The Ouachita River through Monroe, La. has been flooded and flowing since late last fall, but has dropped radically in the last week. Two BASS Open events have been held here (November 2003 and December 2004), the former in low water conditions and the latter in flood conditions. Now the FLW

Tour is sampling the fishery for the first time, and it's only about a foot above normal level. The water is still falling, but so was rain on Monday and Wednesday morning. The rest of the week is forecast to be sunny.

The two dozen or so FLW pros who've competed in those BASS events may have some advantage, but with the dynamic conditions, it could be anyone's ballgame. Also, the FLW event allows locking to either the upper or lower pools from the Monroe Pool launch, which opens up whole worlds of possibilities.

Brent Chapman, a two-tour pro, feels that it'll be tough overall. "Anywhere with a good group of fish will be crowded," he said. "The best fishing will involve long runs with a lock."

Top 10 To Watch

Limits will mean a lot, and a big fish (over 5 pounds) in the bag will carry a long way. Anyone who has the ability to consistently find those kickers – and fill out his limit too -- is a threat to win. Here are BassFan's picks for the Top 10 to Watch at this event (in no particular order):

1) Chad Morgenthaler – Had a rough Day 1 in the Bassmaster Open Championship here in December, but made a great comeback the second day. At 9th in the FLW points, it sounds like he's found some big pre-spawners this time around, and is burning for a Top 10 finish.

2) Greg Hackney – Okay, so he hasn't set the world on fire this year like he did last year. That's fine. He's still No. 2 in the State Farm-BassFan World Rankings. This is still his home state and his kind of fishing, and he finished 2nd here in last fall's Open Championship. Time for the Hack Attack to get back on track.

3) Brent Chapman – He's beginning to shed the cloaking device that kept him under the radar. Now 7th in the FLW points, and feeling good about what he found on his final practice day.

4) Dean Rojas – He's 5th in the FLW points and 8th in the world – a flipping bite may be just what he needs to shine.

5) Greg Pugh – Coming to Ouachita at 3rd in the FLW points, he appears to be hitting his stride in his third year on tour, and may light it up in the third FLW event of the season. He likes rivers and was 39th here last fall in the BASS Open Championship.

6) Bobby Lane – He leads the FLW points and the BassFan.com Rookie of the Year Race, and says his confidence is high after his practice.

7) Dave Lefebre – Here's a guy who sits at 11th in the FLW points, and says he's on a good pattern and is excited about a jig tournament. Let's keep an eye on him at Ouachita.

8) Roger Boler – Another Louisiana pro, and roommate of Morgenthaler, he finished 3rd here at the 2003 Bassmaster Open, and has a good feel for the fishery.

9) Tommy Biffle – Nobody from Oklahoma is scared of muddy water, and if a flipping bite is on, he'll be all over it. Fishing well lately.

10) Sam Swett – Want a dark-horse pick? We haven't heard much from Swett since he won last year's Atachafalaya FLW event, but this one is shaping up to have some similar conditions. He bombed at the Big O in January, but came back with a 33rd at Toho, and needs all good finishes the rest of the year.

Others To Watch

> Alton Jones – Excellent pre-spawn angler, and needs to turn it up a few notches.

> David Walker – A great junk fisherman, and that may be what it takes to do well here.

> Aaron Martens – 3rd in the world and fishing well, was 37th in the Open Championship here last fall.

> Art Ferguson III – Doing well so far on his first year as a two-tour pro, he also had a good finish here last fall (26th) in the Open Championship.

> Larry Nixon – If things get tough, as they often do on this river, he could break out the old-fashioned standby plastic worm and teach new bass some old tricks.

Notable

> To go On Tour With The BassFan Big Sticks, click here.

> Most of the talk has been about the flipping bite with a little spinnerbait mixed in. Virtually no one has admitted to a good bite in the grass in the upriver Fensenthal pool, but Rick Clunn once said that if a lake has grass and you're not fishing it, you're fishing for 2nd place.