Open at random

Lack of bass patterns on Beaver Lake turns Walmart Open into guessing game

ROGERS, Ark. – For the 12th consecutive year, the FLW Tour has found its way to Beaver Lake for the annual Walmart Open, otherwise known as stop No. 4 on the schedule.

But at the day-one takeoff Thursday morning, some pros were saying that this year’s Walmart Open might also be called the Random Open due to the complete lack of consistency in bass patterns.

It would seem that after 12 years of visiting the same lake during the same time of year, pros would know the exact locations, patterns and techniques to catch every fish in the lake.

This, however, is Beaver Lake, and due to its location in northwestern Arkansas and the fact that it’s a flood-control reservoir, Beaver Lake is never the same from year to year.

The weather in this part of the country is far from stable during the spring, and the same goes for the lake’s water level, making it a drastically changing fishery. It might be the same lake as last year, but at the same time, it’s hardly ever the same lake as last year.

A case in point is this year’s conditions compared to last year’s conditions. Last year the lake was some 8 feet high over what is considered “normal pool.” This year, the water is again 8 feet high, but the drastic difference lies in the lake’s water color.

Last year the water looked like a plowed field across most of the lake. This year, the water is high, but it’s extremely clear.

Another critical difference is the timing of the lake’s rise. Last year the lake had been high and muddy long before the FLW Tour got there. This year the lake just jumped up 8 feet over the last week.

Finally, there is a lot more cover in the lake now in the form of downed trees and limbs, which snapped off during this past winter’s major ice storm.

As a result, Beaver Lake is a completely different fishery now. The water has risen fast into new cover, giving bass thousands of acres of new real estate in which to make homes.

All of this combined with a spring that is much cooler than normal has turned Beaver into a fresh-shaken snow globe in terms of fishing patterns.

“This lake is best when it is stable and all of the fish are doing the same thing,” noted recent National Guard Open winner Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Ark. “Whether it be the prespawn Wiggle Wart bite, or when all the fish are on beds at the same time, or last year when the muddy water had all the fish up shallow: When it’s all going the same direction, we see good catches and decent weights here.

“But I don’t think this is going to be one of those years, because nothing has been stable. The weather is warm and sunny one day, then cloudy, rainy and cool the next. The water level has gone from normal to extremely high. The water temperature is still in the mid-60s. As a result, the fish are going 10 different directions at one time. The top 10 could very well be made up of 10 different guys doing 10 completely different things.”

Blaylock’s single word to describe patterns on Beaver Lake right now is “random.”

“You can catch a fish just about any way you want to, from bed-fishing to topwater to flipping bushes,” the Berkley pro continued. “But there’s very little consistency to any one particular pattern – it’s very random. Mentally, that’s hard to accept, because it seems like there is no rhyme or reason to the fishing.”

Local pro Greg Bohannan from Rogers agrees.

“This is the hardest practice I’ve ever had here,” the Kellogg’s pro said. “It’s hard to define anything. Just look at all the rods out on my deck – that’s way too many rods.”

Bohannan’s fishing arsenal included pitching baits, wakebaits, drop-shots and sight-fishing baits.

“The pattern is that there is no pattern,” Bohannan mused. “And that’s the way I’m going to fish. I might end up catching a fish on every rod out here, but that’s fine with me.

“I do think weights will be off this year compared to last year,” he added. “The lake still has plenty of fish in it, but there’s no one environmental factor, like muddy water or low water, congregating the fish in predictable places.”

Berkley pro Kevin Vida of Michigan says the only things making sense to him on the lake right now are smallmouths.

“I’ve caught more smallmouths this year than I ever have before,” Vida said. “Granted, most of them are nonkeepers (smallmouth have to be 15 inches to keep), but at least the way they are set up makes sense to me. And if I get three or four keepers, they’re going to weigh solid.”

Logistics

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. each day from Prairie Creek Marina located at 1 Prairie Creek Marina Drive in Rogers. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at Prairie Creek Marina beginning at 3 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will be held at the John Q. Hammons Center located at 3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway in Rogers beginning at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, FLW Outdoors will host a free Family Fun Zone and outdoor show at the John Q. Hammons Center from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The Family Fun Zone offers fans a chance to meet their Fantasy Fishing team anglers face-to-face and review the latest products from Berkley, Lowrance, Ranger, Evinrude, Yamaha and other sponsors while children are treated to giveaways, fishing themed games and rides like the Ranger Boat simulator.

Children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone on Sunday will receive a free rod and reel combo while supplies last. One lucky member of the audience will even win a new Ranger boat during the final 4 p.m. weigh-in Sunday. Admission is free, and you must be present to win.

The total purse for the Walmart Open event at Beaver Lake is more than $1.1 million, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division.

Thurday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:10 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 63 degrees

Expected high temperature: 69 degrees

Water temperature: 62-67 degrees

Wind: E at 10 to 15 mph

Day’s outlook: 40% chance of rain