2017 Walmart FLW Tour Beaver Lake Day 2: Meyer Leads by Hair with 28-09 Lbs.

Richardson 52nd, Gustafason 70th, Chris Johnston 92nd & Cory Johnston 95th.
by Curtis Niedermier
FLW PRESS RELEASE

It can never be easy at Beaver Lake. At least, that’s the track record for this lake over the course of its 20-year history as an FLW Tour destination. Beaver is notorious for its up-and-down fishing conditions, and the pros who’ve been lucky enough to lead at Beaver on day one frequently end up falling out of the cut on day two.

Cody's focus on smallmouth give him lead for now.
(Photo: FLW)

Today, day-one leader Cody Meyer thought he might experience the typical Beaver Lake flip-flop, but he was able to maintain his spot atop the standings in the FLW Tour presented by General Tire despite an overall drop in production. Meyer caught 16 pounds, 1 ounce on day one to lead by just 6 ounces over runner-up Chris Brasher. He followed up on day two with a 12-pound, 8-ounce limit and now has a 3-ounce lead over Texan Jason Reyes going into the weekend.

TOP TEN BELOW

Why Beaver Lake in Arkansas is an awesome bass lake with LUNKERHUNT pro Matt Arey

Every year the FLW Tour makes a stop on Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas. Today is Day 1 of the 2017 FLW Tour stop on Beaver Lake. Being in the Ozarks, it is a very beautiful lake but it can be a challenge to fish. One guy who always does well on Beaver Lake is Lunkerhunt pro Matt Arey. With back-to-back wins on Beaver, Matt is the guy to talk to about why Beaver Lake in an awesome lake to fish.

Scott Canterbury Wins Walmart FLW Beaver Lake with 62-07lbs!

Congrats to Scott Canterbury on his first Walmart FLW Tour event at Beaver Lake, Arkansas. Him four day total of 62-07lbs beat Darrel Robertson by one pound. More to come

2016 Walmart FLW Beaver Lake Day 2: Darrel Robertson Leads with 31-02lbs!

Jeff Gustafson Grabs 10th!

FLW PRESS RELEASE

The Beaver Lake lead shuffle has begun. Day two of the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Jack Link’s saw leaders from day one slide back and those with big limits made a run up the outside to take their positions. Similar to Daytona in NASCAR, the lead always changes often at the Beaver Lake FLW Tour event.

Robertson just 1 ounce ahead of tight field. (Photo: FLW)

Day two dawned windless with sunny skies, but by mid-morning it had turned overcast with a little breeze.

As the saying goes, Beaver Lake is all about getting the big bite and how true it is. For the second day in a row, he who had the big fish of the day is leading the tournament.

Yesterday, JT Kenney caught a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass to anchor his leading weight. Today, Darrel Robertson caught a 5-pound, 8-ounce largemouth – the big bass on day two – and it loaded down a limit weighing 16 pounds, 4 ounces to propel Robertson to the lead; his two-day total now stands at 31 pounds, 2 ounces.

2016 Walmart FLW Beaver Lake Day 1: JT Kenney Grabs Lead with 18-05lbs!

Good fishing crams leaderboard.

FLW PRESS RELEASE

JT Kenney’s first bass of the morning to start the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Jack Link’s on Beaver Lake was a 6-pound, 10-ounce largemouth.

After landing it, he kneeled down in the boat and punched the water with his fist in an act of “punching Beaver Lake back.”

One big bass helps vault Kenney into lead. (Photo: BASS)

For most of his FLW Tour career, Beaver Lake has been JT Kenney’s nemesis. One year he zeroed in this event, failing to catch a single keeper in two days of competition.

“Yeah, that’s what the punch in the water was for,” Kenney laughs. “When I got that big one in the boat it was like years of misery delivered back with one punch. I’m sure it didn’t hurt the lake too bad, but it made me feel better.”

Kenney’s big bass claimed the big bass honors for the day and helped put him the lead on day one with 18 pounds, 5 ounces.

2016 Walmart FLW Beaver Lake Tournament Starts Now!

The Beaver Lake event in Rogers, Arkansas starts today. Stay tuned each day for the results and on Sunday when the winner will be crowned.

2016 FLW Tour Schedule Announced!

FLW announced the 2016 Walmart FLW Tour regular-season schedule today in a live press conference held at the 2015 ICAST show in Orlando, Fla. With the help of six veteran Tour pros, the company unveiled each of the six events, one-by-one, to a crowd of observers gathered around the FLW booth.

Here are the details.

2016 Walmart FLW Tour Regular-Season Schedule

• February 4-7     Lake Okeechobee         Clewiston, Fla.

Hosted by Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort and the Hendry County Tourism Development Council

Matt Arey Wins the 2014 Walmart FLW Beaver Lake Tournament

Arey Arrives!
by Curtis Niedermier
FLW Press Release

ROGERS, Ark. - Prior to this week, if you tried to define the current status of Beaver Lake’s largemouth bass spawn and the career of Shelby, N.C., pro Matt Arey, you needed only one phrase: close, but not quite there.

Sticking to his strengthen allowed Arey to take win!
(Photo: FLW)

After today’s weigh-in at the John Q. Hammons center in Rogers, Ark., Arey proved that both he and the bass have arrived in a big way.

In four days, Arey hauled in a total of 59 pounds, 3 ounces of Beaver Lake bass to win the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Rayovac and hosted by Visit Rogers.

While other pros went looking for bass stuck in those in-between transitional areas, Arey refined a perfect shallow, stained-water pattern that allowed Beaver’s prespawn and early spawning bass to come to him. Then he made the gutsy call to commit to that pattern all week despite four consecutive days of shifting weather patterns. His steadfastness earned him his first Walmart FLW Tour title as a professional and one more piece of hardware to display next to his 2006 Forrest Wood Cup co-angler trophy.

“This is what I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid,” Arey said as he choked back tears on the weigh-in stage. “I really didn’t think I had near as much as I had. I thought I might have 13 pounds, and that’s what the on-the-water crew thought. I thought I might have 14 at most. But it all came together. When it’s your time, it’s your time.”

2014 Walmart FLW Beaver Lake Day 3: Arey Advances to Lead Beaver Lake

Tar Heel pro takes lead with tournament's biggest limit

by Curtis Niedermier

FLW Press Release

ROGERS, Ark. - Matt Arey is trending in all the right ways. This morning, the North Carolina pro bagged a nice Beaver Lake keeper in front of the FLWOutdoors.com camera crew during an on-the-water interview. The footage, available here and on the FLWFishing YouTube channel, has already been viewed by hundreds of FLW fans.

A jig on bluff walls lifted Matt Arey into the lead.
(Photo: FLW)

Then this evening, he continued the trend of showing up to weigh-in with a better limit than the day before. Arey increased from 13 pounds on day one to 14 pounds, 6 ounces on day two to 16 pounds, 4 ounces today. His day-three limit is the heaviest of the tournament thus far and only the third bag to top 16 pounds. He did it on a day when seven of the top 20 pros didn’t even crack double digits.

The eighth-year pro now has a 2-pound, 8-ounce lead over the reigning Kellogg’s Angler of the Year and current 2014 AOY favorite Andy Morgan. He’ll launch his Ranger on Sunday morning for the final day of competition at the Walmart FLW Tour Beaver Lake event presented by Rayovac and hosted by Visit Rogers with his best-ever chance at winning his first Tour title as a professional.

The scariest part for the rest of the field is that Arey has been holding back just a bit all week and trying not to pressure his areas too much.

2014 Walmart FLW Beaver Lake Day 1: Thrift on Tear!

Beaver Lake a wash with small limits 

by Curtis Niedermier
FLW Press Release

ROGERS, Ark. - Confidence is effective medicine in professional bass fishing, and right now Chevy pro Bryan Thrift is benefitting from a heavy dose. The FLW millionaire took the early lead at the Beaver Lake Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Rayovac with a 16-pound, 2-ounce limit. Thrift’s success today comes on the heels of his final-day come-from-behind victory at the Sam Rayburn Tour event just two weeks ago, where Thrift broke out of an early season slump that began with finishes of 59th and 107th place at the first two events.

Bryan is on a hot streak after a win on
the Big Sam!
(Photo: FLW)

It wasn’t a pattern or a place that boosted Thrift into the lead today on a blustery Beaver Lake. It wasn’t even anything in the lake. It was all between the ears.

“After winning at Rayburn, that kind of lifted a weight off me,” said Thrift, who rotated through 40 or 50 spots today. “I can relax. I don’t have to worry about paying the bills. I can just have fun and take what the good Lord gives me.

“I think confidence definitely plays a key role in tournament finishes,” he continued. “I just went fishing with an open mind. Today was a great day. I don’t think I’ve ever caught this many fish on Beaver.”

The confidence effect was evident in Thrift’s catch today. He weighed a Beaver medley that included one largemouth, one spotted bass and three smallmouths. The latter three were the first smallmouths Thrift has caught all week – one of those nice unexplainable surprises that tend to occur when you’re making good decisions.

2013 Walmart FLW Beaver Lake Day 2: Coulter in Lead at Alabama Rig Fest!

Johnson leads co-anglers by 3 pounds
by Kyle Wood

FLW Press Release

ROGERS, Ark. – With this being the second day after a front, most people figured the bite would slip on Beaver. To degree that was the case with several of the top pros from day one failing to match their catches. But day two of the Walmart FLW Tour on Beaver Lake was highlighted with consistent catches, some big stringers and the Alabama rig.

Coming into this tournament a lot of the focus was on how big of a factor the A-rig would become. The general consensus was the rig could hold up early in the derby but would slowly dwindle throughout the event. Today was a case of several anglers making huge moves on the leaderboard including Brandon Coulter who has utilized nothing but the rig to move into the lead.

With 17 pounds, 3 ounces on day one, Coulter went back to work to haul in 14-12 today. The Tennessee resident kept the same three rods on his deck consisting of umbrella rigs and now holds a total weight of 31-15 and the lead by 1-12.

All smiles as Coulter takes lead on difficult day.
(Photo: FLW)

“I think the momentum I have really started at the beginning of the year for me,” said Coulter. “My son told me to just go out and catch 12 pounds on the second day of Okeechobee and just cash a check. That made me realize all I have been doing for the past few years is just trying to cash a check and not win. Since then I have been fishing much more relaxed, calm and comfortable – I put no pressure on myself.”

With a less than favorable track record on Beaver, Coulter opted to arm himself with three different umbrella rigs and target transition areas. So far the decision is paying off.

“I went to a lay-down this morning that I caught my second biggest bass on yesterday,” the Knoxville, Tenn., native said. “I figured I could start there and catch a limit quick like I did yesterday, but it was nothing but crickets this morning. I went back there later and caught a solid fish off it. On my next cast back at the lay-down I got hung up and one eats one of the free swimbaits and pulls it off the tree. On my very next cast after that I caught a 4-pounder. You can’t create stuff like that; sometimes things just go your way.”

2013 Walmart FLW Beaver Lake Day 1: Benton Take Lead with 18 Pounds

FLW Press Release

ROGERS, Ark. – Rookie pro Drew Benton of Panama City, Fla., brought a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce to the scales Thursday to lead day one of the Walmart FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by Kellogg’s. Benton holds a 14-ounce lead over Brandon Coulter of Knoxville, Tenn., who caught five bass weighing 17-3 in a tournament of the world’s best bass-fishing pros competing in the four-day event with a top cash award of up to $125,000.

“I was pleasantly surprised with how my day went,” said Benton, who was the FLW Tour season opener champion at Lake Okeechobee. “I caught over 20 keepers today. I had some bites in the last day of practice that I had shook off and I didn’t really know how big they were. I went back to that area today and they were a little bigger than I had expected.

“I’m fishing in some stained water, doing what I’m used to doing,” Benton continued. “I’m running a long way up the river. I have seen some boats, but no one is fishing close to me.”

Benton said that all of his fish that he caught Thursday came on a Yum Yumbrella rig, but said he was fishing it differently than his competitors.

Skipping Doc(s)!

By L. Talyor

Dock after dock after dock -- all day long it was the same thing. Some of the docks had one bass under them and others had two or three. It was proving to be the best way to get a quality bite, but the technique required just the right touch.

“It’s like skipping rocks, only you are using a fishing pole and a lure,” said Beaver Lake fishing guide Brad Wiegmann.

The skipping technique is all about having the right angle. When skipping light lures it’s best to use a spinning rig. Leave about 14 inches from lure to the end of the rod, open the bail and bring the rod back parallel or slight pointing toward the water. Then, simply use a sidearm cast to skip the lure to its destination. It’s skipping a heavier lure with a baitcasting rig that gives some anglers fits.

“Put the reel on free-spool and use adequate force to swing the lure parallel to the water,” Wiegmann said. “After the lure stops, take your pocket knife and cut out the tangled mess. Retie and repeat, until you have no more over-priced fluorocarbon line on your reel. Lay down this pole and grab the next, and repeat the process until all the line is removed. At this point, it’s customary to say ‘the he#% with it,’ grab a topwater rod and go throw a Zara Spook.”

FLW Beaver Lake: Why Wasn't I a Jerk?



Megabass Vsion 110

Learn how to catch them like the FLW pros.
Story and photos by Luigi De Rose

Contestants at the FLW Tour stop at Beaver Lake were met with challenging conditions. Casting a jerk bait became the technique of choice. Jerk baits, a long, slender minnow plug, have universal appeal to all game fish. Originating with the Rapala, it is one of the most familiar lure profiles on the planet. This week on Beaver Lake in Arkansas, jerk baits ruled.
The Ozarks are the home town of many fishing super stars but it is also the birth place of weighted jerk baits. For decades, anglers have tinkered with their neutral buoyancy. When modified correctly, these baits will hover horizontally in the water column exactly like a stunned minnow.  The best time to cast a weighted jerk bait is now. Especially anywhere along the Missouri and Arkansas boarder. Early pre-spawn, when the water temp is climbing out of the 40 degree F range. Cold nights and warming days will keep the shad kill high and bass capitalize on the free meal.

With long casts, the bait is worked in a series of downward jerks or in last week’s case sharp pulls and very long pauses to create an illusion of a crippled minnow. Minnow baits sports sets of treble hooks help pin light biters. It’s not an easy technique to master. It requires smooth execution especially for four continuous tournament days. Without the correct equipment, wrists, elbows and arms turn to mush.

Gravel points, bluff banks, secondary points in large bays are all home to bass. Mix in standing timber for added security and you’ll find bass. During this past weekend, the water temp was rising trying to shake the shackles of a long winter. Anglers were faced with changing weather conditions and reluctant bass. Trying to temp more bites, anglers dropped down to thin Fluorocarbon or mono lines to ensure the bait stayed deeper in the strike zone throughout the entire cast.

Megabass, Lucky Craft and Live Target (L to R)

Over the last 15 years, the Japanese lure companies have raised the bar on quality to near perfection. This week, most of the top ten anglers credit the Megabass Vision 110 even though many are sponsored by other lure companies.

Looking to stock your tackle bag with a few new baits? Consider the following: Bomber Long A, Daimki Slim Jack, Team Diawa minnow, Ima Flirt, Jackall Squirrel, Live Target Smelt, Lucky Craft pointer, Megabass Vision 110, O.S.P., Rapala, Spro McRip, Storm Thunderstick, Strike King Minnow, Swithwick Rouge, Xcalibur Twitch bait and Yo-Zuri minnow. 

FLW Beaver Lake Day 4: Bryan Beats Beaver

Bryan Thrift Jerks in a Win on Beaver Lake
3/3/11 - 3/6/11 -- Beaver Lake
Prairie Creek Park, Rogers, AR

Official FLW Press Release



Bryan Wins!
(Photo: Brett Carlson FLW)

 The 2010 tournament season was a rollercoaster ride for Bryan Thrift. He claimed his first Walmart FLW Tour win on his home lake in front of family and friends. A few months later, he won the coveted Angler of the Year award. But Thrift also remembers 2010 for what he lost – his father Tommy to cancer. But 2011 couldn’t have started any better. Thrift and his wife Allison are proud parents to newborn baby Wylie Thomas. And at Wylie’s first tournament, his dad delivered another textbook thrashing.

Not too long ago, Thrift was known as a dock skipper and a bank burner. But as he ages, his angling arsenal continues to diversify. This week on Beaver Lake he demonstrated the ability to master cold water and make key adjustments in the tournament’s final hours.


On day one Thrift caught three quality keepers and then left his primary area. He was hoping to find a few kicker largemouths in Beaver’s muddy water but he returned empty handed.


“I thought after the first day I was done,” said the Shelby, N.C., native, who sat in 36th place. “I ran up the river and never got bit. Little did I know where I left was where the big ones were at.”


After a tip from friend and fellow North Carolina pro Matt Arey, Thrift put on a jerkbait clinic. Throwing to water waist deep, Thrift would work a Megabass Vision 110 as hard and fast as possible over rock piles and timber in the Rocky Branch area of the lake.


“Matt really showed me what I was doing wrong. Once I got the action right, I really figured it out. I ripped that thing until my arms got tired and I then I’d rest and rip it some more. And the key for me was that 6-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy Damiki Dark Angel rod. It’s got backbone, but it’s also got a lot of tip, which is the exact action you want in a jerkbait-crankbait rod.”


While the Vision 110 (Pro Blue) was his primary lure, Thrift also weighed in a few keepers this week on a bluegill-colored Damiki DC-200 crankbait. Both were tied to 10-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon.


While Thrift stunned the crowd Saturday with a 20-pound, 8-ounce stringer, Sunday was much more stressful.


“I caught a 4-pounder in the first 20 minutes and then it really got tough. At about 1 p.m. I decided to abandon my shallow-water program and fish deep cedar trees. At the time I only had three fish. Instead of working the bait fast, I’d dead stick it and let it fall for 20 or 30 seconds all the way down.”

FLW Beaver Lake Day 3: A Legend Take the Lead

Arkansas’ Blaylock wins co-angler title, $20,000, in second event of season

3/3/11 - 3/6/11 -- Beaver Lake
Prairie Creek Park, Rogers, AR

Official FLW Press Release


Ron Shuffield Take Day 3
(Photo: Brett Carlson FLW)



EverStart pro Ron Shuffield of Bismarck, Ark., caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to capture the lead at the Walmart FLW Tour on Beaver Lake presented by Straight Talk and advanced to the top 10 as the crucial No. 1 seed. With a three-day catch of 13 bass weighing 41-6, he now holds a 13-ounce lead in the tournament going into the final day of competition.

“It was frigid, it was windy, it was cloudy and it was the kind of day going in that I thought was an opportunity to catch a pretty good sack of fish,” said Shuffield, who is looking for his first FLW Tour win. “These fish in the northern lakes, especially in the clear water where I’m fishing, tend to bite a little bit better in these conditions than they do on a bright, clear bluebird day. So I was optimistic.

“I had a new area that I practiced in but had not fished during the event,” Shuffield added. “It had all the ingredients of what I was looking for. And I could tell it hadn’t been touched.”

Shuffield said he had most of his weigh fish caught by 9:18 a.m. He said he culled “once or twice” during the course of the day and spent the majority of the day looking for particular structure and types of pockets for Sunday’s competition.

“I’m trying to fish new water every day,” Shuffield said. “I’m not trying to do much repeat stuff at all. These fish are trying to move into their spawn areas, so they’re staging halfway to the backs of the coves. But they’re on really weird stuff. Some of them are suspended under boat docks in 30 feet of water. One will be on a laydown tree and one will be on a rock formation that’s isolated all by itself. That’s the kind of stuff these fish are keying on.”

Shuffield said he’s keeping three rods ready on the deck of his boat. One has a Storm Wiggle Wart tied on and the other two feature jerkbaits. He said he finds the random objects he wants to target then approaches the structure with both types of baits to trigger strikes. Despite the water temperatures, Shuffield said he’s using a moderate retrieve for the baits.

“The fish are pretty quick to react,” Shuffield said. “They’ve seen so many jerkbaits this week in competition that I think they’re really kind of shying away from it. Each day I’ve caught a few more fish on the Wiggle Wart – especially some better quality largemouth.”

Chevy pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C., advanced to the final round of 10 pros in the No. 2 spot with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 40-9.20th: National Guard pro Mark Rose, Marion, Ark., 10 bass, 22-7, $12,000

Overall there were 76 bass weighing 192 pounds, 14 ounces caught by pros Saturday. The catch included 11 five-bass limits.

FLW Beaver Lake Day 2: A Tale of Two Lakes

FLW Beaver Lake Day 2: A Tale of Two Lakes
by Luigi De Rose

Spanning picturesque views of the Ozark mountains, Beaver Lake is part of the White River system in northwest Arkansas.  The lake is approximately 50 miles (80km) in length covering 31 700 acres (128 km2) with about 483 miles (777 km) of shoreline.  Being a typical highland reservoir, it's water is deep, rocky and clear and usually full of fish.

Spring time is a game of chance between the water level, water clarity and water temperature. Finding the perfect blend of all three, means good fishing. Spotted, largemouth and smallmouth bass all swim here. Each typically have their preferred  habitat sometimes these habitats overlap many times they don't.  Fishing for one type of bass over the other is always a gamble.  

After launching, anglers have to make two difficult decisions. The first, is what type of bass to catch and where. Many feel the lake can be divided into two halves: the clear, lower lake near the dam and the stained to darker water of the upper reaches of Beaver.  The upper tributaries do warm quicker and can hold more cover along the shoreline or flats, but fishing can be feast or famine

Closer to the dam, deep structure and long points are the primary areas to start. Schools of bass can be found but tricking them into biting in gin clear water  is not easy. Mix in suspended bait along with uncooperative weather can really doom a tournament game plan.

The FLW Beaver Lake tournament will be decided by consistency. Chad Brauer, stated his frustration while being interviewed by FLW outdoors. "This lake always gives me problems. I can catch them on day one but not the next or I have a poor day one and catch them the second day." His curse continued to follow him here. On day 1, Bauer nailed a respectable limit of 13-04 to snag fifth place but dropped when he brought only 2 bass for 5 pounds and fell to 27th place on Day 2.  Slow and steady might be the name of the game on Beaver.

FLW Beaver Lake Day 2: Schenck Takes the Lead!

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes pro Lefebre drops a spot in second event of season.

3/3/11 - 3/6/11 -- Beaver Lake
Prairie Creek Park, Rogers, AR

Official FLW Press Release

Walmart FLW Tour pro Shad Schenck of Waynetown, Ind., caught a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces Friday to capture the lead on day two of the Walmart FLW Tour on Beaver Lake presented by Straight Talk. His two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 7 ounces gives him a 2-pound, 1-ounce lead heading into the third day of the tournament. There were 158 pros and 158 co-anglers from across the United States, Canada and Mexico that started the tournament. The top 20 will fish day three and the top 10 will compete for the title on day four.

Shad Schenck lands the big ones on Day 2.
(Photo: Brett Carlson FLW)

“I think every tournament you fish you definitely learn something when you fish against this caliber of fishermen,” said Schenck, who began fishing FLW Outdoors events in Bass Fishing League competition and worked his way to the premier field of the FLW Tour. “I’m keying on some things that were important that I learned in the past fishing the lake. It’s always the little things that really separate people when you’re fishing. Those couple of little things could be the difference.

“It doesn’t really matter if I’m first or fifth,” said Schenck. “I still have to catch them again tomorrow and again on Sunday. It’s a cumulative weight. You basically have to go out and do your job again tomorrow. With that being said, it’s a tough tournament.”

Schenck said he keyed in on two areas Friday that didn’t see much, if any, boat traffic on the second day of competition. Schenck said he was fishing slowly and not moving the boat much during the course of the day.
“I’m fishing very, very thorough,” said Schenck. “As long as I can fish those areas by myself I’ll be fine.”
Day one leader Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes pro Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa., is in the No. 2 spot with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 26-6.

Dave slips to second.
(Photo: Brett Carlson FLW)

“Yesterday I caught seven or eight keeper largemouth, and today I only caught two,” said Lefebre. “With the front coming, generally the fish like to feed before a front and they’re waiting until the last second. It was pretty obvious they didn’t bite as good today.”
Lefebre said he caught a limit fairly quickly in the morning and knew he wouldn’t have to catch much to make the cut.
“That was my goal ? not to screw that up,” Lefebre said. “You never know what’s going to happen. I’m not disappointed.”
Rounding out the top 20 pros that will fish another day on Beaver Lake are:
3rd: Roy Hawk, Salt Lake City, Utah, 10 bass, 23-12
4th: Stacey King, Reeds Spring, Mo., 10 bass, 23-5
5th: EverStart pro Ron Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., eight bass, 22-12
6th: Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 22-2
7th: Walmart pro Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 21-10
8th: National Guard pro Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 21-7
9th: Pickens Plan pro Randy Blaukat, Joplin, Mo., 10 bass, 21-2
10th: Shane Long, Sarcoxie, Mo., 10 bass, 20-15
11th: AMP Energy pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., six bass, 20-13
12th: Walmart pro George Cochran, Hot Springs, Ark., eight bass, 20-8
13th: Nick Larson, Ball Ground, Ga., seven bass, 20-4
14th: Sean Hoernke, The Woodlands, Texas, nine bass, 20-2
15th: National Guard pro Mark Rose, Marion, Ark., nine bass, 20-2
16th: Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., eight bass, 20-1
17th: Castrol pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., nine bass, 19-15
18th: Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., six bass, 19-14
19th: Bo Cross, Knoxville, Tenn., nine bass, 19-14
20th: Brad Roberts, Nancy, Ky., 10 bass, 19-12
Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape pro Ray Scheide of Dover, Ark., Tom Spangler of Corryton, Tenn., and Larson tied for the SnickersR Big Bass weight of 6-3 on the pro side and each won $166.67.

FLW Beaver Lake Day 1: The Cold Shoulder

FLW Tour Beaver Lake
3/3/11 - 3/6/11 -- Beaver Lake
Prairie Creek Park, Rogers, AR

Beaver Lake located in Arkansas has not been very welcoming. Anglers were greeted with cold, clear water and chilly weather. The winter has been long and harsh. Frost have blanked the south for months. All this frigid weather has hampered the catching on Beaver.


Normally a thrify lake, yesterday was particularlly difficult. Five fish limit, of any size were gold. Many strong competitors were lucky to get a few bites here and there. Many claimed never to have landed a keep throughout the entire practice period. Yikes!


Friend to ibassin.com, Spiro Agouros sits in 61 place in the co-angler side withe a skinny bass that weighed 1-13. Poor fishing might be the name of this game. 


It is not surprising that 7 of the top 14 pros are from Arkansas or Missouri. These guys know how to find deep, cold water bass. Along with them are a sprinkling of western anglers who have the skill and knowledge to extract deep bass. One of them might be able to last all four days.


Weather conditions were slick calm, and sunny. Ideal bed fishing conditions but the fish are not up yet in any numbers. Anglers were expecting to crank or jerkbait there way to success. They need a bit of wind and some cloud cover to extend this bite. Without it everyone who is expecting to capitalize on suspended pre-spawner might be barely scraping by. 


Day 2's weight-in will reveal a clearer picture of what is needed to do well in this tournament.


Stay Tuned!

FLW Beaver Lake Day 1: Lefebre Take Lead on Difficult Day 1

National Guard pro Justin Lucas just off pace in second event of season

3/3/11 - 3/6/11 -- Beaver Lake
Prairie Creek Park, Rogers, AR

 

Official FLW Press Release

 

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes pro Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa., crossed the stage Thursday with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 4 ounces to lead day one of the Walmart FLW Tour on Beaver Lake presented by Straight Talk. Lefebre holds a slim 7-ounce lead over National Guard pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., who caught five bass weighing 15-13 in a tournament featuring 316 anglers from all across the country, Canada and Mexico.  

Dave Lefebre on the water on Day 1.
(Photo: FLW Rob Newell)



“You never know what you have in one of these tough (tournaments),” said Lefebre, who has struggled at Beaver Lake in the past. “Practice was so tough. I got three bites the first day, one bite the second day and six bites the third day of practice. Any time it’s that tough in practice you really don’t know what you have. I’m pleasantly surprised. I feel very, very awesome about the next day.”

Lefebre said he discovered a spot the last day of practice that allows him to sit in 80 feet of water and concentrate on “making two casts.” He fishes from one boat position for a while and then repositions the boat and focuses on a new area to let his other fish rest.
“I can catch keepers on it all day long, I think,” said Lefebre. “That was a place I thought I could catch two or three to get the day started at least and I’d be struggling from there on, but this spot seems to be replenishing itself. It’s a perfect pre-spawn type of deal.

“I’m not going to get my hopes up,” Lefebre added. “I’m real happy to be leading Beaver Lake. This place has been a thorn in my side for many years, as anyone would know. I’ve just been getting consistently better over the past three years here.”

Lefebre left his spot with four fish in the livewell Thursday and said he would be surprised if his area did not hold fish all four days of the tournament.

Lucas said he focused on two spots on the first day of competition and relied heavily on a Lucky Craft jerkbait during the course of the day. He managed to catch all five of his weigh fish, including a 5-pound, 6-ounce kicker fish, during a one-hour flurry of action from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. That kicker fish turned out to be the day’s Snickers® Big Bass that earned Lucas $500.