Dardanelle rising
FLW Series pros deal with rising Arkansas River at stop No. 2 of BP Eastern Division
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – After several days of torrential downpours in central and eastern Oklahoma, the Arkansas River is on the rise.
What’s that got to do with 400 anglers trying to catch bass on the second stop of the Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern Division event at Lake Dardanelle? A lot of that rain that has fallen in Oklahoma is beginning to make its way into Lake Dardanelle via the Arkansas River, and the water is on the rise.
“This water has come up about a foot overnight,” noted National Guard pro Ramie Colson at his first stop Wednesday morning. “There is a lot more bank grass in the water now.”
Another creek over, pro Pete Gluszek was boating his first keeper bass of the morning.
“The rising water should help keep these kinds of fish shallow,” said Gluszek, as he unhooked his bass.
With water temperatures around the 73-degree mark, many of Dardanelle’s bass are done with the spawn, opening up plenty of fishing options for anglers this week.
Like Colson and Gluszek, many pros will opt to fish shallow in Dardanelle’s vast backwaters with a myriad of shallow-water lures including swimming jigs, ultrashallow crankbaits, spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits and soft plastics.
Others, though, are hoping to tap into an offshore bite with deeper crankbaits and Carolina rigs.
“There is some good offshore fishing here,” noted local BP pro Ray Scheide of Russellville. “A lot of these backwater bays have some pretty decent ledges in them, and a few of the fish are already making their way out to those 6- to 12-foot drops. I don’t think many have made it all the way out to the main river yet, especially with all the water that’s coming through the system, but the first ledges in the bays should produce some fish this week.”
Scheide estimates that half the top 10 (after Friday’s cut) will come from the shallows and the other half will come from offshore ledges.
“Dardanelle really has a lot of good fish in it,” Scheide continued. “I fish here a lot in the spring, because it’s got so many fish in it that it’s just a fun place to fish. I think we’ll see some 20-plus-pound stingers this week and quite a few 15- to 18-pound bags.”
The minimum keeper size on Dardanelle is 15 inches for largemouths, which will keep the measuring boards busy.
As for those planning to fish way up the Arkansas River, they could be in trouble.
Land O’Lakes pro Keith Williams of nearby Conway, Ark., said the water is some 3 to 4 feet high up in the river.
“The water is way back in the trees and up in the woods,” he described. “That will probably keep a lot of anglers bunched up in the lower end, where it will be clearer and more stable. If the water should start falling fast up there before the week is out, it can make for some good fishing, but as long as it is coming up, that river bite will likely be tough.”
Several pros, including Scheide, believe the cutoff mark for the top 10 will fall somewhere in the 40- to 42-pound range after three days.
Logistics
Anglers will take off from Lake Dardanelle State Park located at 100 State Park Drive in Russellville, Ark., at 6:30 Central time each morning.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the Lake Dardanelle State Park Tournament Weigh-in Pavilion beginning at 3 p.m.
Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2409 E. Main St. in Russellville beginning at 4 p.m.
Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Wal-Mart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include the Fujifilm trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.
The entire field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events. Co-angler winners are determined on day three based on the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
On the Web
For those who can’t catch the weigh-in action in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, an online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results, streaming video and audio.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:13 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 69 degrees
Expected high temperature: 83 degrees
Water temperature: 70-73 degrees
Forecasted winds: light and variable
Day’s outlook: 80 percent chance of thunderstorms