MUSKOGEE, Okla. – If you watched any MLFNOW! when the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech pros were in action last weekend at Eufaula, torrential rains were a big part of the storyline. Since Eufaula and Muskogee are only 30-some-odd miles apart, that extra water is a key factor for the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats anglers fishing the last Southwestern Division event of the season on the Arkansas River.
With several rivers in play near takeoff, plus a lock down to Kerr Reservoir as a great option, the tournament is setting up to be highly interesting. High flow and mud could constrict some anglers, but the fishery is in great shape, and there should still be some good bags caught by the field.
Breaking down the options
According to Chris Jones, one of the preeminent locals in the field, this could be a very have-and-have-not event.
“The guys that figure out where they are at will catch them,” the Oklahoma pro said. “The guys that don’t will catch nothing. Seriously, that’s how it’s going to be. If you get around them, they’re biting; but I fished in a section today that was plumb horrible, because it was all blowed out.”
For his part, Jones thinks the decision making about where to go is simple – chasing clean (or cleaner) water is going to be imperative.
“You can catch some fish up here, but there’s no way you can win up here unless you’re in the Grand arm,” he said, calling out the Neosho River. “That’s the only clean water; it’s fishable, it’s clean, it can be won in there. But I didn’t spend much time in there because it’s too close to takeoff. It’s a community place, it’s too close for me. In my opinion, it’ll be won there or at Kerr – there’s no in-between.”
The rolling water isn’t an issue for some parts of the fishery – but it’s a big issue in others.
“Kerr is not flooded at all. The problem is, the Arkansas is dirty, dirty, dirty,” Jones said. “It’s too muddy to catch them in. The backwaters are fishable because they’re pulling so much water that the backwaters are cleaning up, but there aren’t enough backwaters to spread people out in.”
That will likely put a lot of folks running down toward Kerr, where they lose a lot of fishing time – typically, with the lock time, anglers going to Kerr will have about 4 1/2 hours of casting.
So, keeping in mind the factors against a blowout event, expect the top-end weights to still be pretty decent.
“I’d say if you catch 22 pounds, you’re going to make the cut,” Jones said. “I would say that 15 or 16 a day is going to win. I’ve had a couple days where I have 20 pounds, but that’s daylight to dark. It’s not like you can go down a stretch of bank and catch 15 pounds anywhere. And when you pull up and fish for an hour and don’t catch any, your day goes by pretty quick.”
AOY battle comes to a head
In the lead for 7 Brew Angler of the Year with 506 points heading into the event, Jones is likely in decent shape. He has eight Top 10s on the Arkansas River in MLF competition and is as seasoned as they come on the fishery. In second, Texan Cody Ross (502) is 4 points off the lead, which should make for a tight race, but not an easy one for Ross.
“We started off at Rayburn, and I fumbled too bad at Rayburn,” Ross said. “I should have had a Top 10 that tournament, and then I wouldn’t be in such a predicament. Now, I’m 4 points behind, and we’re at the place where he dominates.”
Knowing the situation, Ross pushed all his chips into Kerr.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time on Google Earth every day, using my NBT HQ Interface Box with my Garmin,” Ross said. “I have spent more time idling, trying to get to places, than I do fishing. I don’t know if that’s the right move – it is June, it’s hot, the water temp is in the 80s. I don’t know if I’m making the correct decision, but it’s hard for me to fish offshore in rolling mud.
“I went into this with the mindset that I have to win the tournament to win AOY – I feel like the odds of Chris not being in the top five are very slim,” Ross said. “But, the odds are never zero in this sport.”
For his part, Jones isn’t letting off the gas.
“I haven’t been on Kerr in three days; but from Memorial Day weekend to this weekend, I probably put more time in for this tournament than I have in any tournament I’ve ever fished,” he said. “I want to know where every fish lives. I feel like I’m going to catch ‘em if I can get there three days and get back.”
In third, Andrew Rickman (498) is very close to the leaders, and Joshua Teply (489) leads the second tier of chasers. On the co-angler side, Alan Bernicky (515) is ahead of Robert Chavers (510) and Scott Parsons (506).
Follow along
Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public daily at Three Forks Harbor at 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT. This event is hosted by Visit Muskogee. You can follow along with all the coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.