Arey gets the ‘Goat’, $125,000

ROGERS - Matt Arey of Shelby, N.C., earned his first FLW Tour victory Sunday by outdueling Andy Morgan at the FLW Tour bass tournament on Beaver Lake.

Arey, who entered the final day with a 2-pound, 8-ounce lead over Morgan, caught five bass weighing 15-9 for a four-day combined weight of 59-3. It was enough to fend off a fierce charge by Morgan, who caught five bass weighing 16-8 to post a final weight of 57-10. Arey won $125,000. With two young daughters, he said he’ll use the money to stock up on guns and ammunition for when they start dating.

“This is what I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid,” Arey said. “Andy threw down the gauntlet today, and I didn’t think I had anywhere close to what I had. My camera boat driver thought so, too. I thought if I had 14 [pounds] it would be a miracle. This field is flat loaded with great fishermen, but when it’s your time, it’s your time.”

Morgan’s nickname among the other FLW anglers is “Goat,” for “Greatest of All Time.” He has 57 top-10 finishes. He won the Beaver Lake tournament in 2007 and finished second in 2012. Three of his fish were above-average keepers, but two topped 5 pounds. He said he caught them in the last 20 minutes, and they earned him $30,000.

Finishing third was David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va. (54-14; $25,000),Travis Fox of Rogers (54-8; $20,000), Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C. (53-2; $19,000), Micah Frazier of Newnan, Ga. (52-7; $18,000), Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Ga. (50-0; $17,000), Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla. (48-14; $16,000), Cody Meyer of Auburn, Calif. (48-13; $15,000) and Mark Rose of West Memphis (46-11; $14,000).

Unlike the other anglers, who scrambled to adjust to constantly changing weather, Arey fished the same pattern all four days with exceptional consistency. He said he caught almost all of his fish in the White River about 5 miles above the Arkansas 12 bridge. He fished deep structures, mostly under bluffs, that are generally not affected by fluctuating water levels.

“I was afraid the water would peak and start falling,” Arey said. “Those fish can move up and down on the deeper transition areas easier. Those little bluff walls create little underwater caves. The fish can get in those and eat crawfish, and they also spawn on those places.”

The key was probably crawfish. Beaver Lake experienced a major shad kill during the bitter cold winter, so shad are not as plentiful as usual.

During practice, Arey said he noticed that bass regurgitated a lot of crawfish parts in his livewell. That told him that he needed to use baits that imitated crawfish. He said he used a green pumpkin ballhead jig in three weights, 7/16-, 3/8- and ½-ounce.

“I went heavier until I could feel it,” Arey said.

He also used a Wackem twin tail trailer in green pumpkin.

“I experimented with different cadences in practice,” Arey said. “They were pretty aggressive with crawfish. I dragged it, hopped it and let it fall.”

All of Arey’s top-10 finishes were on Beaver Lake. He said this tournament taught him how to finally win.

“I’ve been close a couple of times,” Arey said. “You really question yourself. You’ve got the Dudleys and the Morgans and the Thrifts and the Roses, guys that know how to close the deal consistently. Once you’ve done it, it gives you the confidence you need to finally push it over to the other side of the hill.”

FLW results at Beaver Lake, Rogers

PL. FISHERMAN TOT. MONEY

  1. Matt Arey 59-3 $125,000

  2. Andy Morgan 57-10 $30,000

  3. David Dudley 54-14 $25,000

  4. Travis Fox 54-8 $20,000

  5. Casey Ashley 53-2 $19,000

  6. Micah Frazier 52-7 $18,000

  7. Troy Morrow 50-0 $17,000

  8. Scott Martin 48-14 $16,000

  9. Cody Meyer 48-13 $15,000

  10. Mark Rose 46-11 $14,000

Sports, Pages 13 on 04/14/2014

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