Bassmaster Elite Series pro Clifford Pirch competed at Beaver Lake seven times during his stint on the FLW Tour and enjoyed a fair amount of success, logging two Top-10 finishes (a 4th and a 7th). He hasn't been there since 2012, but he knows enough about the venue and enough about his former competitors to compile a list of five whom he expects to fare well this week.
1. Darrel Robertson
> Pirch says: “I know he's been out there honing his game and he's been a little frustrated with his finishes lately. He's got some buildup and he'd really like to hammer them.”
2. Mark Rose
> Pirch says: “He lives in Arkansas and you know he'll always be strong there.”
3. Greg Bohannan
> Pirch says: “I'm picking him for the same reason I picked Mark Rose.”
4. Andy Morgan
> Pirch says: “He's good no matter where they go, but when he won there (in 2007), that really turned his game around."
5. Clark Wendlandt
> Pirch says: “For one, he's a good sight-fisherman, and for another, he's won there in the pre-spawn. I saw where he had a good event at Lewis Smith and I expect him to do well.”
