The Walmart FLW Tour’s annual stop at Beaver Lake always provides some great moments. Though Quaker State pro Matt Arey won for the second year in a row, that doesn’t mean the event was without drama, and our media team was there for all the action. The photos here are the best of the week. Some of them freeze critical moments, others simply capture the fishing experience.
Though FLW doesn’t do shotgun starts, takeoff can still be a bit hectic. FLW Social Media Manager/Strategist Julie Huber managed to capture Ramie Colson Jr. almost literally taking off.
The second day started out with an intense thunderstorm that forced a short delay. Though Brad Knight would later take shelter, FLW Graphic Designer D. W. Reed II found him lit up and wet before the rain got too heavy.
Andy Morgan started day three in the lead with freelance photographer Garrick Dixon tracking him. While Morgan flipped and pitched, Dixon captured the beauty inherent in fishing.
One of the fun aspects of sight-fishing is that it can force anglers into oddball positions to either see or avoid being seen. Here, AOY leader Wesley Strader pulled his boat as close to a tree as possible to get the right angle on a spotted bass. FLW Associate Editor Jody White was on hand with the camera.
John Cox fished farther up the White River than just about anyone else, and he didn’t just fish the main channel. Dixon caught him working hard to exit a shallow backwater on day three.
FLW Intern Chris Burgan followed Vic Vatalaro on the final day. Unfortunately for Vatalaro, the school he had milked all week ran out. Lucky for us, Burgan got a pretty sweet action shot of Vatalaro’s attempt to fire them back up.
Beaver Lake can be stingy with big fish, but FLW Vice President of Marketing Patterson Leeth was there when Tracy Adams caught his kicker on the final day. A big jump at the boat made it even better.
Matt Arey was on fire on the final day, catching many of his fish on a hand-poured swimbait. FLW Senior Editor Kyle Wood caught him landing one of his morning fish while the outcome was still in question.
Matt Arey was about as excited as possible when he landed his kicker after it bit right at the boat. White captured his amazement at the sequence of events.
Finally, a close-up look at the fish that put Matt Arey over the top and earned him his second win on Beaver Lake in as many years.