Quick Bites: FLW Tour Wal-Mart Open, Beaver Lake, Day 2
Wal-Mart FLW Tour
2006 Wal-Mart Open
Beaver Lake, Rogers, Ala.
Opening round, Thursday
Powered by Craig? … Although “Powered by Tyson” slogans aren’t hard to find at the 2006 Wal-Mart Open, given the fact that Tyson Foods is this year’s presenting sponsor, it is Craig Powers of Rockwood, Tenn., who continues to dominate the pro field and unleash a power surge through the angling community. Using a two-day catch of 31 pounds, 4 ounces, Powers found himself in first place heading into Friday’s semifinals. Ironically enough, the last time Powers qualified for a top-10 cut on the FLW Tour was two years ago on this very same lake. So what is it about Beaver Lake that makes fishing so easy for Powers? “Everyone keeps asking me that, and I don’t know what to tell them,” Powers said. “When I finished second on Beaver in 2004, I was fishing in 40 feet of water with spoons. This year, I’m fishing this lake completely differently. I honestly don’t know why I do well here except for the fact that you don’t have to catch a lot of fish to do well.”
Kreiger sweats out top-10 cut … While Powers was cruising along toward the semfinals, one of his best friends, Koby Krieger of Okeechobee, Fla., was nearly ready to pack it in and go home. Although Kreiger headed into today’s competition firmly in second place and seemingly a lock to advance, he could only muster a mediocre catch of 6 pounds, 2 ounces at Thursday’s weigh-in. Kreiger’s total two-day catch of 21 pounds, 15 ounces was far short of the predicted 24-pound cut level that most had expected. And naturally, for Kreiger, things looked grim. “I came in on the second flight, so I had to sit here and sweat it out all day,” he said. “To tell you the truth … I figured I’d wind up in 11th or 12th place.” However, the tremendous storms that rocked Beaver Lake managed to keep the weights down enough for Kreiger to squeak into the semifinals in 10th place. “It really feels great,” Kreiger said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Women power … The perception that fishing is a man’s sport continues to fade further and further away with each passing day on the FLW Tour. And nowhere has it been more obvious than this year’s Wal-Mart Open. When all was said and done, two women gained a top-10 berth in the Co-angler Division – Pamela Wood of Bono, Ark., and Janet Parker of Little Elm, Texas. And they couldn’t have been more pleased. “It’s awesome,” Wood said. “I’m from Arkansas and my sponsor is Tyson, so this is extra special for me. From here on out, everything is gravy.” Ironically, the last time Wood qualified for a top-10 cut, the 2003 FLW Tour event on Lake Murray, she was joined by Laura Long in the finals. “I don’t know what it is, but every time I make the cut, another woman makes the cut with me. I guess it’s just a great trend.”
Asian sensation … If there was any doubt that Japanese anglers are going to be a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future, it was erased at the 2006 Wal-Mart Open. Both Takahiro Omori (2004 Bassmaster Classic Champion and winner of the 2001 FLW Tour event on Lake Martin) and Shinichi Fukae (the 2004 FLW Tour Angler of the Year and winner of the 2006 FLW Tour event at Lake Okeechobee) qualified for the top-10 cut on Beaver Lake. Together, both anglers have qualified for eight top-10 cuts on the FLW Tour and have netted combined winnings just shy of $650,000 at FLW Outdoors-related events alone. The conclusion: Bass fishing is truly an international sport.
A Rose is a Rose at any age … FLW Tour pro Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., announced on stage that he had a very special guest in the audience. As it turned out, Rose’s 97-year-old grandfather, Walter, happened to be in the audience cheering his grandson on. “He’s taught me everything I know about the outdoors,” Rose said. Making the moment even more special was the fact that Rose ultimately qualified for the semifinals in eighth place. “He’s now been to every cut I’ve ever made,” Rose said.
Quick numbers:
2: Total number of women still fishing in the battle for a tournament title in the 2006 Wal-Mart Open.
6: Total number of ounces of cushion Koby Kreiger used to clinch the 10th and final qualifying spot in the Pro Divison.
6-8: Total weight, in pounds and ounces, of largest fish caught on Beaver Lake (by pro Craig Powers) during first two days of competition.
9: Total number of pros who averaged 11 pounds or better during the first two days of FLW Tour competition on Beaver Lake.
13: Total prize money, in thousands of dollars, awarded to 11th-place pro Aaron Martens – who ultimately missed the cut by one place in the standings.
97: Total age, in years, of Mark Rose’s No. 1 fan, Walter Rose, who made the four-hour drive just to watch his grandson compete at this year’s Wal-Mart Open.
104: Total number of limits caught by the pros in today’s competition.
15: Total number of limits caught by co-anglers in today’s competition.
Sound bites:
“If I didn’t have bad luck today, I wouldn’t have had any luck at all.” – FLW Tour pro Richard Lowitzki, lamenting his 157th-place performance after landing only 1 pound, 12 ounces in today’s competition.
“I think I’m going to go to a sports psychologist.” – FLW Tour pro Harmon Davis, joking about the best way to get over his woeful 199th-place performance on Beaver Lake.
“When I find out where I placed today, I’ll probably be in Little Rock. My wife is very pregnant right now. I’m on my way home baby!” – FLW Tour pro Curt Lytle, on making a hasty retreat from today’s weigh-in stage.
“Yesterday the fish turned on. Today, the storms turned on.” – FLW Tour pro Kim
Stricker, on dealing with the severe weather in today’s competition. Stricker had been in 21st place, but finished the tournament in 80th place after landing a 3-pound, 8-ounce catch Thursday.
“I thought, if the good Lord wants to take me today, go ahead.” – FLW Tour pro Cody Bird, on his decision to continue fishing instead of heading into the relative safety of a nearby cove to ride out the storm.
“He gave me the bait, he gave me the rod, and he tied my knots for me. He did everything but hold my hand.” – FLW Tour co-angler and outdoor writer Rob Newell, giving full credit for today’s whopping 10-pound, 4-ounce catch to pro partner Wesley Strader.
Day three of FLW Tour action on Beaver Lake continues at Friday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. CDT at Prairie Creek Marina, located at 1 Prairie Creek Drive in Rogers, Ark.