THE FLIP SIDE

Beaver Lake in fishing spotlight during FLW tournament

Anglers don't have to be pros to be part of the big Walmart FLW Tour bass tournament next week at Beaver Lake. There's a free concert to enjoy, weigh-ins to watch, fishing games and clinics, even trout fishing for the kids.

It's all part of the tournament that takes place April 23-26 at Beaver Lake, with 154 pro anglers hoping for a heavy catch and a hefty paycheck. There's an equal number of co-anglers who fish from the back of the pro's boat for a share of the co-angler purse.

Entry fee for the pro division is $4,300. Co-angler entry fee is $800. This is the third tournament of the 2015 Walmart FLW Tour season. FLW stands for Fishing League Worldwide.

Anglers can only gaze at Beaver Lake right now. The lake is off limits to FLW contestants until practice fishing starts on Sunday, when anglers can finally get on the water and form a game plan. Beaver Lake will be a busy place on Sunday. FLW anglers will be on the water. Local fishermen will be out in droves. Word is the crappie are really biting.

FLW practice days are Sunday through Tuesday. The lake is off limits to them again on Wednesday. Tournament days are Thursday through Sunday. All 154 pro anglers and all co-anglers fish on Thursday and Friday. Co-angler competition ends on Friday. The top 20 pros compete Saturday. The field is cut to the top 10 for Sunday's fishing.

Weigh-ins are at 3 p.m., April 23-24 at Prairie Creek park. Action shifts to the John Q. Hammons Center with weigh-ins at 4 p.m., April 25-26. All weigh-ins and FLW activities are free

Rather tap a toe than wet a line? The free concert by Backroad Anthem will be at 3 p.m., April 26 inside the Hammons center, before the 4 p.m. weigh-in. FLW tapes the Hammons center weigh-ins for later TV broadcast and really make a show out of the festivities. At the end of the day, the top pro goes home with the $125,000 first prize.

A food drive for the Northwest Arkansas Food Banks is part of the festivities at the Hammons center. People donating five or more cans of food will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Walmart gift card.

The weigh-ins April 23-24 at Prairie Creek can be like a comedy show. Jimmy Houston always has a joke and a story to tell when he brings his bass to the scales. Local favorites Greg Bohannan of Bentonville and Travis Fox of Rogers are crowd favorites. Fox finished fourth at Beaver last year.

For the weekend fisherman, the FLW expo at the Hammons center is a big draw. There's the trout fishing tank, where kids can catch and release rainbow trout. Tackle companies give away all kinds of free samples at their booths.

Matt Arey of North Carolina won the tournament last year with a four-day total of 59 pounds, 3 ounces. That's the second heaviest weight at Beaver Lake in 20 years of tournaments.

Who will have the hot hand this year? See you at the weigh-in.

Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip

Sports on 04/16/2015

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