ROGERS -- Anglers competing in the FLW Tour event in Rogers should find Beaver Lake in prime fishing condition this weekend.
The tournament, which begins today and runs through Sunday, will feature 154 of the world's best bass fishing professionals and co-anglers competing for awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and $25,000 cash in the non-boater, or co-angler, division.
FLW Tournament
WHAT FLW Tour pro bass fishing stop
WHERE Beaver Lake.
WHEN Today through Sunday.
WHO The field will consist of 154 pro anglers and 154 non-boater co-anglers. The entire field will fish today and Friday. The field will cut to the top 20 pros and co-anglers for Saturday’s third round, which will also be the championship round for the co-anglers. The top 10 pros will fish Sunday in their championship round.
PURSES The pro champion will win $125,000. The co-angler champion will win $25,000.
TAKE-OFF 6:30 a.m. each day at Prairie Creek Marina.
WEIGH-INS Today and Friday: 3 p.m. at Prairie Creek Marina. Saturday and Sunday: 4 p.m. at John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers.
Travis Fox of Rogers finished fourth in the 2014 Beaver Lake event and said conditions are right for almost anybody to win.
"Beaver Lake is fishing really good right now," Fox said. "Competitors in this tournament are going to be able to catch them from one end of the lake to the other. I think that we're going to hit it right smack dab in the middle of the spawn. It's going to be a lot of fun."
Beaver Lake's bass are in all stages of the spawn in April, so anglers can catch them almost anywhere with almost any tactic.
The upper part of the lake warms quickest, so bass are more likely to be spawning in the White, War Eagle and Hickory Creek arms. Bass will be in various stages of spawn and pre-spawn in the middle section from Prairie Creek to around Lost Bridge. Near the dam, largemouth bass are in pre-spawn, but spawning smallmouth bass will add another dimension to the competition.
"I believe that there will not be a bait that won't catch fish in this tournament," Fox said. "If you like fishing a jig, you can catch them on a jig. If you prefer a swimbait, you'll catch them."
Fox predicted that weights will be well above average for Beaver Lake, but they may not be as high as last year.
"The weights have been going up every year, and the lake is fishing so much better than it has in past visits," Fox said. "Last year we hit it just right, and there had been a week-long warming trend just prior to the tournament and the big suspended fish moved up. This year, those fish are already up.
"Anglers are going to have to figure out how to trigger big bites."
Fox said it will probably take about 56 pounds to win the tournament, but he believes anglers can stay in contention with a conservative strategy.
"I think it will take 12 to 12 1/2 pounds to make the top-20 cut and fish the weekend," Fox said. "The winner will have a four-day total of 56 pounds."
The entire field will fish today and Friday. The 20 anglers with the heaviest combined two-day weights will fish Saturday. The 10 anglers with the heaviest combined three-day weights will fish Sunday in the championship round.
The championship round for the top 20 co-anglers will be Saturday.
Takeoffs will be at 6:30 a.m. at Prairie Creek Marina. Weigh-ins will be at 3 p.m. today and Friday at Prairie Creek Marina. Weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday will be at 4 p.m. at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers.
Sports on 04/23/2015