Coming and going

Ouachita’s spawn rewarding some, vexing others

MOUNT IDA, Ark. – Right place-right time is the right formula for FLW American Fishing Series Central Division competitors on Lake Ouachita. With some of the fish locked on to their beds, some on their way out and others still heading up, anglers will be looking to capitalize on the ones that are “ready.”

Day one saw plenty of good bags with 35 pros catching 13 pounds or better. Eighty-four pros sacked up limits, while 27 co-anglers got their five. Big Fish prizes went to a 5-pound, 13-ounce fish in the Pro Division and a 6-1 on the co-angler side.

The bed-fishing scene frustrated some like Tennessee pro Zack Bull, who struggled when the big fish he found in practice were gone on day one. Conversely, Texas pro Cody Malone – 16th with 15 pounds – fared well and anticipates big day-two opportunities.

“I found a big fish, about 7 1/2 pounds, in practice, but she was hidden really well under a bush – all I could see was her head sticking out,” Malone said. “In practice, I took a tube with no hook and (pestered) her for about three hours, knowing that I could go in there and catch her in the tournament. I went right to her (on day one) and worked her some more and observed her. She’s really close. If I can catch that one today – and I left another 4 1/2-pounder at the end of day one that I didn’t have time for – I could easily catch 24 pounds today.”

Matthew Jones of Spokane, Mo., leads the pro division with 20-4. He caught all of his fish by flipping beds with a Texas-rigged green-pumpkin Zoom Critter Craw with a 5/16-ounce tungsten weight. Jones said he caught most of the bigger bed fish he found in practice, so he’ll be looking hard today to locate additional opportunities. The only problem, he said, is that so will his competitors.

That notion doesn’t worry third place pro Stetson Blaylock, who sits just 10 ounces back at 19-10. Hailing from Benton, Ark., about an hour to the east, Blaylock is well-schooled on Ouachita. He believes that, while many spawners have already done their thing, others are on their way.

“I’ve fished this lake a lot and there’s a lot of big fish,” he said. “I think a lot of fish have spawned, but there’s still a lot that haven’t. Some people say the beds are empty and the fish are gone, but I think there’s a whole other crew of them coming. If they come up and I can stay with them, I can have another 20 pounds.”

Blaylock said that his familiarity with the lake is a two-edged sword, in that knowing many viable spots means having to make tough decisions on where to fish. He’s hopeful that he can continue to play the bed game, but Blaylock said he’s ready to go look for fish, if need be.

“If I have to just go fishing, that will be a new deal for me this week because I haven’t really `fished’ a whole lot,” he said. “But I still know where they live and my bait will be close to them, I know that for sure.”

Blaylock will spend much of his time flipping beds with a Berkley Chigger Craw, but he’ll also employ a Carolina rig with a Berkley Power Lizard or a Power Hog to search for other opportunities.

Sitting in 30th place with 13-10, Mike “Cowboy” Foree will reverse his plan from day one. Although he’ll flip a Texas-rigged white craw, he’ll give his Megabass jerkbait a good workout.

“Yesterday, I got kind of backwards – I went and tried to catch the bed fish early and let my jerkbait fish go,” Foree said. “I’m going to go hit the jerkbait fish for about the first two and a half hours, and when the sun gets up, I’ll start bed fishing.”

Logistics

Anglers take off from Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa located off U.S. Highway 270 West in Mount Ida, Ark., at 6:30 each morning. Friday’s weigh-ins will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. The final weigh-in on Saturday will take place at Allen Tillery Chevrolet located at 4573 Central Ave., Hot Springs, Ark., beginning at 3:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

The Lake Ouachita American Fishing Series tournament is being hosted by the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Pros will fish for a top award of $25,000 plus a 198VX Ranger boat with 200-horsepower outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award of $10,000. If the co-angler meets the Ranger Cup guidelines, they will earn an additional $5,000.

Friday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:04 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 53 degrees

Expected high temperature: 80 degrees

Water temperature: 60 degrees

Wind: SSW at 5 mph

Humidity: 60 percent

Day’s outlook: sunny, becoming cloudy