast high: 86 degrees
Wind: SE at 7 mph
Weather: mostly cloudy with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms
Tournament Details
Format:
All pros and co-anglers will compete for two days, with the co-angler champion determined based on two-day cumulative weight. The top 20 pros based on cumulative weight will then fish in Saturday’s semifinal round, and each will be accompanied by a non-fishing observer. On Sunday, the top 10 will fish for the title.
Presenting sponsor: Quaker State
Host: Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce
All Times Central
Thursday, May 14
5:30-6:30 a.m.: Folgers Morning Takeoff coffee and donuts served at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
6:30 a.m.: Takeoff at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
3:00 p.m.: Weigh-in at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
Friday, May 15
5:30-6:30 a.m.: Folgers Morning Takeoff coffee and donuts served at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
6:30 a.m.: Takeoff at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
3:00 p.m.: Weigh-in at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
Saturday, May 16
5:30-6:30 a.m.: Folgers Morning Takeoff coffee and donuts served at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
6:30 a.m.: Takeoff at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
12:00 p.m.: FLW Expo opens at Walmart, 3176 S. Eufaula Avenue, Eufaula, AL 36027
Phone: 334.687.2218
4:00 p.m.: Weigh-in at Walmart
Sunday, May 17
5:30-6:30 a.m.: Folgers Morning Takeoff coffee and donuts served at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
6:00 a.m.: FLW Takeoff show begins at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
6:30 a.m.: FLW Takeoff at Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina
12:00 p.m.: FLW Expo opens at Walmart
4:00 p.m.: Weigh-in at Walmart
More information
For complete details and updated information, visit the Walmart FLW Tour tournament page. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Walmart FLW Tour on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.