As many as 400 pros and co-anglers will compete in the first Costa FLW Series Central Division bass tournament of the year Thursday through Saturday on Lake Dardanelle.
The tournament is the first of three regular-season events scheduled in the Central Division. Pro division anglers will compete for a top prize of up to $46,000 in cash and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor.
The co-angler champion will win a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard, and an additional $5,000 if he is Ranger Cup qualified.
Greg Bohannan of Bentonville is one of 36 Arkansans that will fish in the pro division. He has appeared in the Forrest Wood Cup four times and said the tournament could be one of the best in the series as far as the quality of bass that anglers can expect to catch.
"Lake Dardanelle is a great fishery, and we are going to be hitting it at the absolute perfect time," Bohannan said. "The water is on a strong warming trend, and the lake has been fishing really, really well. There are going to be a lot of ways to catch them, and this event is going to be a power-fisherman's dream."
Bohannan said bass are spawning on Lake Dardanelle right now, but there also are a lot of bass in the pre- and post-spawn patterns, so anglers will able to employ a variety of styles and techniques to catch them.
"I think we're going to be hitting the spawn right on top of the head," Bohannan said. "I really look for a lot of fish to be shallow, caught off of visible targets. Moving baits are going to play big, but I think guys who are flipping to targets will also be very strong as well."
Bohannan said he expects the winner will need a three-day total of 52 pounds to 54 pounds to have a shot at winning.
"To even make the top-10 cut to fish the final day you're going to need to average 15 or 16 pounds a day," Bohannan said. "I think the winner will likely catch 20 or 21 pounds one day, and then back it up with a couple of solid limits."
Anglers will take off daily at 7 a.m. from Lake Dardanelle State Park, at 2428 Marina Road in Russellville. Weigh-ins will be held at the park each day at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five divisions -- Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division has three tournaments. Competitors vie for a chance to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship on Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tenn.
At a glance
COSTA FLW SERIES CENTRAL DIVISION OPEN
• The following is a list of fishermen with Arkansas ties who will compete in the Costa FLW Series Central Division Open, which will be held Thursday-Saturday on Lake Dardanelle:
Pro Division
Name Hometown
Tedd Bogard Rison
Greg Bohannan Bentonville
Dustin Bond Barton
Brady Bradford Benton
Joey Cifuentes Clinton
Jeff Creecy Osceola
Rick Ellis Cabot
Travis Fox Rogers
Troy Gibson Mountain Home
John Goss Alma
Chip Hawkins Little Rock
Quincy Houchin Mabelvale
Von Kinsey Clarksville
Daniel Kweekul Bryant
Lee Brandon Ratcliff
Jason Lieblong Conway
Fred Martin North Little Rock
Mark McDonnel Austin
Chris Miranda Russellville
Jayce Mitchusson Wynne
Aaron Mize Clarksville
Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond
Keith Pace Monticello
Shannon Pierce Pine Bluff
Randy Plyler Arkadelphia
Josh Ray Alexander
Mark Rose West Memphis
Fred Roumbanis London
Derek Sandlin Mount Ida
Gregg Sapp Rogers
Dewayne Scarbrough Horseshoe Lake
Kevin Short Mayflower
Dayton Taylor Beebe
Jared Thompson Marvell
Daniel Ward Sage
Charles Williams Shepherdsville
Co-Angler Division
Branton Baltz Walnut Ridge
Steve Belew Beebe
Todd Brown Little Rock
Jeff Campbell Fayetteville
James Chandler DeValls Bluff
Kevin Clark Malvern
Elton Cleveland Little Rock
Donnie Cobb Russellville
Dennis Crawford Rogers
Kevin Crow Mabelvale
Frank Divis Sr. Farmington
Scout Echols Monticello
Jim Enneking Bentonville
Mitchell Garrett Mabelvale
Allen Greenwood Little Rock
Stan Harris Searcy
Melinda Hays Sheridan
Calvin Hemphill Rison
Heath Holman Ozark
Ricco Johnson Conway
Grant Jordan Benton
Tommie Keener North Little Rock
Billy Kendrick Dover
Tabitha Lancaster Arkadelphia
Johnny Manning Arkadelphia
Bubba McVay Springdale
Gary Milam Little Rock
Eugene Moore Little Rock
John Nunting Blytheville
Scott Parsons Rogers
Johnny Payne Leslie
Tyrone Phillips Little Rock
Steve Pohl Dover
Michael Richmond West Helena
Mike Robinson Vilonia
Cory Scarbrough Hughes
Mark Shelton Fayetteville
Josh Shirley Cabot
Steve Standridge Conway
Brock Stockland Fayetteville
Kelly Taylor Beebe
Clay Thomas Rogers
Bruce Thompson Little Rock
Matt Tucker Pottsville
J.C. Tune Fayetteville
Sports on 03/29/2017