by Jeff Stegner

March came and went; now April is here. Time for the annual tournament on Beaver Lake. Closest drive of the year, just a couple hours. This year the water is low, low, low. NW Arkansas has experienced the same drought conditions as we have just across the border in Missouri. Levels have come up a foot or so in the last couple weeks not enough to make any real difference. If you fish this lake a little or a lot, you really should take the time right now to run every bit of this lake and make notes on your map, take photos, or even video. Full spawn is still a week away, two at the most. Visibility at the dam is 12-15 ft, Prairie Creek area to the Cliftys is 3-8 ft and from the bridge to Horseshoe is a light green stain 2-3 ft and even more stain up above Hickory Creek. The Corps has done some work at the ramp. More ramp lanes and more parking. Launching and loading should be a breeze. As usual, the co-angler mainstay for this tournament will be a spinning rod and the shakyhead. Practice did show that other things were working well too--wacky style worm or Senko, stickbait, crankbait...It will just depend on your pairing and boat positioning.

Registration Day: Not out on the water today so have some time to kill until registration. Get a call from another co-angler couple, one of the local Wal-Mart’s has the FLW rainsuits marked on clearance, tops-$30 and bibs-$15. Didn’t really need one but at that price it was a deal I couldn’t pass up. Tournament hasn’t even started yet and my nerves are shot. Season is half over and I am fortunate to be inside the top-48 for the Championship. Weights/places at this tournament is always tight, ounces will make a big difference. For the 2nd part of the season the point-spread really closes up and a poor finish can come back to haunt you. I bet I tinkered with my rods and tackle a dozen times. Afternoon is finally here and we (wife and I) head on over. The registration line is short and moving along quickly. Lots of goodies to be had at this one...they should make bigger bags or give you two. The dinner was superb. Good food and plenty of it. Time seems to be dragging at a snail’s pace. My mind is running through scenario after scenario on what Day 1 will bring. Nerves, shut up!! Meeting goes as usual. Finally, the pairings start. Boat #1, boat #2....did I put my chartreuse marker in my tackle bag?...boat #17, boat #18...wind could be 20+ tomorrow did I put 1/4oz heads in my bag?...boat #32, boat #33...nerves, SHUT UP! Boat #98, partner Terry Bolton. Nice young fellow. Make my way outside the main room and find Terry. Music to my ears! We’ll be throwing a shakyhead all day! Run down the usual list, when? Where? He’ll be coming by water so I’ll just meet him at the docks. Back to the motel for last minute adjustments. Two spinning rods (braid w/fluoro leader) one baitcaster for cranks and stickbaits, one baitcaster for small jigs and c-rig if needed. Everything packs down nicely in my bag...plastics, heads, jigs, a few hardbaits, 6 waters, new rainsuit and just enough room to toss in a couple sandwiches in the morning. Finally, lights out.

Day 1: Alarm wakes me up and I quickly look out the window. No rain yet. And the wind hasn’t picked up either. I go ahead and pull my rainsuit out and put on my bibs just to be on the safe side. Lucky I did. Between getting coffee and putting my stuff in the truck, the rain started. Doesn’t last long but it is a hard rain and everything is going to be wet. Driving over to the marina the rain lightens to a sprinkle and stops. Doesn’t take long to find Terry and hop in. He’s already been through boat check so we idle away from the crowd to wait for takeoff. Terry seems a bit nervous. Needless to say I am too. Uh-oh! He’s nervous for a different reason. He ran up onto the bank on his way over this morning in the rain and darkness! Long story short, a bunch of them left their resort and were coming by water, rain into the hard downpour, some stopped to put on rainsuits, Terry swerved over to give them room and just swerved too far. Hello BANK! Fiberglass and rocks....not a good thing. At least we’re not taking on water. He showed me later in the day where it happened. Very lucky, 10 yards further and he would have hit a bluff line, 10 yards sooner and he would have hit a boulder bank. Where he hit was mostly pea gravel with some softball size mixture, but it was a 45-degree bank. Glad he was able to get back off, and even gladder he wasn’t hurt. Just a few minutes left before takeoff. Prayer. National Anthem. Takeoff begins.

They call our number we idle up and head out. First stop is a point with a good mixture of rock. A couple of casts later he sets the hook, I grab the net and he has fish #1...a good football Kentucky that will easily top the 2 pound mark. Boats are still going by from takeoff. Several more casts but no more bites. We’ve worked up to the point and see there is another boat working up from the other side. Time to make a move. Second stop is a more rounded secondary, mostly pea gravel. I feel my line get heavy and starts moving sideways. Hookset! Feels weird but it is coming to the boat. Terry grabs the net and prepares to net....a nice long stick! Great. OK, retie and get back to fishing. It is light enough to see there are several dark spots in the water, boulders scattered at various depths. I pick up a wacky Senko and target them. Tick! Presssure! Hookset! I’m on the board with fish #1, a small Kentucky that just crosses the line. We work the area over pretty well but only get a few shorts. Time to move. Short run and we pull up on some small rounded knobs out on main lake. Terry nabs a real nice meanmouth and a keeper Kentucky. Mid morning. My nerves are singing LOUDLY. Shut up and fish! The fish aren’t spread out, just little specific parts of each bank. We each get a few more shorts and it is time to make another move. Run back to the first point he started on, but there is 2 or 3 boats sitting on each side.

So we find another good looking bank (there is no shortage of shortage on Beaver). Seems like the fish don’t want the skakyhead being shaken. Just drag it back real slow with an occasional pause. And they aren’t aggressive, very subtle bite and a lot of times they are just there. Glad I have the braided line and the wind is not wreaking havoc. Terry fills his limit and is occasionally culling. I’m sitting with 4 and telling my nerves to be quiet so I can pay attention to fishing. Mid-afternoon. We’ve run back to the little rounded knobs on main lake. Other boats are around but everyone gives ample space to fish. Terry sets the hook on a fish that is putting up a good fight. I’m standing ready with the net and finally get a glimpse of a decent smallie. Couple minutes later it is in the boat and he is culling. Come on! I have to get that 5th keeper! I make a cast and a few seconds later realize it never hit bottom. Check the line and sure enough there is slight pressure coming slowly straight back to the boat. Hookset! Good fighter! Terry nets a fat smallie that looks like it will keep....just touches the line....no it doesn’t.....yes it does....I hate liners and don’t want to take a chance of penalty so I toss it back. A few casts later tug tug! Set the hook! Hey! A largemouth! Drat! It also just touches the line. But we are out of time. I’ll check it at the courtesy board.

Run back to check-in. Idle through. Bags #4. Hmmm. We are 3rd flight. Were there not many fish brought in or have they already rolled over. Duh! This is Beaver Lake, they already rolled over. Not any room at the temporary docks to tie up so we just wait. And wait. And wait. Finally someone leaves and we quickly slide in. and wait. And wait. And wait some more. My wife comes down and brings us a soda and candy bars. I haven’t even noticed, but I still have my rain bibs on and a fleece pullover. And it is warm. I was just focusing on fishing and getting a limit to even notice. Calling bags #4. Stage time! I tell my wife I have a limit...maybe. Up the hill and over to the courtesy board. Good! That largemouth is still touching the line. Glad we didn’t have a long hard ride to get back!

Stage time. Terry has a nice back that weighs out just over 10 lbs. Charlie still can’t pronounce my name. I’ll have to talk to him about that!!! I weigh out at 5-11. Not on the leader board by any means but it is decent. Terry Seagraves is my Day 2 partner and I start looking for him. Weigh-in is moving slowly so I nab another soda and some more candy bars. Nothing like a sugar rush to get you going! Still haven’t found my Day 2 partner and Terry is anxious to leave to he can go pull his boat out and check the damage from the morning encounter with the bank. I get my stuff out of his boat, wish him well (boat and tournament) and push him out.

Still haven’t found my Day 2 partner. Weigh-in is over, grab a standings sheet. My little limit is good enough for 39th. I’m happy. The 6 or 8 ounces difference between that squeaker smallmouth and one 12" Kentucky would have landed me in the mid-20’s. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Nerves, take what you got and be happy with it! Where is Terry Seagraves? I call his cell number. Uh-oh. He’s already pulled out and gone to the service trucks. Not what I wanted to hear. He assures me it is nothing big. Quick run down for tomorrow. Meet where? When? Doing what? He had a good day and is inside the top-10. C-rig and a shakyhead.

Oh yeah, things are looking good! Shower. Some dinner. And bedtime. Tomorrow (Day 2) will be here soon enough!

Day 2

Day 1 weigh-in is over. There’s the usual standing around with friends, chit-chat, recounting the day’s events and dock talk of the next day. Before you know it, it is pushing 6pm. Time to head back to the room, get cleaned up, get some dinner and get to bed. Local weather channel is calling for EXTREMELY high winds tomorrow with a likely chance of thunderstorms. Not good news when throwing the light little shaky head. You almost have to throw straight into the wind or straight downwind to keep from getting a big bow or slack in your line. The only comforting thought is that everyone else will have the same problems as well. We meet with another couple and go out for dinner. At Rogers/Bentonville, there are lots of places to choose from. Dinner goes quickly and soon it is time to get back to the motel and get everything prepared to Day 2.

Tomorrow’s windy forecast has me second-guessing what and how to fish. Terry mentioned c-rig. I’ve fished with him before over at Kentucky Lake and he does like to throw it. I’ll have one rigged up for sure. Decide to swap my spinning rod spools from braid to mono. Braid seems to catch the wind so much more. Today the fish were biting pretty light and I certainly don’t need excessive slack in my line. Two spinning rods and a baitcaster for c-rig. Spare spools and an extra reel. Re-supply a day’s worth of trickworms and finesse worms. Handfull of small (Eakins) jigs. Some small tubes, craws and frenchfries for c-rig. A few hardbaits. Again everything packs down nicely with plenty of room for water and sandwiches. Time for bed.

Day 2 : I’m up before the alarm and head down for coffee. The wind is already huffing and puffing. Toss everything in the truck and head over to meet up with Terry. He was having some motor problems on Day 1 but says the motor gurus have it solved. Good. There is already a long line backed up the road leading to the ramps but at boat #104 we will have plenty of time. We get launched and idle out. There is plenty of talk as the boats drift by waiting for takeoff. My nerves are shouting but there is nothing left to do. Rods are rigged and I already have a couple bags of baits and shakyheads stuffed in my bib pockets. Maximize fishing time, don’t waste time getting up and down digging around in my tackle bag. Time for blastoff. Hats off. Morning prayer. Star Spangled Banner. Start your engines!

Boat #104! Idle out and get on plane. Terry turns left and heads towards the dam. Short boat ride and it becomes obvious he is headed towards the main point of a creek arm. Dang! There is already a boat sitting one each side, so we pull over to a main lake pocket close by. Good looking spot. Mixture of gravel, chunk rock and hood-sized boulders. Terry grabs his c-rig. I pick up the trusty shakyhead. I notice we’re fishing shallower than yesterday. The wind is not howling, but it is certainly blowing and pushing us down the bank. Glad I switched to mono. But with the boat scooting along, I’m having to fish faster than I want. Several dark spots where boulders are hiding under the surface. I try a wacky Senko. Yeah right! Not in this wind. Back to the shakyhead. We work the pocket back and forth several times, with the wind and against the wind. Nothing. Neither of us gets bit. Terry keeps anxiously watching the boat on one of the points he wanted to start on. Finally that boat hoists the trolling motor and leaves. Lifejackets on and a quick run over to the point. Another good looking spot. Good mixture of rock. Terry c-rigs, I’m tossing the shakyhead. Nada. I ask him if he had an early bite, all day bite or late bite yesterday. He caught all his fish real early right here, and then struggled for bites the rest of the day. Not real good news, but time spent worrying about it is time taken away from fishing. Nerves, shut up! We’re still shallower than what I fished yesterday so I begin tossing out on the other side of the boat. Still nothing. Wind is picking up and blowing right on the point. I cut off my c-rig and toss a crankbait for awhile. Nada. It is already mid-morning and Terry gives up on the point. Time to move.

It is noon-ish. We run further down lake and about halfway back into one of the Cliftys. Lots of boats. Pick a bank and take a number. C-rig and shakyhead. Still nothing. Not even a peck. OK, time for another move. Run further down the lake and pull onto a point of a small creek arm. There are scattered hardwood pole timbers near the point that give way to almost all cedars further on in. This could work! Good place for fish to stage and spawn at the bases. I had caught some fish in trees during practice. Not many, but some. The hardwoods were easy to fish but didn’t produce even a single bite. The cedars weren’t so nice. With the wind blowing, it was extremely difficult to make a cast without having your line blown over several branches. Overhand or underhand. Terry is tossing a small jig and gets a few bites but doesn’t connect. I’m patiently (yeah right!) working the shakyhead down through the cedars to the bases. Nothing. My nerves are switching tunes from ’Hear comes the Chief’ to ’Taps’. Shut up and fish! There are some dark clouds moving in and the sound of thunder not far off. Terry wants to run back towards Prairie Creek. We make it close to Rocky Branch and can see dark heavy clouds with lots of lighting. Pull over and fish, keeping a close eye on the impending storm. Another boat pulls up behind us and fishes the point. Thunder, lightning, wind increases. The boat behind us catches a fish. And is culling! Ugh! I haven’t even had a bite! Terry catches a short. Thunder, lightning. Real close! Here comes the rain. Lifejackets on, run into the marina and find an open stall. Several other boats come in to take shelter as well. The thunder and lightning is booming all around. Hopefully it will pass. I toss the shakyhead around the boat stalls and even try a hairjig. Nothing. My nerves are shot. I sulk down into my seat and fall ASLEEP. Oh yeah, that is going to put fish in the boat! Terry wakes me up and says it is time to head back out. Every other boat is already gone. I must have been dead! Well, at least I’m somewhat refreshed and ready for round two.

Terry runs back to his points where he started. I toss out and never hit bottom. Line is just slowly coming back to the boat. Set the hook! It is a smallmouth, just short of being a keeper. But it is a bite! OK I’m starting to feel better. We work the point over several times and I catch another short fish. Move across to the other point. Terry catches a short on his c-rig. I’m still tossing the old dependable shakyhead. BAM! Aggressive bite! Into the boat. Yea! it is over 14", boooo its a largemouth (12" vs 15"). Toss back out. Line starts swimming parallel to the bank. Hookset! Nothing. Broke my line. With bites so few, this is NOT what I needed. Nerves shut up! Retie and toss back in. Line starts swimming. Hookset! I get this one to the boat. Another short largemouth. Less than half an hour left.

Terry runs closer to Prairie Creek into the river, just past the bridge. Good looking bank line with a few boat docks. He is tossing his c-rig between the docks, I’m working the stalls and front with the shakyhead. OOOOhhhh, some brush. shake shake shake. Rod loads up. BAM! Broke my line AGAIN!!! I start retying, mumbling some not so nice phrases. Terry digs out a rod with a shakyhead and finds the brush. Zing! That sounds like drag! I net up a nice largemouth pushing 3 pounds. Stop fiddling and get retied! Finally, I’m tossing back in. There’s the brush. There’s a BITE! Into the net and into the boat. Another short largemouth. AARRGGHH! Time is ticking away. Some visible brush on the other end of the dock, maybe there is some brush out further. Sure enough! shake shake shake. BAM! This fish is wanting to stay down. Please be a keeper. Terry gets it netted. Is it a meanmouth or a smallie? Not as clear as I’d like. If it is a smallie, it won’t measure. If it counts as a meanmouth, not a problem. Oh well, toss it in the livewell and let the Tournament Director decide. Couple more casts. Nothing. Move back around the other side. Shake shake shake. BAM! Set the hook! Another short largemouth. Time to go. Rods down, lifejackets on. Zip over to Prairie Creek. Idle by the check-in boat. Bags #4. Uh-oh, looks like the guys caught them again. Terry beaches his boat and we wait for our bag number. I keep looking at my one fish. It does look like a meanmouth, but dang there sure isn’t much of a tooth patch on the tongue. Here comes my wife with a few friends. Sorry honey, it just didn’t happen today. But they offer me a soda and some candy bars anyway.

Calling bags #4. Time to meet the piper! Terry and I bag up our one fish each and climb the hill. I seek out Bill Taylor to get a ruling on my fish. Several others beat me to him! take a number. I pull out the fish and he says.......meanmouth! It’s not much, but I’ll darn sure weigh it in! Stage time. 1 fish, 1 pound even. Two day total of 6-11. As the cards all fall, I end up in 80th place, dropping to 44th for the year. Still in the running for the Championship, just barely. No room for faltering in the upcoming last two tournaments.

Looking back, that nap may have felt good, but it sure didn’t catch fish! If your bait is not in the water.... The wind blew harder than Day 1, but probably could have gotten by with the braided line. My usual setup is 20lb braid with 10 or 12lb leader of fluoro. Might have had a better chance of NOT breaking off those two fish on 8lb mono. And (I believe) you definitely feel the more subtle bites with braid.

I had good partners both days. Both nice gentlemen. Hope Terry B. gets his boat fixed with no problems, and sure glad he didn’t get hurt. The fish seemed to come ’alive’ after the rain on that second day. Sure wish the storm had moved through earlier in the day. Oh well, tournament #4 is in the books and have to start looking forward to the next one on Kentucky/Barkley in May.