Conditions on New Year's Day so cold they would please a polar bear didn't rattle the teeth of 60 or so anglers who bundled up for the annual Polar Bear Memorial Bass Tournament at Beaver Lake.
The New Year's Day fishing contest is a Beaver Lake tradition. The tournament has been held on New Year's Day since the lake was built in the mid-1960s, said Jeff Cook, tournament director. That's almost 50 years.
Infotext
Tournament Results
All weights are for five bass.
Dale Marsh, Danny Warren, 16.17 pounds.
Collin Cheatum, David Louks, 14.89.
Jerry Bowlin, Daniel Bowlin, 14.12.
Scott Villines, Kaleb Baker, 13.6.
Paul Williams, Ken Odle, 12.57.
— Staff Report
The temperature was 30 degrees New Year's morning at Prairie Creek park, where anglers readied their boats and tackle for the start at 7 a.m. Insulated coveralls, hoods and gloves were the fashion statement of the morning.
Chris Walker of Goshen zipped his insulated suit. He couldn't wait to get on the lake.
"This tournament brings out the toughest of the tough, and guys who really know where the fish are. It doesn't attract too many casual fishermen," he said.
Walker and his cousin, Brandon Walker, fish the event each Jan. 1. Last Thursday was their ninth. The two have seen the wide spectrum of Arkansas winter weather in those events.
"We've had snow and sleet. We've had to use tire chains to get up the ramp in the snow. Then I think it was in 2006 that it was 65 degrees," he said.
How do the cousins keep warm?
"You keep moving," Chris Walker said. He does jumping jacks. He runs in place or trots from one end of the boat to the other, much to the amusement of Brandon Walker.
First-Day Fishing
Thirty-four boats entered in the tournament this year. Most are two-person teams. One or two anglers fish solo. The heaviest catch of five black bass wins, black bass being largemouth, spotted or smallmouth bass.
Entry fee is $65 per boat. First prize is $1,200.
Thirty-four boats is a low turnout, Cook said. The weather was discouraging with a predicted high of 34. Sleet, snow and rain were possible. College football bowl games or a comfy seat at the movies are always warmer New Year's options.
Tyler Greenhaw of Decatur chose fishing. This was his first Polar Bear tournament.
"I had the day off, so I thought I'd try to win some money," he said. "Really, it's all about having fun."
The Walker cousins know how to stay toasty, and they know how to catch fish. Chris Walker lives along the White River arm of the lake's south end. He's been fishing at Beaver since he was a lad.
He likes three lures for wintertime bass fishing -- jerk baits, crank baits and Alabama rigs.
Jerk baits are a Beaver Lake favorite. These long, minnow-shaped lures dive when retrieved, but suspend underwater when stopped. Bass often strike when the jerk bait is still.
Crank baits in crawfish colors are effective, Chris Walker said. So are Alabama rigs. A-rigs use five or six soft-plastic lures on wire arms to imitate a school of baitfish.
South End Best
When the fishing was over at 4 p.m., and all fish weighed, Dale Marsh and Danny Warren emerged as tournament winners. They shared the $1,200 prize and also pocketed the big bass money.
The team motored south to the area around Hickory Creek park and did most of their fishing there. All of their fish were caught with Storm Wiggle Wart crank baits in crawdad colors. Magnum and regular-size Wiggle Warts both worked, Marsh said.
Their winning catch included the tournament's largest bass at 5.15 pounds.
John Griesse and Jason Palik had an impressive three-fish catch that include a bass of nearly 5 pounds. They also fished the Hickory Creek area.
"When we got down there, the water was fairly muddy and the fish were shallow," Griesse said.
Their largest bass hit a Bomber Flat A crank bait in a red crawdad color.
The tournament paid prize money to the top five teams. Most of those teams fished the south end of the lake.
A hefty catch goes a long way in beating the chill when frosty temperatures usher in a new year.
Outdoors on 01/08/2015