Beaver Lake Day 2 Coverage
Can Meyer hold the lead?
Quick Links
Top five patterns from day one
Storylines: Pros jammed up by debris
2:05 That’s it for the blog
Weigh-in starts in about an hour and out reporters are starting to trickle off the water to get ready. We crown a co-angler champion today and cut the pro field down to 20 for the weekend. Today should be fun, it looks like Cody Meyer has opened up a decent lead, but that’s not nearly a sure thing. If you’re in the area, come on down to Prairie Creek, if not, tune in from the comfort of your couch.
Weigh-in details
Weigh-In Time: 3 p.m. CT on days one and two; 4 p.m. CT on days three and four
Weigh-In Location: Prairie Creek all days
1:35 More updates
Zack Birge has four for about 8 pounds. Betraying a hint of emotion, he says that he also lost a big one and “it sucked.” Michael Neal has a small limit of spotted bass. Ramie Colson has four for about 9 pounds. Alex Davis has two little dinkers.
1:15 A few updates
Bryan Thrift has four smallmouths and one largemouth for an estimated 10 pounds. So, probably a bit more than that. Bradley Dortch has a limit for about 9 pounds. Casey Scanlon has a limit for about 8 pounds. Aaron Britt has three for about 7 pounds.
Cody Meyer has headed into Prairie Creek, idling through the no-wake zone and into the back. He’s hunting a kicker.
12:55 Logjam update
We just witnessed Carl Jocumsen and Jay Yelas work their way through the logjam to head back down the lake. It took them both a solid five minutes, and Jocumsen got stuck twice. In the meantime, Lendell Martin rolled up, took one look at the jam and spun back around and headed down lake. We don’t know or sure who else is up the lake, but they’ve got yet another challenge to deal with. Luckily, it is passable, so if a pro leaves enough cushion, getting back to weigh-in shouldn’t be an issue.
12:50 Reed has a limit
Matt Reed just filled out a five-bass limit with a “spotted minnow.” So, now he just needs to find some actual size.
12:40 There’s another logjam
Day one was marked by navigation troubles in the upriver portions of Beaver Lake and it looks like day two might bring some of the same issues. Per our best info, the lake was fairly passable early on day two, but there’s now a giant logjam about ¼ mile long that spans the lake moving slowly down toward Monte Ne. It’s about a mile south of the creek now, but there’s a very real chance it could push down the lake far enough to mess with Monte Ne or slow down anyone who went farther up the lake. It is moving, and there are carp spawning on it (goofy fish), so it can probably be pushed through, but it’s not going to be an easy task for someone stuck on the wrong side.
12:33 one for Hays, Thrift culls
Dylan Hays has just one in the box. Down the lake, Bryan Thrift just culled with a nice 2-pound smallie. No word on his total weight.
12:20 Two for Lawyer
Jeremy Lawyer just checked in with two keepers. He says his smallmouth deal didn’t pan out, and he’s now slinging a buzzbait. It’s odd, but it seems like the fishing has been a little slower on day two than day one. The wind in the forecast hasn’t really materialized yet, and that’s probably hurt the bite somewhat.
12:15 Weigh-in has been moved
It won’t change anything for folks tuning in on the web, but the day three and four weigh-ins and the FLW Expo have now been moved due to incoming weather. Instead of taking palce at Walmart, it’ll all go down at Prairie Creek.
12:10 Four for Kweekul, Adams update
Daniel Kweekul just caught his fourth fish of the day. He doesn’t have any kickers and is still shy of a limit – it looks like Beaver Lake isn’t loving him today.
Down the lake, Tracy Adams has four little keepers.
11:54 Reyes, McCall
Jason Reyes has four now that go about 12 pounds. He’s on a really good pace for sure.
Chris McCall has three small ones. He’s dragging slowly along where the bank used to be and just put his second and third keepers in the boat a few minutes ago.
11:53 Kendrick
Jay Kendrick has one keeper at the moment.
11:43 Gussy adds one, JJ update
Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson just caught his fourth fish, a decent keeper largemouth. Jason Johnson has one keeper smallmouth so far and says it's been brutal.
11:40 Meyer report
Cody Meyer has had a lovely day on the water so far. At the moment, it’s not very windy, and Meyer likes it. "They bite better in the wind. But they bite better for everyone,” he says. He hasn’t made the move yet, but apparently he’s thinking of heading back up to Prairie Creek in search of a kicker. Though the fish are more pressured, there are plenty of big ones from past tournament that lurk in Beaver’s most dominant creek.
11:28 Cali update
Keith Bryan is fishing a jerkbait in the back of a cove and has three littles in the 'well. Aaron Britt is fishing docks and has two that total about 5.5 pounds.
Not from out west, Clayton Batts has a pair in the box and just worked a 3+ on a bed for about 10 minutes before giving up.
Meyer in action on day one
11:16 Three for Gussy
Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson has three on the boat. Unfortunately, they are all tiny spotted bass.
11:15 Meyer grabs a swimmy
Cody Meyer just picked up a big white-colored swimbait. Fun times ahead?
11:13 Two
Jason Lambert and Ramie Colson each have a pair of keepers in the livewell.
11:06 Horton has four, weather update
Jamie Horton is tossing around a pink floating worm and has four for eight pounds now. The weather is really starting to nicen up as well. Pros are peeling rain coats and bibs and the lake is fairly calm. The water temperature is in the low 60s in most places, so it has come down a little since practice, but not catastrophically.
10:55 Rose has three
Mark Rose has three keepers so far. He weighed almost 10 pounds yesterday and is mixed up with dozens of other pros who are clustered within ounces of each other between 20th and 60th.
10:50 Latimer update
Brian Latimer has three small ones so far today. He’s currently fishing along a steep bluff. Jamey Caldwell says he has four small spotted bass in the 'well.
10:40 Another good cull for Meyer, Morgan update
Cody Meyer just dropped down to a mark on his graph and pulled up a big smallmouth to cull about a pound. He’s likely into the low teens now. He didn’t even think it was a bass until he got it to the boat, but he couldn’t be happier that it is.
Not all that far away, Andy Morgan is sitting on four small spotted bass and says he hasn’t caught a largemouth all morning. He’s pitching a drop-shot and rocking his trademark puffy vest.
10:25 Cox is scratching the sight-fishing deal
John Cox has elected to leave the area down by the dam. Now, he’s headed back up the lake to find some dirtier water to throw a vibrating jig in. We’re not following, but there’s always a chance we’ll run into the Tin Man later on in the day.
10:18 Cox is on the board
John Cox has his first keeper of the day, a small spotted bass. It’s not much, but ounces is money in this game.
10:10 Thompkins with one
Timmy Thompkins has just one small spotted bass to his credit. He was dragging a shaky head in spawning coves to start, but now he’s running the bank with a small Whopper Plopper.
10:05 A good one for Meyer
After making a couple quick stops on offshore places Cody Meyer hit the bank for the first time. It quickly paid off with a 3-pound largemouth that culled one of his skinnier smallmouths. Looks like Mr. Meyer might be a little dialed in this week…
10:00 Warren and Atkins
Justin Atkins just landed a keeper to break the ice. Chad Warren, also a rookie, has two keepers on the day.
9:58 Hammerbury with a limit
Scott “Hammerbury” Canterbury just boxed up a 3-pounder for his fifth fish. He says the rest are all small, but that’s a good way to go regardless. He had a tough time of it on day one, but a good bag today could change a lot.
9:50 Thrift and Strader
Bryan Thrift has three in the box – one smallmouth and two spots. Wesley Strader has two so far and he’s chunking a spinnerbait.
9:45 Meyer moves, Auten and Atkins
Cody Meyer has moved to another spot a little closer to the mouth of the creek he’s fishing. He’s still pretty deep though.
Todd Auten has one today. Justin Atkins is sitting on a goose egg so far.
9:30 Two for Wooley
Michael Wooley is fishing near Prairie Creek in the same area Daniel Kweekul is, he’s got two largemouths to his credit so far today.
9:20 Upshaw has a good limit
Andrew Upshaw has a limit for about 10 pounds. He says he lit them up this morning and caught about 25 keepers.
9:15 Three for Reyes
Jason Reyes has landed his third, which is just a small keeper. It’s not like the bigs he started with, but every keeper counts. Today he’s been flipping some and tossing a wacky worm – he says he’s targeting primarily “big fish” areas.
9:10 Meyer culls
Cody Meyer just culled out his squeaker spotted bass with a decent smallmouth. He figures he’s got about 9 pounds, but he might well have a little more than that. Even though the smallmouths are skinny and postspawn, they aren’t tiny fish.
9:05 The weather has passed, Cox has found some
It looks like the morning’s storms have finally left the area – the sun is even starting to break out in a few places.
John Cox is still poking around down by the dam, and he’s seeing a lot of quality fish. He just can’t get any of them to set up right or bite.
8:55 Ashmore update
Scott Ashmore says he has about 11 pounds. We figured the fish would bite today, and they seem to be biting well for him.
8:50 Hines and Montgomery
Billy Hines has two small keepers in the box for a total of a little more than 3 pounds. Drew Montgomery is one better with three small keepers in the boat.
8:40 A limit for Meyer
Cody Meyer just filled his limit with a line-burner smallmouth. He’s been fishing with lightning flashing in the background and the fish are biting pretty well for him. Pros are encouraged to seek shelter from severe weather, but Meyer has obviously elected to play through it.
8:33 Voyles culls
No word on how much they weigh, but John Voyles is culling. He weighed a limit for 8-11 on day one – if he can better that he’ll likely be in line for at least a check.
8:25 Nothing for Cox so far
John Cox is way down the lake by the dam and is easing his way around on his trolling motor looking for spawning bass. He hasn’t found one that will eat yet, but considering he might be the best sight-fisherman in the world, it’s probably only a matter of time.
8:10 Reyes with a good one, Scanlon with nothing, Arey with one
Jason Reyes just caught his second fish of the day, a 3-pounder. He’s off to a heck of a start – he might not be on the numbers that Meyer is, but he’s catching the right size for sure.
Casey Scanlon has had a tough morning. So far he’s lost three fish, and he thinks all of them were pretty good. Nearby, Matt Arey has one keeper in the 'well.
7:55 Meyer has four
Cody Meyer just boxed up his fourth, a decent 2-pound smallie. The weather is finally starting to clear up some – we’re close to some actually nice weather.
Elsewhere, Shin Fukae is fishing super slow and has zero.
7:40 McCombs lands one
Johnny McCombs is fishing up in Monte Ne and just landed his first on a buzzbait. It’s a solid 2+, so he’s off to exactly the start he wants at this point.
7:35 Meyer and Kweekul add, Cox runs
Cody Meyer and Daniel Kweekul have both added to their limits with small spotted bass.
Meanwhile, John Cox has abandoned his grounds from day one because of rising and muddying water and is headed for the dam. He’s hoping to look at them today, and that where the clearest water in the lake is.
7:23 A nice one for Knight
Brad Knight just caught a nice largemouth and started singing “Thunderstruck.” At least someone is enjoying the weather.
7:20 It’s starting to rain again
Based on the radar and the actual conditions, it looks like another round of rain and storms are about to hit Beaver Lake. Some pros are likely to fish through it, but others will probably seek shelter, ducking under a dock or up on the bank. Our reporters will likely do the same – so if there’s a lull in the blog now you know why. On the plus side, once this gets through we should be free and clear for the rest of the day.
7:15 Two for Meyer
Cody Meyer is off to a great start. He’s already on the board with a pair of smallmouths, one small one and one solid one.
In Prairie, Brad Knight is on the board with his first keeper as well.
7:05 Reyes and Kweekul
Jason Reyes is off to the hottest start possible – the Texan already has a 5-pounder in the box. Flipping in the back of a cove, Daniel Kweekul is on the board as well, though his fish is merely a regular keeper largemouth.
6:55 Waiting on the fish
Today looks to be a great day for fishing, but the rising water is for sure an unusual factor. What’s not unusual is that plenty of pros have started out in Prairie Creek looking for a retread or two. Just outside of takeoff, Scott Martin and Pete Ponds are splitting a point between them (with no results yet) and plenty of others are filtering back into the other areas of the creek.
The start might be just a little slower than usual today because of the continually rising water. There’s undoubtedly more trash in the lake today than there was on day one, and that requires careful navigation.
6:40 Can Meyer hold on to the lead?
It’s tough to believe it, but Cody Meyer has never won an FLW event. He’s done nearly everything else, racking up top 10 finishes, giving Andy Morgan a run for his money one year in the Angler of the Year race and catching spotted bass like nobody has ever seen when he’s home in the winter. Along the way, Meyer has built a reputation as a sponsor’s dream and one of the best pros and people on Tour – finding someone to say anything bad about the man is a challenge and may be genuinely impossible. Last year Scott Canterbury got off the second-place schneide and earn his first win, could it be Meyer’s turn now?
It might, and nobody would be sad to see it, but Beaver Lake is as capricious as ever this year for the FLW Tour presented by General Tire. Holding a lead for more than a moment on Beaver is always tough, and with weights lower and tighter than usual and the water rising fast, there are no guarantees. The top of the leaderboard contains a slew of talented pros, but there are even more dangerous lurkers below. Sitting in seventh, Bryan Thrift is on literal fire. In 20th and 24th, Matt Arey and Andy Morgan are less than 4 pounds off the lead.
Day one of the event was defined by rising water and muddy conditions up the river. There’s no telling what day two will offer. It rained all night and quit shortly before takeoff after one last thunderstorm skirted over the lake and a blustery, warm day is forecasted. On a normal Beaver Lake, those conditions would ignite the moving-bait bite in the lower end of the lake. They might well do that, but the water should be even higher than it was on day one (the lake is nearing flood stage), and most of the water flowing down the lake from the White River and War Eagle Creek is muddy and cold. Depending on how far that water moves and what creeks it begins to penetrate back into, the complexion of an angler’s day could change in a hurry.
So we’ll see what happens. We’ll watch Cody Meyer and John Cox and Chris Brasher and all the rest, because if anything is certain, it’s that we’re going to be surprised again. As many times as the Tour has stopped at Beaver Lake, the familiar Ozark impoundment manages to be different every year.
Conditions
Temperature at takeoff: 56 degrees
Forecast high: 71 degrees
Sky: cloudy
Precipitation: 50 percent chance of rain
Wind: S at 13 mph
Water level: 1,126.7 feet at takeoff
Tournament details
Format: All boaters and co-anglers will compete for two days. The top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on cumulative weight after two days of competition will advance to the third and final round, with the winner determined by the heaviest cumulative three-day weight.
Takeoff Time: 6:30 a.m. CT
Takeoff Location: Prairie Creek Recreation Area, 9300 North Park Road, Rogers, AR
Weigh-In Time: 3 p.m. CT on days one and two; 4 p.m. CT on days three and four
Weigh-In Location: Prairie Creek all days
Check out the FLW Expo and Evinrude Test Rides
Test rides – Evinrude will be hosting test rides for its popular E-TEC G2 motors at Prairie Creek Recreation Area on Saturday, April 29, from 7 to 11 a.m. All participants will receive a free Evinrude hat. Come demo Evinrude’s most powerful and fuel-efficient two-stroke motor in history.
Expo – The FLW Expo will take place at Prairie Creek on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30, from 12 to 4 p.m. Kids’ activities include a Ranger Boat simulator, casting pond and more. Concessions will be available, along with vendors selling tackle and other outdoor gear.