When it became apparent that sight-fishing wasn't going to play a major role in the Wal-Mart Open (Beaver FLW), the door was opened for numerous patterns to take center-stage.
Shinichi Fukae won by fishing finesse worms in standing timber, and runner-up Mark Rose also went the small-worm route.
But that certainly wasn't the only way to catch them. Craig Powers, who was 3rd, threw nothing but a jerkbait. Jeffrey Thomas finished right behind him with jigs and lipless crankbaits and 5th-place finisher Darrel Robertson relied primarily on a Zoom Fluke.
There was one thing the Top 5 all had in common – they weren't content to bring in five spotted bass each day, and they made a conscious effort to catch a few kicker largemouths or smallmouths. Those bag-boosters were what separated them from the pack.
2nd: Mark Rose
> Day 1: 5, 14-08
> Day 2: 5, 8-00 (10, 22-08)
> Day 3: 5, 9-09
> Day 4: 5, 8-09 (10, 18-02)
Mark Rose's gameplan was to catch as many quality smallmouths as he could, then fill out his limits with spots.
"That was my main deal and I caught a couple of big ones in practice," he said. "I had a little largemouth deal going too, but I couldn't get the big pre-spawn females over 15 inches.
"I was able to catch some smallmouth that were over (15 inches), and they were good, fat ones. Their population at Beaver is really growing and you can make a difference with them now."
He weighed in three smallmouths the first day and one on each of the succeeding 3 days. He fished a finesse-type worm, primarily on points.
"They seemed to be on both sides of the points, right where the flat part dropped off into steeper walls," he said.
> Worm gear: 6'6" medium-action G.Loomis 782 rod, Shimano Stradic 2500 spinning reel, 8-pound Sufix Elite monofilament line, Peanut Craft Lures 1/8- and 3/16-ounce jigheads, 4" Strike King Finesse Worm (green-pumpkin) and 4" unnamed worm (watermelon).
> Main factor in his success – "Just being persistent was the key. The smallmouth and the spots would hit in little feeding frenzies, and sometimes you'd make a pass and they weren't biting. But they were still there."
Craig Powers caught a 6-08 largemouth on day 2 that propelled him into the lead at the cut.
3rd: Craig Powers
> Day 1: 5, 15-09
> Day 2: 5, 15-11 (10, 31-04)
> Day 3: 5, 9-12
> Day 4: 5, 7-07 (10, 17-03)
Craig Powers and good friend Koby Kreiger (who finished 8th) found staging fish in about 10 different locations during practice. He threw just one bait all week – a Bomber Long A.
"It really wasn't about how we fished for them, but where," he said. "We found those fish that were staged up and ready to move to the bank to spawn, and we pretty much had those areas to ourselves."
He caught 15-pound sacks on each of the first 2 days and led at the cut. A 6-08 largemough anchord his day 2 bag.
He said he's had that bait for about 25 years. "I've won a bunch of money on it. I wish I could put my finger on (why it's so effective). It's a plastic bait, and like any other, you might get one out of 10 that works and the rest are garbage.
"At certain times, it's great. Other times you'd be better off throwing a turd."
> Jerkbait gear: 7' medium-action Castaway rod, Team Daiwa SOL spinning reel, 10-pound McCoy Mean Green line, Bomber Long A (chrome/bone).
> Main factor in his success – "It was really 6 years in the making. Every year (he and Kreiger) have come here, we've picked up a little piece here and a little piece there, and it took that long to put it all together for this tournament."
Jeffrey Thomas had a good flipping bite going for the first 2 days, but it went away on day 3.
4th: Jeffrey Thomas
> Day 1: 5, 16-10
> Day 2: 5, 13-00 (10, 29-10)
> Day 3: 3, 5-07
> Day 4: 3, 9-08 (6, 14-15)
Jeffrey Thomas had zeroed for 2 days at the previous event at Pickwick. With his hopes of qualifying for the Forrest L. Wood Championship all but evaporated, he came to Beaver with nothing but a big check on his mind.
He got one by targeting largemouths. "That was basically all I caught for 4 days."
He focused on ditches that adjoined spawning flats, and ambushed some good-sized females en route to the reproduction grounds. He had good success flipping a jig around docks and large brushpiles the first 2 days, but that bite went away on day 3.
He caught all six of his weigh-in fish over the final 2 days on crankbaits. He used two different lipless models and a Storm Wiggle Wart.
He's mystified as to why his flipping bite petered out. "I just don't know," he said. "I thought it would be great under those bluebird skies, but it didn't happen."
> Flipping gear: 7'6" Skeet's Custom Jeffrey Thomas Signature Series flipping rod, Abu Garcia 4007 LP casting reel (6:1 ratio), 20-pound Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon line, 1/2-ounce Rattleback jig (green-pumpkin), Berkley Power Craw trailer (green-pumpkin).
> Crankbait gear: 7' medium-heavy Skeet's Custom fiberglass rod, same reel, 14-pound Stren MagnaFlex line, 7/16-ounce Custom Lures Unlimited lipless crankbait (shad), 1/2-ounce Cordell Spot (shad) or Storm Wiggle Wart (phantom red).
> "I never lost a fish while I was cranking, and that had a lot to do with that rod," he said. "We've come up with a new guide concept – there's a few more of them on there – and that allows for a little more control."
> He said that although the lipless cranks were of similar size, the Custom Lures Unlimited bait presented a slimmer profile.
> Main factor in his success – "Just finding those staging fish on the ditches."
Darrel Robertson notched his third Top 10 at Beaver in 8 years.
5th: Darrel Robertson
> Day 1: 5, 11-10
> Day 2: 5, 12-10 (10, 24-04)
> Day 3: 3, 2-14
> Day 4: 5, 9-05 (8, 12-03)
Darrel Robertson achieved his third Top 10 in eight tries at Beaver by catching a mix of largemouths and spots.
"My philosophy at Beaver is to fish for 10 pounds, and that means you're not fishing for Kentuckys," he said. "Except for very seldom, you have to have a combination to get that weight."
He caught the vast majority of his fish on a Zoom Fluke. He also threw a spinnerbait, a jerkbait and a Storm Wiggle Wart.
"I really struggled the first 2 or 3 days of practice, then a friend told me he'd been catching a few on a Fluke," he said. "And then during the last half of the last practice day, I stopped at a point close to the weigh-in that everybody fishes and caught two 4-pounders.
"I caught six fish off that point over the first 2 days (of the tournament), and they were my six biggest fish, by far."
> Fluke gear: 7' heavy-action rod, Shimano Curado casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 10-pound Seaguar line, 1/64-ounce screw-in weight, 4/0 Gamakatsu O'Shaughnessy-bend hook, Zoom Fluke (white or watermelon).
> Main factor in his success – "I didn't quit practicing. I'd already planned out everything I was going to do when I found that point."
Notable
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