Top 10 lures from Beaver Lake
Three patterns dominated the Beaver Lake Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Rayovac and hosted by Visit Rogers. Winner Matt Arey and fourth-place finisher Travis Fox ran up the river to stained water and fished for shallow largemouths. Runner-up Andy Morgan and seventh-place finisher Troy Morrow stayed in the middle part of the lake where it wasn’t too clear nor too dirty. They threw crankbaits and other moving lures. The rest of the top 10 focused primarily on the deep lower end of Beaver, where staging smallmouths boosted their limits.
Here’s a look at the lures used by the top 10 throughout the week at Beaver.
1. Matt Arey
Nineteen of the 20 keepers Arey weighed in at Beaver Lake were caught with a green pumpkin finesse jig. He used 3/8 and 1/2 ounce, relying on the heavier jig when the wind howled. His trailers included a Wackem Crazy Baits twin-tail grub and a Zoom Chunk.
2. Andy Morgan
Not surprisingly, AOY leader Morgan never fished deeper than 7 feet. He targeted windblown transition banks and used a trio of lures: a War Eagle spinnerbait in lime chartreuse, a War Eagle jig in green pumpkin and a Storm Wiggle Wart.
3. David Dudley
According to Dudley, it was typical Beaver Lake tackle for him: a shaky head, Wiggle Wart and jerkbait.
4. Travis Fox
Fox ran up the White River and caught his fish with a fast-slow combination: a white spinnerbait with a VMC trailer hook and a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.
5. Casey Ashley
Ashley was in the smallmouth camp. He used a Zoom Trick Worm on a shaky head and a Keitech swimbait on a light jighead.
6. Micah Frazier
Smallmouths were key to Frazier’s success too. He caught fish from 5 to 30 feet deep using a smoke-colored grub and a Keitech swimbait.
7. Troy Morrow
Nearly all of Morrow’s fish were caught with a Storm Wiggle Wart custom-painted by Xtreme Lure Creations in the green pumpkin phantom color.
8. Scott Martin
“First-class junk-fishing” is how Martin described his approach to Beaver Lake. He made adjustments each day, and as a result used a wide range of lures, including: a 5/8-ounce football jig with a Bruiser Baits trailer, a Keitech swimbait, a Bruiser Baits finesse worm, a Storm Wiggle Wart and a River2Sea Biggie square-bill crankbait.
9. Cody Meyer
Meyer stayed on the lower end in Beaver’s clearest water. He primarily used a drop-shot Jackall Flick Shake and Jackall Cross Tail Shad the first two days. He also used a jig. During the weekend, Meyer changed it up and used moving lures, including the Jackall Glossy Shad swim bait and a jerkbait.
10. Mark Rose
Rose targeted staging smallmouth bass in the deep lower end of Beaver Lake with slow tactics, though on the final day he swung for the fences up the White River, but unfortunately missed. His lures included a Strike King Knucklehead Jig rigged with a Strike King Rage Tail Twin Tail Menace Grub, and a Strike King Rage Bug.