By BassFan Staff
If there were recipe for optimum fishing conditions at Beaver Lake, today may have had all the prime ingredients.
Windy? Check. Cloudy? Check. Chilly? Check (the mercury climbed only into the low 50s). And most importantly, a lake full of bass locked in pre-spawn mode and anxious for the next warm up so they can get started on their springtime ritual.
It was as good as it could get on day 1 of the third FLW Tour event of the season and tour rookie Drew Benton cashed in with the only 18-pound limit of the day to take the early lead. The Flordian, who's proving his victory at Lake Okeechobee in the season opener was no fluke, caught 18-01 and holds a 14-ounce lead over Brandon Coulter.
Coulter, who's never finished well at Beaver, weighed 17-03. He's a sliver ahead of 3rd-place Randy Blaukat, who caught 17 even. Barry Wilson and Ryan Chandler, each with 16-11, are tied for 4th. The margin between Benton and the three anglers tied for 9th is 2-12.
Here's a look at the Top 10 after the first day of competition, with deficit margin from Benton indicated by red numbers in parentheses:
1. Drew Benton: 18-01
2. Brandon Coulter: 17-03 (00-14)
3. Randy Blaukat: 17-00 (1-01)
4 (tie). Barry Wilson: 16-11 (1-06)
4 (tie). Ryan Chandler: 16-11 (1-06)
6. Jim Tutt: 16-06 (1-11)
7. Christopher Brasher: 15-14 (2-03)
8. Roland Martin: 15-06 (2-11)
9 (tie). Anthony Gagliardi: 15-05 (2-12)
9 (tie). Austin Terry: 15-05 (2-12)
9 (tie). Scott Canterbury: 15-05 (2-12)
Brent Ehrler, the leader in Angler of the Year (AOY) points entering this event, is off to another good start in 17th place with 14-04. David Dudley, last year's Beaver Lake winner, caught 12-06 and is tied for 36th, less than 2 pounds out of 20th.
Tonight's low in the Rogers, Ark., area is expected be around 30, but the sun is expected to make a prolonged appearance on Friday with highs in the upper 50s, so some anglers might find their fish repositioning or have to scrap their day-1 strategies altogether. Winds will be out of the west at 10 to 15 mph as they were today.
The field will be reduced to the Top 20 after tomorrow's round and the Top 10 following Saturday will stick around to fish Sunday when the winner will be determined by highest cumulative weight.
Benton Pleasantly Surprised
> Day 1: 5, 18-01
Benton had never seen Beaver Lake before this week. Never thrown an umbrella rig more than a few times either. As BassFans are learning this season, the 24-year-old is a pretty quick study.
"I just went fishing again throwing the Alabama Rig," he said. "I just got bigger bites than I had been getting in practice. I would've been tickled with a limit today the way my practice went. I really didn't think I could catch that. I probably had only 10 bites in practice.
"To be honest, I kind of don't like (the rig) and I'd rather they do away with it, but if you're not throwing it, you're going to get beat by it."
Water clarity has been a key factor in where he's been fishing.
"I wasn't fishing the muddy stuff because they can't see the rig that well in it," he said. "It seems like stained to clear is the key. In the real clear water, they can get too good of a look at it."
He doesn't anticipate making any major changes to his strategy for day 2 other than location.
"I'm not going to focus on where I caught them today because where I caught them today I had zero bites in practice," he said. "I'm just going to cover as much water as I can and show as many fish by bait as possible."
A jerkbait was the key offering for Randy Blaukat on day 1.
2nd: Great Start for Coulter
> Day 1: 5, 17-03
Beaver Lake has never been kind to Coulter, who’s trying to break a streak of four straight finishes of 117th or worse at the White River reservoir.
He's never been able to figure out a consistent shaky-head or jerkbait bite there so this week, he's gone all in on the umbrella rig.
"There was a moment in practice when I was going down the bank and I hadn't had a bite in like 2 hours," he said. "I figured why not throw the Alabama Rig? I haven't put it down since."
He had as good a morning as he's ever had at the lake today, catching a small limit within the first 15 minutes. He eventually culled them all. He figures he handled between 15 and 20 keepers in all. His biggest was a 5-05 largemouth.
"For whatever reason, it was as good as I've seen it here," he said. "The first 3 hours were awesome. I hung around the area and caught some keeper spots later on."
He was figuring, with the conditions, that he'd have to eventually migrate to clear water and target spotted bass with the hopes of weighing 13 pounds. Instead, the largemouth bite held up through Wednesday's cold front.
"The conditions today surprised me more than anything," he said. "We were supposed to have high pressure and bluebird skies. It was overcast and windy and felt like a largemouth day. It was like they hadn't figured out it was cold yet."
He'll spend some time tomorrow on the water that produced today, but won't be shy about moving on if the bite doesn't turn on.
3rd: Open Mind Key for Blaukat
> Day 1: 5, 17-00
Blaukat knows Beaver Lake about as well as anyone in the field this week. He's fished it since he was a kid and knows how the bass like to set up under certain conditions. Today, he didn't follow a game plan or stick to any sort of timing pattern. He fished his gut (with a little help from his memory bank) and it worked out for him.
"It was a big surprise," he said of his day-1 catch. "I basically started over and went practicing again today. I didn't have the potential to catch big ones based on my practice and the weather wasn't really setting up for me, so I just fished the conditions."
He fished areas with run off from this week's rain. He fished the river, the main lake, "everything that looked good," he said. "If the wind was blowing on it right, I'd stop and make 20 casts and move on. I was just fishing intuitively. That's what you have to do at Beaver. That's how it will be won. You have to fish it hour to hour and not get locked in on one thing."
On his way back to check in, he stopped on a point and bagged a big smallmouth that helped him upgrade. It was one of more than 20 keepers for Joplin, Mo., pro who finished 4th at Beaver back in 2011.
He's sensing tomorrow's going to be a different story with the sun in the forecast.
"I'll definitely have to make a technique change tomorrow," he said. "I think you'll see the weights come down. When you lose the cloud cover and with it being the second day after the front, it will definitely toughen up. I probably won't change areas. I'll just have to finesse them out some more."
He had success today with a Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait and didn't even have an Alabama Rig in the boat.
"It was just a great day," he said. "I caught them everywhere I went. I'm feeling pretty confident right now."
4th (tie): Good Start for Chandler
> Day 1: 5, 16-11
Chandler said today he felt like he built upon the success he had in practice and his confidence is growing despite an expected shift in weather conditions tomorrow.
"I'm really happy with what I caught," he said. "I had a decent practice and I know I'm around them. I think the cold front definitely helped me. It seems to have brought the fish out and that was the key to getting bigger bites."
He made one pass through his key areas today and had his weight by 10 a.m. so he didn't see the need to double-back along any stretch of water.
"Any time you catch almost 17 (pounds) on Beaver, you have to be happy with it," he said. "Whatever I catch tomorrow will be a plus. I really think I can bust another big sack tomorrow."
He revealed he threw the umbrella rig, but mixed in a jerkbait as well. He also noted that the water temperature where he fished had falled 4 degrees since practice and the fish seemed to bite better under cloud cover.
"I really don’t think I need a Plan B," he said. "I still think I can catch keepers doing it. With the umbrella rig, it just depends where I'm at. It seems like when the sun gets up and you can get around some docks, they'll bite it good. Other than that, the jerkbait's been good for me."
4th (tie): Wilson Up the River
> Day 1: 5, 16-11
Wilson had an abbreviated practice session following his 4th-place finish at the Lake Seminole EverStart last weekend, but the areas he fished Monday and Tuesday, spots that he fished during last year's event, combined to produce about 30 pounds, he said.
Today, he concentrated in one area of the White River and spent a fair bit of time trying to get two other patterns going before falling back on Plan C to catch his weight.
"I have several more areas I haven't hit yet," he said. "Hopefully, I can still catch them tomorrow and catch them the way I did today. My two other patterns didn't pan out."
He swung eight keepers into the boat today, but none before 9:30.
"I think the cold weather had a lot to do with that," he said. "Maybe with it getting warmer and the sun coming out, it'll get better."
He said the chilly weather wasn't much of a bother this morning considering it had been windy and cloudy most of the week anyway.
"I think it affects the fishermen more than it does the fish," he said. "The water temperature where I was at didn't change. My problem was I tried going after those two other patterns right away."
Despite some fears that the rains earlier in the week would muddy up the river, he said the clarity around where he's fishing is quite good and may have improved since Monday.
7th: Brasher After Largemouths
> Day 1: 5, 15-14
Last year, Chris Brasher missed the Top-20 cut by 2 ounces at Beaver Lake. He's off to a good start in his quest to make it this week. The Texan caught about 10 keepers total while targeting mainly largemouths with a crankbait and umbrella rig.
"The day went good for the most part," he said. "I had a chance to have a little more weight than I had, but that's how it goes."
Coming off a practice during which he said he caught close to 20 pounds on 2 of the days, he fished new water today that he hadn't looked at earlier in the week just due to the change in wind direction.
"It was more about running a pattern," he said. "It seems like there has to be some wind here to get some bites. I caught a good one and lost a good one once the sun came out in the afternoon."
Notable
> Day 1 stats – 160 anglers, 110 limits, 19 fours, 13 threes, 9 twos, 4 ones, 5 zeroes.
> The field this week is nine boats smaller than what it was at Lewis Smith Lake and 14 smaller than the season opener at Lake Okeechobee.
Weather Forecast
> Fri., April 12 – Mostly Sunny - 56°/35°
- Wind: From the WNW at 15 to 20 mph
> Sat., April 13 – Mostly Cloudy - 63°/48°
- Wind: From the SSE at 5 to 10 mph
> Sun., April 14 – Mostly Sunny - 75°/54°
- Wind: From the S at 7 to 12 mph
Day 1 Standings
1. Drew Benton -- Panama City, Fl -- 18-01 (5)
2. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, Tn -- 17-03 (5)
3. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 17-00 (5)
4. Ryan Chandler -- Valparaiso, In -- 16-11 (5)
4. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 16-11 (5)
6. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 16-06 (5)
7. Christopher Brasher -- Hallsville, Tx -- 15-14 (5)
8. Roland Martin -- Naples, Fl -- 15-06 (5)
9. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 15-05 (5)
9. Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, SC -- 15-05 (5)
9. Austin Terry -- San Angelo, Tx -- 15-05 (5)
12. Spencer Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 14-14 (5)
13. Andrew Upshaw -- Hemphill, Tx -- 14-11 (5)
14. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Ca -- 14-08 (5)
15. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 14-06 (5)
16. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 14-05 (5)
17. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 14-04 (5)
17. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 14-04 (5)
19. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 14-03 (5)
19. Ray Scheide -- Dover, Ar -- 14-03 (5)
21. Koby Kreiger -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 13-15 (5)
22. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 13-13 (5)
23. Ken Golub -- Pittsford, NY -- 13-06 (5)
24. Brent Long -- Cornelius, NC -- 13-04 (5)
24. Ray Meredith -- Smiths Grove, Ky -- 13-04 (5)
26. Derek Yasinski -- Senoia, Ga -- 13-02 (5)
27. Chad Morgenthaler -- Coulterville, Il -- 13-01 (5)
28. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 13-00 (5)
29. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 12-14 (5)
29. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 12-14 (5)
29. Matthew Stefan -- Park Ridge, Il -- 12-14 (5)
32. Robert Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 12-10 (5)
33. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 12-08 (5)
34. Ramie Colson Jr -- Cadiz, Ky -- 12-07 (5)
34. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 12-07 (5)
36. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 12-06 (5)
36. Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Ok -- 12-06 (5)
36. Shane Long -- Willard, Mo -- 12-06 (5)
36. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 12-06 (5)
36. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 12-06 (5)
41. John Voyles -- Petersburg, In -- 12-04 (5)
42. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, In -- 12-03 (5)
43. Charlie Ingram -- Santa Fe, Tn -- 12-02 (5)
43. Stacey King -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 12-02 (5)
45. James Watson -- Waynesville, Mo -- 12-00 (5)
46. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 11-14 (5)
47. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 11-11 (5)
48. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 11-10 (5)
48. Scott Suggs -- Bryant, Ar -- 11-10 (5)
50. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, Va -- 11-09 (5)
51. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, On -- 11-07 (5)
51. Rex Huff -- Corbin, Ky -- 11-07 (5)
53. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 11-05 (5)
54. Travis Fox -- Rogers, Ar -- 11-04 (5)
54. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 11-04 (5)
56. Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Ok -- 11-02 (5)
56. Rich Dalbey -- Greenville, Tx -- 11-02 (5)
56. Kevin Stewart -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 11-02 (5)
59. Randy Haynes -- Counce, Tn -- 11-01 (5)
60. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 11-00 (5)
60. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 11-00 (5)
62. Jason Meninger -- Gainesville, Ga -- 10-15 (5)
63. Chad Grigsby -- Maple Grove, Mn -- 10-13 (5)
63. Randall Tharp -- Gardendale, Al -- 10-13 (5)
65. Fred Roumbanis -- Bixby, Ok -- 10-12 (5)
66. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 10-07 (4)
67. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, Ok -- 10-05 (5)
67. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 10-05 (5)
67. Tommy Robinson -- Westland, Mi -- 10-05 (4)
70. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 10-04 (5)
70. Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Tx -- 10-04 (5)
72. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 10-03 (5)
72. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, Pa -- 10-03 (5)
74. Luke Clausen -- Spokane, Wa -- 10-01 (5)
75. Douglas Jones -- Fort Gibson, Ok -- 9-15 (5)
76. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 9-14 (5)
77. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, Al -- 9-13 (5)
78. Wil Hardy -- Harlem, Ga -- 9-12 (5)
78. Jt Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 9-12 (5)
78. Casey Martin -- New Market, Al -- 9-12 (5)
81. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 9-10 (5)
81. Tim Malone -- Gatlinburg, Tn -- 9-10 (5)
81. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 9-10 (5)
84. Bill Day -- Frankfort, Ky -- 9-09 (4)
85. Rick Cotten -- Guntersville, Al -- 9-08 (5)
85. Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Al -- 9-08 (5)
87. George Kapiton -- Inverness, Fl -- 9-07 (5)
88. Pete Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fl -- 9-06 (5)
89. Philip Jarabeck -- Lynchburg, Va -- 9-05 (5)
89. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 9-05 (5)
91. Brad Knight -- Wartburg, Tn -- 9-03 (3)
91. Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fl -- 9-03 (4)
93. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 9-01 (5)
94. Greg Bohannan -- Rogers, Ar -- 9-00 (5)
94. Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fl -- 9-00 (5)
94. Blake Nick -- Adger, Al -- 9-00 (5)
97. Matt Pennington -- Springdale, Ar -- 8-15 (3)
98. Kenneth (Boo) Woods -- Hazard, Ky -- 8-12 (5)
99. Rodney Thomason -- Maumelle, Ar -- 8-10 (3)
100. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, Al -- 8-09 (5)
101. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 8-07 (5)
101. Todd Schmitz -- Goshen, In -- 8-07 (5)
103. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, Al -- 8-05 (4)
104. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 8-01 (4)
105. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 8-00 (5)
106. James Biggs -- Richland Hills, Tx -- 7-15 (5)
107. Brad Rightnour -- Mingoville, Pa -- 7-14 (5)
108. Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La -- 7-13 (5)
108. Colby Schrumpf -- Highland, Il -- 7-13 (5)
110. Bob Eagleston -- Newberry, Fl -- 7-12 (3)
110. Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fl -- 7-12 (4)
110. Michael Williamson -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 7-12 (4)
113. Dion Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 7-11 (5)
114. Rodney Jones -- Athens, Ga -- 7-07 (4)
115. Zach Caudle -- Shreveport, La -- 7-06 (5)
115. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, Al -- 7-06 (5)
115. Travis Loyd -- Kinmundy, Il -- 7-06 (5)
118. Robert Behrle -- Hoover, Al -- 7-05 (3)
119. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 7-03 (4)
119. Richard Lowitzki -- St Charles, Il -- 7-03 (4)
121. Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Ca -- 7-01 (5)
122. Payden Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 7-00 (4)
123. Kyle White -- Tightwad, Mo -- 6-15 (5)
124. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 6-14 (4)
124. Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga -- 6-14 (4)
126. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, NC -- 6-12 (4)
126. Wade Hendricks -- Thompsons Station, Tn -- 6-12 (5)
128. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 6-09 (5)
129. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 6-08 (5)
130. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 6-05 (3)
131. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 6-03 (3)
132. Gerald Brown -- Chickasha, Ok -- 6-02 (3)
133. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 5-15 (3)
134. Joe Don Setina -- Pittsburg, Tx -- 5-09 (5)
135. Jack Wade -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5-08 (3)
136. Chad Prough -- Chipley, Fl -- 5-06 (4)
137. Tim Gaskill -- Edwardsville, Il -- 5-04 (4)
138. Jerry Gore -- St Cloud, Fl -- 5-02 (3)
139. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 4-09 (4)
139. Jeremy J.P. Prouty -- Vero Beach, Fl -- 4-09 (4)
141. Sammy Burks -- Joplin, Mo -- 4-03 (2)
141. Wade Leblanc -- Gonzales, La -- 4-03 (3)
143. Alton Wilhoit -- Harrah, Ok -- 4-01 (2)
144. Charlie Evans -- Gilbertsville, Ky -- 3-15 (2)
145. Stephen McKinnie -- Umatila, Fl -- 3-11 (2)
146. Dale Hightower -- Mannford, Ok -- 3-10 (2)
146. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 3-10 (3)
148. John Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 3-06 (2)
149. Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 3-05 (2)
150. Frank Clark -- Benton, Il -- 3-00 (1)
150. Russell Parrish -- Riesel, Tx -- 3-00 (2)
152. Robert Collins -- Morrow, Oh -- 2-08 (2)
153. Lamonte Loyd -- Gilmer, Tx -- 1-11 (1)
154. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 1-10 (1)
155. Shirley Crain -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 1-09 (1)
Chad Billiot -- Raceland, La -- 0-00 (0)
Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 0-00 (0)
Tony Dumitras -- Wnston, Ga -- 0-00 (0)
Wayne Hauser -- Mooresville, NC -- 0-00 (0)
Guido Hibdon -- Sunrise Beach, Mo -- 0-00 (0)
