Last year's FLW Tour Wal-Mart Open at Beaver Lake in Arkansas was a welcome departure from past iterations of the longstanding event. The water was quite high and off-color, which allowed the pros to wind baits and fish more traditional power presentations.

Mark Pack won the event fishing flooded parks and parking lots with a

crank and swim-jig. He tipped the jig with his new (at the time) Lake Fork Tackle Hyper Worm.

And the rest of the Top 5 fished power too. George Cochran (2nd) worked a spinnerbait, Greg Bohannan (3rd) swam a jig, Mike Hawkes (4th) flipped a jig and Sweet Beaver, and Matt Arey (5th) cranked and threw a ChatterBait.

Some of that might work this year up the river, where there is some off-color water, but the main lake is the typical clear to ultra-clear water that's normal at Beaver. Which is actually quite a shock, since the water's nearly as high as it was last year.

The pros therefore expect a return to plastics domination at this Ozarks venue. Worms, dropshots and shaky-heads should dominate.

Before more about the bite, and BassFan's recommendation for the Top 10 to watch, here's more about the lake itself.

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake name: Beaver
> Type of water: Highland reservoir
> Surface acres: 28,000+
> Primary structure/cover: River channels, creeks, rocks, points, some standing timber and laydowns, newly flooded shoreline cover
> Primary forage: Crawfish, shad, minnows
> Average depth: Around 50 feet, especially on the lower end
> Species: Largemouths, smallmouths, spotted bass
> Minimum length: 12 inches for spots, 15 inches for smallmouths and largemouths
> Reputation: Lots of small fish, often tough
> Weather: Practice was largely cloudy with some wind and highs in the mid-60s. A significant thunderstorm blew through yesterday. Temperatures expected to see-saw dramatically during the event alongside a mix of clouds and scattered thunderstorms.
> Water temp: mid-60s
> Water visibility/color: Stained up the river, clear at mid-lake (4 to 6 feet), ultra-clear near the dam (10 to 15 feet)
> Water level: 8 feet above full pool (very significant)
> Fish in: 0 to 40 feet, some deeper
> Fish phase: Mostly post-spawn, with some spawn
> Primary patterns: Shaky-heads and finesse worms, dropshots, Carolina- and Texas-rigs, swimbait, sight-fishing, jigs and cranks in the river
> Winning weight: 22 pounds (final 2 days)
> Cut weight (Top 10): 21 pounds
> Check weight (Top 50): 15 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 3 for Beaver
> Biggest factors: Boat draw – a good bed-fish the morning of day 1 might be enough to make the cut. Also, will a new spawning wave arrive, despite the temperature swings and anticipated lack of sun?
> Biggest decision: Clear or muddy water?
> Wildcard: Smallmouths – several pros have noted they'll target them for the first time this year.

Fish Phase

As has been the case throughout this cold spring, the fish at Beaver aren't as far along in their yearly ritual as they usually are.

Last year, Beaver was a full-on post-spawn bite. This time there are bedders, and many feel more are waiting to move up, which means the post-spawners likely aren't yet ganged up and on the feed.

Boat draw's important because early boats tomorrow should have a shot at some bed-fish, and one 3- to 4-pound fish, backed up with nine keepers, might be enough to make the cut.

What might hold back new spawners is the lack of sun. Although daytime temperatures will see-saw, it often takes hard sun to cook the shallows and attract spawning activity.

The Deep Gambit

One notable practice trend this year is more of an emphasis on smallmouths. Several pros intend to target them in deep water, where there should also be some quality spotted bass as well.

It's a gamble because Ozarks smallmouths are notoriously unreliable. They're usually value-added fish that help bump a largemouth bag up by a pound. And it's awfully difficult to catch 10 15-inch smallmouths at Beaver. But it can be done, and deep specialists will likely dedicate a significant portion of their time to offshore haunts.



BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Scott Suggs plans to spend at least half of each day working smallmouths.

Plastic Attack

The general feeling is that 8 to 9 pounds a day will get you paid, while 11 to 12 pounds a day will get you inside the cut. Plastics are a good way to get there, but there's an overall feeling of frustration out there.

Problem is, the fish are only biting plastics in the clear water, but there's so much shoreline cover due to the high water. So on the one hand you need to cover water to find fish, but on the other, you need to fish slowly with plastics to get bit.

In other words, you can't just put the trolling motor on high, work down the bank with a crank, then slow down and toss worms after you hook up. You need to go down the bank with a worm, and that spells much less water over the course of 2 days.

The alternative is to fish the classic Guido Hibdon style, which is to find a particular cover or structural element that fish stop on – both on their way in and out – then camp and throw to it all day long. That's how he won the Eufaula FLW Series, and it could work here. But it would take some solid local knowledge, and years of experience, to wager an entire tournament on such a volatile strategy.

Notes from the Field

Following are some practice notes from those fishing the event:

Scott Suggs -- Alexander, Ark.
"I'm going to approach this deal in a plastics style. These fish are in a mode where they don't really know what they want to chase. Last year, the water was near the same level, but it was dirty and we could sneak up on them. This year, it's high but clear, which makes me pretty much feel it's going to be a plastics deal.

"It's time-consuming, and it makes you want to pull your hair out, but the thing of it is, there are fish up shallow and out deep. I'm not going to be up there fighting that stuff. I'm taking a different approach this year. I've never targeted smallmouths here, but I'm going to fish smallmouths on deep structure.

"I found five (deep) places where I got repeated bites, and they've always been there in years past. So I'm going to fish like I did at Table Rock for at least half the day – hunt those big smallmouths and spots."

Ray Scheide -- Russellville, Ark.
"This water just came up, so other than the river, it's pretty clear and the bass aren't as easy to catch as last year. I've caught them everywhere from the bank out to 20 feet.

"I'm thinking largemouths instead of smallmouths to do well, but as far as largemouths, they're not as grouped as they were last year. It was the hard post-spawn last year and you could find good schools of them grouped up on parking lots and gravel points. You can catch some like that this year, but it's not nearly as good.

"I think there are some fish that are still wanting to spawn, but we haven't had much sun during practice and the fish, I think, are hesitant to move up."

Dan Morehead – Paducah, Ky.
"I'd say the lake's about a foot and a half deeper than last year. The difference is it's clean, and that's changed things quite a bit. I lost a day of practice fishing the Kentucky Lake Stren, and I'm pretty sorry about that, because my practice really hasn't been worth much, and I finished 57th up there."

"One thing at Beaver I've always excelled at is I've always been able to find a way to catch four or five keeper largemouths. I've not been able to figure that out this week. There are some fish on beds, but everybody's looking for them and it's going to be a nightmare if you don't get a good boat number. There are a few smallmouth biting, but I don't know – anytime you bank on smallmouths here, they usually let you down. Honestly, it's not looking to me like it's going to be a lot of fun. But I'm sure somebody's going to figure it out.

BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Clark Wendlandt's Beaver record speaks for itself – five Top 10s, including two wins.

"I've had no luck at all winding something. I was hoping it'd be a topwater situation, but that's no good. And it's no good burning a spinnerbait. If I'm not throwing some form of plastic, it's hard to get bit. But I still have to believe you can get a quality bite on a wakebait or topwater. It hasn't worked out for me yet, but I still believe in it. Conditions are right for it."

David Walker – Sevierville, Tenn.
"Tough is the best way to describe it. For some reason the fish just seem to be either really shallow or really deep. And they seem to be really scattered. It could be the clarity, or (the stage of) the spawn. The water temps are in the middle 60s and the fish are doing a little of everything. That could be what's making it tough.

"I've got a lot of stuff rigged up. There's some dirty water I may go to, just because of the confidence factor, but I don't know. The river at Beaver tends to be very susceptible to not catching your fish.

"I think the weights will be down from last year, but only slightly. It's a throw-and-hope event."

Mike Hawkes -- Sabinal, Texas
"I've found a few fish on beds, but not very many. I went looking (yesterday) for quite a while and saw only cruisers up there. Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be a spinning-rod tournament. Up north of the bridge, the water's dirtier, and I had a good practice day up there with a ChatterBait, spinnerbait and swimbait, but I haven't been back up there. I'm anxious to see what (yesterday's) rain is going to do to it up there.

"My fishing has pretty much been one here, one there. They seem to be still out on the old bankline, even though the water's up. If they move up during the tournament, sight-fishing's going to be a factor."

Top 10 To Watch

Here, in no particular order, is BassFan's recommendation on the Top 10 to watch at this week's event.

1. Clark Wendlandt – The consummate Beaver killer. He's won here twice, and posted three additional Top 10s. He's fished here through various conditions and timeframes and always seems able to figure something out.

2. Luke Clausen – Hasn't done well at Beaver the past several times, but this year the conditions seem ripe for him. He's a finesse machine.

3. Dion Hibdon – Hibdon's an Ozarks native. He finished 16th at Table Rock and there's no reason to think he won't put up a Top 20 this week.

4. Andy Morgan – He won here 2 years ago and is at the top of his game right now. He can catch smallmouths, too, and one good brown fish could put him in the cut.

BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Ultra-hot Brent Ehrler is one to watch at Beaver.

5. David Dudley – His career stat sheet includes several strong Beaver finishes – just a pound or so out of the cut several times. He missed the boat at Tackle Rock, and was the last to get a check at Norman, but should turn things around this week.

6. Scott Suggs – Here's a potential hero-or-zero pick, simply because Suggs plans to target smallmouths. Don't forget that he's an Ozarks big-stick and he knows what he's doing out there in no-man's land.

7. Jay Yelas – Was the runner-up here in 2007 when he got a swimbait bite going. He's largely struggled this year, but if he can get the swimbait going again he's got a good shot at the cut.

8. Jacob Powroznik – Has some mojo surrounding him this year and has climbed all the way to a rank of 13th in the world. Definitely on a roll.

9. Larry Nixon – Has recorded several Top 30s here over recent years and the fact that plastics will rule only helps him.

10. Brent Ehrler – A pure percentage pick. Ehrler's one of the hottest pros on either tour right now and excels in clear water and difficult conditions. Has yet to truly crack the Beaver code but expect him to this year.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

Anglers launch at 6:30 a.m. each day from Prairie Creek Marina (1 Prairie Creek Marina Dr. in Rogers). The Thursday and Friday weigh-ins will also be held at Prairie Creek Marina beginning at 3 p.m. The Saturday and Sunday weigh-ins will be held at the John Q. Hammons Center located at 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy. in Rogers beginning at 4 p.m.

Weather Forecast

Here's the weather forecast for the tournament. Note the up/down daily temperatures.

> Thur., May 14 - T-Showers - 69°/64°
- Wind: From the E/NE at 11 mph

> Fri., May 15 - AM T-Storms - 84°/65°
- Wind: From the S at 15 mph

> Sat., May 16 - Scattered T-Storms - 66°/50°
- Wind: From the NE at 12 mph

> Sun., May 17 - Partly Cloudy - 70°/48°
- Wind: From the N at 7 mph

Notable

> Jay Yelas had a pretty good practice and expect to be on them tomorrow. To read his full practice report, click here to go On Tour With the BassFan Big Sticks.