With the spawn about finished at Beaver Lake, the FLW bass tournament played a lot differently than many anglers expected last week.
The heavy weights that spawn tournaments usually produce didn't materialize because anglers encountered a lot fewer bass tending nests than they anticipated. They caught most of the bedding bass early, and the leftovers were so edgy that anglers couldn't approach them. That left many frustrated anglers grasping for alternative ways to catch bass at the large White River reservoir.
In other words, Beaver Lake sucker punched many of the pros the way it always does.
Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., summed it up with a shrug.
"That's the Beav we all know and love," Morgan said.
Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C., agreed.
"Every year we come here expecting a lot, but we never get it," he said. "It's the same old Beaver Lake."
Thrift, who has won the Beaver Lake tournament in 2012, said he's fished the lake so many times that he feels like a local. It's consistent and dependable, and anglers who fish it with reasonable expectations usually do well.
That's a small club. Thrift, Morgan and Matt Arey, also of Shelby, N.C., are among a few anglers on the FLW Tour who know how to fish a four-day tournament on Beaver Lake. Arey has won the event two consecutive years. Morgan finished third, but he won the event in 2007 and finished second in 2012.
Morgan, known for his instincts and decision-making, said he fished anything that looked good. He didn't commit to a particular pattern, so daily changes in weather and water conditions didn't sideswipe him.
Arey and Thrift said they adapted to the conditions daily, so they didn't depend on a single pattern, either.
During the first two weigh-ins a number of anglers disparaged Beaver Lake. They complained about how hard it is to fish and about the small size of its fish. They blustered about they couldn't wait to get to the next tour event at Alabama's Lake Eufaula, which has more cover and bigger bass.
Some lakes are harder to fish than others. The object is to figure out how to best play the course to put yourself in position to first make the top-20 cut and then to make the top-10 cut.
It's fun to watch professional golfers make mincemeat of an easy course, but it's more interesting to see how they do on courses that tax their skills and psyches. Some of them whine and denigrate hard courses, too, and it reflects poorly on them.
The same is true for fishing, to a limit. A poor fishery makes for a poor tournament, such as the 2005 Bassmaster Classic on the Three Rivers at Pittsburgh. Kevin VanDam won that event with a total weight of 12.15 pounds. To put that in perspective, several anglers at the 2006 Classic at Lake Tohopekaliga, Fla., caught individual bass that weighed nearly as much as VanDam's three-day total.
However, I don't recall anyone publicly bad-mouthing the Three Rivers. The last time the Bassmaster guys did that publicly was at the 2000 Classic at Lake Michigan in Chicago. BASS's chief of communications, George McNelly, told them in a closed-door meeting that it was unprofessional and to cease and desist.
It was also noteworthy how anglers from North Carolina and Florida dominated the Beaver Lake tournament. Tracy Adams of Wilksboro, N.C., finished second. From Florida, John Cox and Peter Thliveros finished sixth and seventh, respectively, and Mike Surman finished 10th.
Curiously, anglers from Northwest Arkansas and southern Missouri rarely make the top 10 at Beaver Lake.
HIGH SCHOOL HONORS
The BASS High School Nation on Monday named Reese Jones of Rogers and Warren Basinger of Magnolia to its Bassmaster All-State High School Fishing Team.
To be considered for the team, a student must be nominated by a parent, coach, teacher or other school official. Students currently enrolled in grades 10-12 with a current-year grade-point average of 2.5 or higher are eligible.
BASS received more than 200 nominations from across the nation. Judges selected 57 anglers from 33 states to make the team.
From that group, judges will select 12 anglers to form the first Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team. Criteria include success in high school fishing tournaments and involvement in conservation efforts and other community service activities.
These anglers will compete in a one-day Bassmaster All-American High School Bass Tournament held during the 2015 BASSfest, which is one of the Bassmaster Elite Series bass tournaments.
Basinger is a member of the Magnolia Basscats. Two other members of that team, Brett Avery and Drake Vines, won the the Arkansas State High School Bass Fishing Championship on Sunday at DeGray Lake.
Sports on 04/30/2015