After a long offseason, the Wal-Mart FLW Tour is back in 2005 with several fresh venues and challenges. There are a few returning favorites, as well as some sites from days gone by that haven’t been visited in a while. And then there are the newbies, like the Ouachita River and the Potomac River – venues never before scheduled for an FLW Tour event.
Although the season kicks off as usual from Lake Okeechobee, don’t be fooled – the “Big O” is fishing a lot differently these days. After Okeechobee, the tour returns to Florida to tackle Lake Toho, site of Dean Rojas’ record catch of 45 pounds, 2 ounces. Then it’s on to Cajun Country for the Ouachita River event. The FLW Tour will make its annual run to Beaver Lake in April before heading back to Wheeler Lake after a one-season absence. The regular season will wrap up in uncharted territory, visiting Maryland’s Potomac River before ending the season with the sport’s biggest event, the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship. The pro champion will again earn half a million dollars for four days of fishing, this time on Arkansas’ bustling Lake Hamilton.
Overall, the 2005 season should provide fans with plenty of action. With a payout of $7.6 million – an all-time high – and $10,000 guaranteed prize money through 50th place at each and every event on the pro side, this 10th-anniversary season stands to be the best year yet.
Lake Okeechobee
Clewiston, Fla.
Jan. 19-22
The FLW Tour may have visited the Big O nine times in its 10-year history, but anglers shouldn’t expect to find the same lake they have fished in the past when they visit the legendary Florida fishery in late January.
Florida’s nasty hurricane season of 2004, in which no fewer than four hurricanes ripped across the state, turned the nation’s second-largest freshwater lake into a rather small fishing hole, causing water levels to rise and vegetation to all but disappear.
“When we got multiple hurricanes – two of them came right over Okeechobee – the water level went up 4 to 5 feet,” said Castrol pro Mike Surman, a Boca Raton, Fla., resident who boasts an impressive record on Okeechobee. “When we got the 100-mph winds, it ripped up lots of grass, and that vegetation is what clears the water. Since that vegetation was ripped up, the water is very stained except in small areas.”
Surman believes there are going to be plenty of difficult decisions to be made come tournament time.
“It’s definitely going to be a tournament where you’ll have to make a decision: Do you want to fish in a crowd, or do you want to find something in stained water that you can have for yourself?”
Nevertheless, Surman believes that if mild weather conditions prevail, the fishing could turn out to be fairly decent, although he doesn’t expect to see the kinds of limits that EverStart Series anglers brought in just a couple of weeks before.
“If we get mild weather, I still think fishing can be OK, but I don’t think you’re looking at seeing a lot of really big bags,” he said. “If we get a cold-front situation, it is going to be really tough – tougher than normal. If a guy catches 10 pounds a day in a cold-front situation, I think he’ll be doing really well.”
As is typical on Okeechobee, the fish will be in a variety of spawning modes, leaving anglers plenty of choices for patterns and techniques based on their stage of spawn. Surman expects the primary patterns to be weather-based as well, with Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits playing a large role. He likes chartreuse spinnerbaits and chrome and blue Rat-L-Traps.
In mild conditions, Surman believes anglers will need 27 to 28 pounds to make the top-10 cut and says 21 to 22 pounds will likely be enough in cold-front conditions. On the final day, he says 12 pounds will be sufficient in cooler weather, with 17 to 20 pounds likely needed if the weather is nice.
Lake Toho
Kissimmee, Fla.
Feb. 9-12
Florida’s shallow bass factory returns to the FLW Tour schedule this year for the first time since 1998. Like Okeechobee, Toho too got caught in the crossfire of multiple hurricanes in 2004 while in the midst of a controversial drawdown. As such, the shoreline and structure on Lake Toho is completely different than what anglers may have seen in the past.
The drawdown was originally intended to increase and enhance Toho’s sound bass population, but the hurricanes threw a wrench in the plans. Whereas Toho should have been at one of its lowest points of the drawdown during the February tournament, water levels rose due to the three hurricanes that came through the area.
While some anglers may expect to haul in some of the lake’s legendary fat bass, Kissimmee, Fla., pro Terry Segraves cautions that conditions may not be as favorable as one might expect.
“(Competitors) will have to get acclimated to a new lake situation, and there will be a learning curve for everybody,” Segraves said. “The major part is that we’ve got so much new water and new territory.”
Accordingly, the influx of new water makes the fishing that much more difficult.
Said Segraves, “If you took a 55-gallon drum with a fish in it and then poured that 55-gallon drum into a swimming pool, that fish is going to be that much harder to catch.”
Nevertheless, Segraves says the fish are there – big ones, too. But as usual, the bite will largely depend on weather conditions at the time of the tournament.
“Usually in February it’s the beginning of the spawn,” Segraves said. “When it gets below 50 degrees in Florida, the fish just quit because the lakes are so shallow. Probably most of the fish will be in 5 feet of water or less.”
Segraves expects a lot of sight-fishing to be going on and named Texas-rigged worms, Rat-L-Traps and jerkbaits as baits likely to be found at the end of competitors’ lines.
Weather temperatures should be in the 70s, allowing for an easier bite.
“Mid-January to April is the best time of year to fish Toho,” he said. “(The FLW Tour) is hitting it in peak season. Bass don’t usually go onto the beds until February, and all that prespawn activity (results in) the best fishing. It’s all related to the weather.”
Provided conditions are ideal, Segraves predicts that it will take an average of 17 to 18 pounds per day to claim victory.
Ouachita River
West Monroe, La.
March 9-12
The Ouachita River is a 600-mile stretch of scenery that begins in Arkansas, winds through the Ouachita Mountains and comes to an end in Louisiana, where it merges with the Red River. Monroe, La., is one of two major cities on the river – the other being Hot Springs, Ark. – and its twin city of West Monroe will provide the starting point for the FLW Tour event.
The Ouachita River is new territory for the FLW Tour, and Yamaha pro Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., expects the water levels to be high, which can be either good or bad for competitors, depending on their point of view.
“The fishing is better when the water is low,” Hackney said, “but when it’s high, there’s more room for everybody. When it’s low, it wads everybody up. I would probably prefer it to be high because you stand a better chance of fishing by yourself.”
Indeed, Ouachita’s largemouth may or may not be difficult to find come tournament time if the river continues its high-water trend.
“That could be a good time to fish there,” Hackney said. “March is the spawning month, but a lot of it will depend on the water level. It could fall 6 feet or rise 15 feet. It’s just that type of area.”
Hackney does not look for heavy weights to cross the scales and predicts that weights will be inconsistent throughout the field.
“It’s not going to be a slugfest-type tournament,” he said. “There’s just going to be a handful of guys that catch them. The tournament’s going to be dominated by largemouths. I do expect spotted bass to be caught, but they won’t be a factor in winning the tournament.”
Hackney said fishing the river is a lot like fishing the Atchafalaya Basin, a recent FLW Tour destination. Standard shallow-water fishing techniques – flipping a tube, etc. – will likely be effective, as should spinnerbaits. He likes dark-colored tubes and jigs and white-chartreuse spinnerbaits.
“It’s a simple place to fish,” he said. “There won’t be any new techniques invented here.”
In March, the Ouachita River grass is typically down, and weather patterns can be extreme, as it can seemingly go from winter to spring overnight. Typically, the region experiences warm weather that time of year, but cool weather is always possible.
“I don’t think it’ll be freezing cold,” Hackney said. “Normally by the 20th of March in that area, the cold weather is gone. If we do have a cold front, it should be short-lived.”
Hackney said local tournaments are typically won with 11 to 14 pounds, but the Ouachita River in March holds the potential for heavy prespawn bass. Hackney believes a 15- to 16-pound stringer would qualify as a hefty catch. And if a competitor can catch 12 pounds per day he should be in a solid position to make the top-10 cut.
Wal-Mart Open: Beaver Lake
Rogers, Ark.
April 13-16
FLW Tour anglers are certainly familiar with Beaver Lake, site of the annual big-money Wal-Mart Open near the company’s headquarters in Arkansas. This year, the tournament will pay out $1.25 million, and according to Beaver Lake veteran Frank Divis of Fayetteville, Ark., the timing couldn’t be better.
“Beaver could be the best it’s ever been,” said Divis, who has four career top-10s on Beaver in the Co-angler Division, including an EverStart Series win there in 1999. “I would say it’s better than I’ve seen in five, six, seven years. All the fish are healthy. If we get a week of 60- to 65-degree weather, there could be fish all over the beds (at tournament time).”
While fish are plentiful, Divis said that strategy and species allocation will be extremely important for anglers.
“The key to succeeding at Beaver in a tournament is catching a limit of spotted bass first and then going for largemouths,” Divis said. “If you fish for spotted bass, you’ll catch 7 to 8 pounds per day and can then try to find a kicker largemouth. That’s generally enough to get you close to the cut line.”
Divis said hungry anglers often head to the river, where the sizable largemouths are found. However, Divis said the bite there can be awfully inconsistent.
“Guys will commit to going to the river and fishing for largemouths, and they may have something one day and nothing the next,” he said. “People want to go for broke. There’s a lot of money on the line.”
Though the weather in the area could be warm enough prior to the tournament to provoke an early spawn, Divis expects the fish to be in prespawn mode once the event rolls around.
“If they’re in prespawn, they could be finicky,” he said. “You’re going to have a lot of the field with 15 pounds over two days. The key will be getting a good kicker every day.”
If the fish are in prespawn mode, there will likely be a predominant soft-plastic jerkbait bite. However, for competitors who head up the river, using a spinnerbait or flipping bushes with a jig or creature bait should be the ticket.
“There’s always a Carolina-rig bite and drop-shot bite for the spotted bass,” Divis said. “But the No. 1 bait on this lake is a jighead worm on 6-pound-test. It will catch largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass.”
The smallmouths and spotted bass can be found in the midlake area between the launch site of Prairie Creek Marina and Hickory Creek. This is the clearest part of the lake, with extreme depths of 150 feet or more. It is also the most consistent part of the lake. The river section – comprised of the White and War Eagle rivers – is heavily populated by largemouth bass but is far less consistent than the midlake area.
The major cover in Beaver Lake is the buck brush. And, if the water is high, the fish will almost certainly gravitate there and be susceptible to jigs and spinnerbaits.
“We generally have really wet springs, so I’m thinking we’ll have high-water conditions when the competitors come down to fish,” Divis said. “It’s such a big lake. It’s like three lakes in one.”
Wheeler Lake
Decatur, Ala.
May 11-14
Big Wheeler Lake is one of the reasons why the state of Alabama is heralded for its outstanding bass fishing. Wheeler is one of three lakes in north Alabama originally constructed by the Tennessee Valley Authority and formed from the confluence of the Tennessee River and Guntersville and Pickwick lakes. The lake provides an assortment of depths and structure and should prove to be a worthy destination for FLW Tour anglers, most of whom will likely be found in the bass-rich Decatur Flats area.
FLW Tour and EverStart Series pro Jonathan Newton of nearby Rogersville, Ala., reports that the fish will probably be in transition mode at tournament time, moving out from their spawning area into deeper water.
“It’s usually a pretty good time of year to catch fish grouped up,” Newton said. “Find an area that has a lot of water in it. I think a lot of fish will be caught shallow, but deep cranking in 12 to 15 feet of water will also catch some fish.
“The whole key is finding those fish that have moved out and grouped up, getting over the spawn. (Anglers) ought to be able to catch a lot of healthy fish doing that.”
Although the Decatur Flats are infamous for producing tournament-winning bass, the fishing pressure there is intense. According to Newton, the Decatur Flats area is one of the only places left on the lake to find milfoil.
“We have a lot of bank grass,” Newton said. “But the lower end of the lake is more of a structure-oriented place. It doesn’t have a lot of it, but it’s deeper and you have the creeks down there that are different than the creeks you have up the river. They’re deeper.”
Newton explained that although Wheeler did experience some lackluster seasons in recent memory due to the largemouth-bass virus, it has bounced back, particularly in the past couple of years. The virus was troubling because largemouth bass comprise the majority of winning stringers, although Wheeler does boast a solid population of smallmouth and spotted bass.
The mid-May tournament arrives a month after Wheeler has risen to full pool. Although water temperatures may have risen before the mid-April mark, Wheeler bass typically wait until the water rises to spawn.
“When the water comes up, they will move up into the bushes in the shallow water and spawn,” Newton said. “A month later, a lot of these fish will be done. I think mid-May is probably as good a time as you can get on the lake.”
For that time of year, Newton recommends chartreuse-white crankbaits or black and blue jigs for deepwater fishing. He expects the winning two-day weight to hit anywhere between 30 and 40 pounds.
“You have a lot of different options on Wheeler, and it really caters to however you like to fish,” he said. “You can fish in deep water, shallow water or offshore. There are so many variables. I think people who grew up on this lake have an advantage because you have to be so versatile.”
Potomac River
LaPlata, Md.
June 22-25
Much history has been made along the banks of the Potomac River, the former stomping grounds of George Washington and other notable historic figures. The river that winds through Washington, D.C., as well as Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland produces quality largemouths and plenty of good fishing for the hordes of people who wet a line there each year.
Despite recent curious reports of egg production in male Potomac bass, the fish there tend to be quite healthy thanks to abundant forage. When the FLW Tour hits the Maryland side in late June, the fish will be in a typical postspawn, summertime pattern and more than ready to bite.
Though the very idea of fishing a tidal system can intimidate some anglers, FLW Tour pro John Crews of Salem, Va., says the Potomac is more forgiving than previous FLW Tour river stops such as the James.
“The tide is not as important on the Potomac as it is on a lot of tidal fisheries,” Crews said. “I think it’s partly due to the grass. The fish will still bite no matter the tide; you just have to move around.”
The plentiful grass in the Potomac is largely milfoil, and according to Crews, it grows in anywhere from a foot of water to 5 feet, depending on the tides. And the fish stay shallow year-round due to the freshly oxygenated moving water.
“It’s a consistent time of year to fish there,” Crews said. “The springtime can be really good, but a cold front can come in and really hurt the fishing. Later in the fall it’s the same way. The summertime is your best fishing because it is the most consistent.”
Crews said the number of bass caught in the Potomac River baffles biologists because of the tremendous fishing pressure that the Potomac receives.
“There’s so many fish for the number of people who fish for them,” Crews said. “That place gets fished as hard or harder than any fishery in the country per square acre, and it still continues to produce high numbers.”
The majority of those bass are largemouths, with the typical big bass weighing in at 6 to 6 1/2 pounds. Crews expects a fair amount of fish to be caught on a top-water baits, with plenty of other techniques available for catching bass as well.
“There will be fish caught on a wide variety of lures because there’s a lot of grass,” he said. “There will be a lot of fish caught on rock and wood also.”
Crews said it will take a 3-pound average to win the tournament and predicts the winning two-day weight will tally at nearly 36 pounds.
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship: Lake Hamilton
Hot Springs, Ark.
July 13-16
The pinnacle of the FLW Tour season is always the lucrative FLW Tour Championship, which awards the richest cash prize in the sport to the pro winner – $500,000. This year, the competition heats up a month earlier, and the 96 lucky pros and co-anglers who earn a pass to the championship will contend with the heavily populated Lake Hamilton right in the thick of the recreational season.
The activity on Lake Hamilton in the summer is so busy that FLW Tour pro George Cochran, who lives on its shores in Hot Springs, Ark., never bothers to fish it in July.
Nevertheless, Cochran says that since Lake Hamilton is lined all the way around with houses, it is also lined with boat docks, which provide ideal shade and cover for bass in the summer.
“It’s not a really large lake, but it’ll fish really big because just about every square mile of it has houses, all the way around the lake,” Cochran said. “Everybody that lives on Hamilton has a boat dock, and that’s natural cover for bass. There’s shade, and people have brush around their dock, so just about every dock has fish underneath it.”
Because of the residential population, the lake, which is mostly clear, is absent of most vegetation. According to Cochran, most of the cover is man-made. While there are rocks in the lake, the fish are typically only found there early in the year.
The postspawn bass will likely respond to plastic worms and deep-diving crankbaits. Cochran says a top-water should be effective early in the morning.
“The best colors depend on whether the sun is shining,” Cochran said. “Natural colors like green pumpkin and watermelon work really good, and if it’s stained water, black and purple works really good.”
The bass population in Lake Hamilton is mainly comprised of largemouths, and Cochran expects largemouths to win the tournament. There are also plenty of spotted bass available as well. Cochran says the lake is currently in its prime, with a healthy population of good-sized bass.
“It’s probably in the best shape it’s been in the past 15 years since I’ve been there – as far as average sizes of fish and population of bass,” he said. “I can remember 10 years ago, if you weighed in around 10 pounds of bass, you had a chance to win the tournament. Now that will barely keep you in the top 25. It ought to be a good tournament.”