Stained Water Has Quality Biting At Beaver

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

If Beaver Lake set up every year for its springtime FLW Tour event the way it is this week, it might not be one of the most dreaded venues in professional fishing.

Four-pound-plus fish, normally scarce at the Arkansas impoundment, showed up more frequently than perhaps ever before during the 3-day practice period that concluded on Tuesday. There's a chance that two 10-pound bags won't put an angler inside the money cut this time – he may need a couple of 12s instead.

There's no mystery as to why the fishery is producing better than usual – it's all about stained water. Roughly two-thirds of the lake has some color to it, and the reduced visibility is prompting the bigger fish to roam freely and eat heartily. They're being caught from places – particularly in the mid-lake section – that have never held them during past Tour derbies.

Also, many of the fish are still in the pre-spawn phase, so they'll weigh a bit more on average than at some previous Beaver derbies.

"We're seeing stained water from the Highway 12 bridge all the way down to the Cliftys (creeks in the mid-lake portion)," said two-time defending Beaver champion Matt Arey. "Normally that section has 4 to 8 feet of visibility, and now it's a foot to a foot and a half. That's making a lot of fish in those areas more susceptible to being caught.

"My confidence isn't very good because it's harder this time to figure out a way to separate yourself from everybody else. With the fish biting in more areas, there are going to be more people catching them. I'll have to have luck on my side to get couple of big bites every day."

Before getting further into the bite, here are some specifics about the fishery.

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake name: Beaver
> Type of water: Highland reservoir on the White River
> Surface acres: 28,000-plus
> Primary structure/cover: River channels, creeks, rocks, points, some standing timber and laydowns
> 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 smaller fish; can be real stingy at its worst.
> Weather: Cool on day 1, then warming through the remainder of the event. Thundershowers are predicted for day 2.
> Water temp: Mid 50s to low 60s
> Water visibility/color: 1 to 3 feet/stained (some clear water near the dam)
> Water level: Full pool
> Fish in: 6 inches to 25 feet
> Fish phase: Pre-spawn/spawn
> Primary patterns: Crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, flipping, Texas-rigged plastics, shaky-heads, wacky rigs, swimbaits
> Winning weight: 71 pounds (4 days)
> Cut weight (Top 20 after 2 days): 26 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 4 for Beaver
> Biggest factor: Sight-fish – some big ones will be caught on day 1 and more could arrive during the event.
> Biggest decision: Whether to specifically target bigger-than-average bites or work through numbers and hope to run into them.

Here's a good look at Beaver (depth contours included), courtesy of the folks at Navionics:

Plenty of Options

The annual foray to Beaver was one of the primary reasons that FLW's top circuit was once known as "the shaky-head tour." That's changed in recent years as more prolific fisheries have been added to the schedule, and even Beaver will offer up a lot of choices this time that don't involve light line attached to spinning gear.

"Anybody can throw a crankbait and catch fish right now if they get in the right spot in the muddy water," said Brad Wiegmann, who's operated a guide service on the lake for almost three decades. "There will be a lot of guys beating the banks and going to the back of pockets and catching good fish that wouldn't stay there if the water was clear.

"They're going to catch them this year – it'll take a couple of healthy limits to get a check. It's going to surprise some people."

Wiegmann expects much of the final Top 10 to be comprised of competitors who flipped and pitched to shallow cover in the muddy water. Finesse-style stuff will work in the clearer water closer to the dam, which is also where the majority of the bedding fish will come from.

"A lot of fish are moving to the secondary points with pea gravel and they're setting up to spawn. A wave came in (to the beds) earlier, but the big one hasn't happened yet. It might happen this weekend."

Field Notes

Here are practice notes from a few of the anglers who'll compete this week.

Glenn Browne
"My first day of practice was good, but then the last 2 days were a little more typical Beaver for me. They were more of a grind. I bounced around on the last day and tried to find some different stuff. About three-quarters of the lake's got some color and I've heard there's some fish pulling up, so I'm sure that'll come into play.

"I think it's possible that the weights will be higher, but the only thing is, it'd be better if we had more wind and (cloudy) weather. Thursday and Friday are supposed to be sunny with no wind, and that's what you don't want here. They definitely bite better with the wind and clouds.

"They're biting okay and there's going to be a bunch of fish caught. I think there's good potential in some areas where I've done well before, and if it plays out right I think I can catch some decent fish."

Ramie Colson Jr.
"The water's off-color for a change and I'm sure there's going to be quite a few more fish caught. There's always a bunch, but there should be more 13-, 14- and 15-pound stringers from what it looks like. The ones I've caught are chunks – when I catch one it's normally 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, and that's a big change from years past.

"The talk from people who've been toward the dam is the water is clean and clear and they're seeing a few on the beds up there. I think, though, because of the (lack of) clarity, guys are going to be able to do anything they like to do and catch them that way.

"If I can get five bites I think I can have a decent weight – 13 to 15 pounds. I caught a 6-pounder (on Tuesday) that was the biggest one I've ever caught here and if you can add something like that to the mix, the weight will be a little bigger."

Mark Daniels Jr.
"For me, fishing was actually tough. Lots of guys have been saying good things about how they're catching really good fish, but it's still the typical Beaver for me – it's been hard to get a limit. I did catch a few quality fish, probably due to the water clarity.

"The middle part of the lake is never stained, but is right now. Because of that, I think you'll see the weights be a little bit better than they traditionally are. Myself, the number of bites I've gotten has been pretty much the same. It hasn't been great.

"I'm torn right now between going to some sight-fish and just going fishing. There's some bed-fish in the stained water – they're much harder to see, but they're there."

Tracy Adams
"I'm not catching them here the way other people are talking about catching them. I hope I do (on day 1). It's a little different this time with the stained water. I thought it'd be easier, but it's harder – for me, at least. I did have several bites (Tuesday) and one good one at the end of the day.

"I'll probably fish both the clear and stained water. There's a few bedding fish down by the dam, but the area that you have to look for them is so small. Some will be caught the first day, but there'll be a bunch of boats in an area that's not very big."

Jimmy Reese
"I kept hearing people popping off about how if you didn't have 15 pounds a day you weren't going to get a check, and I didn't even have a limit on the first (practice) day. I was kind of looking for beds and whatnot, seeing what stage most of them were in, and I maybe caught 10 pounds. The second day was a little bit better.

"If you have 50 on beds, you might catch five of those because there's going to be 50 guys bed-fishing and those fish are going to be eaten up in the first 2 hours. On the last day I picked up a reaction bait and caught four for almost 12 pounds in an hour, so now that I may have something figured out in the muddy water, I'll have to decide which route I want to go.

"The dock talk about the weights has slowed down – everybody stopped popping off by the third day."

Top 10 to Watch

With the above in mind and more, here are BassFan's recommendations for the Top 10 to watch in this event.

1. John Cox – He has a couple of big-time Beaver bombs on his ledger (two finishes in the 140s), but those came long before he caught fire at the start of last year. The winner of last month's event at Lake Hartwell could take over the top spot in the BassFan World Rankings if he can post yet another strong showing.

2. Clark Wendlandt – The veteran from Texas has returned to the form that garnered him three Angler of the Year titles and he has some momentum from his runner-up finish at Hartwell. He's one of the best at this venue, having compiled numerous single-digit showings over the past two decades.

3. Matt Arey – The two-time defending champion of this event comes in with some mojo on his side, having finished 11th at Hartwell and 4th at last week's Southwestern FLW Series derby at Grand Lake. There's no reason to think he won't excel again under these conditions.

4. Andy Morgan – He opened the season with two finishes in the 40s, so he's due for one that' much higher. He has a 2nd and a 3rd in his last two appearances at Beaver, and this week's setup might be even more favorable for him.

5. Bryan Thrift – Beaver has been good to him throughout his 9-plus-year pro career and his confidence has been completely restored after a rough start to the year in Florida. He won this tournament in 2011 and nobody would be surprised to see him do it again.

6. James Watson – The wise-cracking Missourian is always a threat in his home region. His ledger from Beaver is a bit of a mixed bag, but the current scenario at the lake should be to his liking.

7. Todd Auten – The North Carolinian is among the best at catching quality from shallow, off-colored water. He started the season with back-to-back 26th-place.

8. Zack Birge – The second-year Tour standout from Oklahoma is fishing relatively close to home and comes in off a victory at the FLW Series at Grand. He might be able to pick up right where he left off last week.

9. Scott Suggs – His 15th at Hartwell was the former Forrest Wood Cup winner's best placement in the last 15 Tour events. He has a tremendous amount of experience at Beaver and should be right at home in the present conditions.

10. Peter Thliveros – After starting the year with a rough outing in his home state, the Floridian bounced back with a 9th at Hartwell. His repertoire includes everything that'll be needed to fare well this week.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

Anglers will take off from the Prairie Creek Park Marina (9300 N. Park Road in Rogers, Ark.) at 6:30 a.m. each day. Thursday's and Friday’s weigh-ins will be held at Prairie Creek Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at Walmart, (2110 W. Walnut St. in Rogers) beginning at 4 p.m.

Notable

> Jay Yelas had an excellent practice and can't wait to get the tournament under way. After two bombs to begin the year, he feels his due for a high finish. To read his practice wrap-up, click here to visit Pro View Reports.

Weather Forecast

> Thurs., April 14 – Partly Cloudy - 72°/51°
- Wind: From the E at 7 mph

> Fri., April 15 – Partly Cloudy - 72°/51°
- Wind: From the ESE at 12 mph

> Sat., April 16 – Cloudy - 70°/55°
- Wind: From the SE at 14 mph

> Sun., April 17 – Cloudy - 74°/55°
- Wind: From the SE at 14 mph