VIEWER’S GUIDE: Challenge Cup Elimination Round 1 Begins on Bull Shoals
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. – The 2020 Lucas Oil Challenge Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches is set to begin on Bull Shoals Lake in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Thirty anglers arrived in northern Arkansas with hopes of being the last one standing in the Natural State as the first MLF Cup competition of the season commenced.
But before the pros had any thoughts of holding up a trophy, they needed to prepare for a couple of key conditions they would face.
Extreme Flood Conditions
Days and days of rain resulted in flooded conditions for Bull Shoals Lake when the MLF pros arrived there in June of 2019 for the first Elimination Round. The lake was 25 feet higher than normal, a condition that MLF NOW! analyst Marty Stone attributes to what lies upstream from Bull Shoals.
“Bull Shoals is the catch-all for Table Rock Lake,” Stone explained. “(The Army Corps of Engineers) aren’t going to let Table Rock flood, so Bull Shoals is where all that water has to go (when they release it from Table Rock). Bull Shoals is one of the few lakes in the country that can handle water volume like that.”
High bluff walls help to contain the lake when at flood capacity. Even though some might see the extra water as a hindrance, Stone believes that it presented a wonderful opportunity for the pros.
“It made the fishing better, in my opinion,” Stone said. “The lake was flooded for so long that it finally started to fall, and that pushed some fish out of cover. Because a lot of the banks were rock bluff walls, the fish didn’t push too far into the woods, which makes it easier to find those fish.”
Stone says the rocky Ozark lake isn’t known for its vegetation. Rock and tree stumps are the main forms of cover for the bass. But with the high water, Bull Shoals’ banks take on a completely different look.
“With that water level so high, the bank grass becomes the vegetation those fish wanted,” Stone said. “That grass holds all the food they could ever want with baitfish and insects. The flooding is really a booster shot in the arm for the lake as a whole. Look for the guys to find that flooded grass as a jumping-off point.”
Clear Water Not Always Bad
Elimination Round anglers were also met with crystal-clear water conditions when they arrived at Bull Shoals. Stone knows from his experience as a professional that clear water can mean a tough day of fishing if you don’t approach it with the correct mindset.
“Stained water means that the fish are more predictable, and we had some of the clearest lake water I’ve seen in a while on Bull Shoals,” Stone revealed. “If anglers can see more than 3 feet below the surface, they start to get a little nervous because those fish may be harder to catch.”
But clear water doesn’t spell the end for a productive day, according to Stone. Sunny skies during Elimination Round 1 provided just the right formula for clear-water success.
“A big thing those guys keyed on is shade lines,” Stone said. “The brighter the sun, the more apt the fish are to be behind something like a flooded bush, stump or rock. Sunny days make it easier to catch these clear-water fish because they’re sight feeders. These anglers may have to make a longer-than-normal presentation in order to get bit, but if they do they can be really successful.”
Ten pros kick off the 2020 Challenge Cup with Elimination Round 1 on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. ET on Outdoor Channel. Check your local listings.
Each new episode of Major League Fishing is also available on MyOutdoorTV two days after premiering on Outdoor Channel.