FLW Beaver Lake Baits, Gear & Patterns

The junk-fishing opportunities that presented themselves at the Beaver FLW Tour Major were almost innumerable, and that played into the hands of a number of anglers who enjoyed mixing and matching and fishing the conditions, including tournament champion David Dudley.

"I like anywhere we go," he said. "I don't mind power-fishing. I don't mind bed-fishing. I'm comfortable whatever lake they put me on."

By the afternoon of the final day of competition, however, Dudley had narrowed his tools of choice to the ever-evolving umbrella rig and a wacky-rigged worm. Both proved extremely productive for the all-time leading money winner in FLW Outdoors history, but it was the wacky rig that carried him through a furious late-day culling fest on day 4 and on to victory.

Dudley said his practice "absolutely stunk" as he was unable to get on a consistent bite with much quality. He essentially turned his tournament days into an extended practice session.

"Basically, I won this tournament by practicing for 4 days," he said. "The first half of the first morning, I tried the areas I'd found and I had one largemouth and four spots. At 11:30, I said, "Forget this, I'm going practicing."

Competition:

By the midway point of day 1 of the tournament, Dudley knew he had to get on a largemouth bite if he wanted to contend. He had plenty of schools of spotted bass he could run to if need be, but those weren't going to get him the quality he was looking for.

At noon, he more or less hit the restart button on his tournament, picked up an umbrella rig and came in with 12-05. From there, the momentum continued to build as he worked new water the rest of the way. When the weather forecast for day 2 called for stiff winds in the 20- to 30-mph range, his confidence grew.

"I knew then from what the little bit I'd found in the afternoon of day 1, I was confident on what I could do," he said. "Any time the wind blows on Beaver, you feel like you're going to catch them. I was confident about that." Even without a big bite, he boxed 11-12 and made the weekend in 9th place.

He got off to a good start throwing the umbrella rig on day 3, but the bite tailed off. He switched to a wacky-rigged worm, throwing it in the same places, and saw immediate results as he caught 13-13 to pull himself into 4th place. "I was learning as I went along," he added. "They were the same fish people were catching on the A-Rig on wind-blown banks. I was fishing the banks that looked the same without the wind and I was catching them on the wacky worm.

"With the A-Rig you were looking for wind and when you don't have wind, they were able to get a better look at it so I was using finesse tactics to catch the same fish. Any time they come off the spawn, they're a little finicky." He launched on day 4 trailing leader Scott Canterbury by 4-07, but after seeing Canterbury catch nearly 20 pounds on day 3, he knew the potential for him to bust a good sack was out there.

Again, he threw the umbrella rig in the morning, but managed just one keeper. He caught a couple more on a crankbait before going back to the umbrella rig. He had four in the livewell at 12:30 when he picked up the wacky rig. His first keeper bite on the worm nearly pulled him the water as it got hung up on a submerged tree limb that forced him to plunge his head into the water to break the limb off and free the fish.

It ignited a furious rally that saw him upgrade four times in the next 2 hours, with every bite coming on the wacky rig."From then on, I could just call my shots in the areas they were going to be in," he said. "I went on a rampage. It was awesome. Those next 2 hours, it was lights out. I was really catching them. I've been on runs before where I rally back, but without a doubt this was the best one. It felt like hitting two grand slams in the ninth inning."

He ran around plenty, but fished main-lake stuff and also in some creeks, staying more toward clearer water. "I was just going all over the place," he said. "Even what was muddy was still fairly clear." In the end, he weighed nothing but largemouths during the tournament, an almost unheard-of occurrence at previous Beaver Lake events.

Winning Gear:

Umbrella rig gear: 7'11" heavy Abu Garcia Veritas casting rod, Abu Garcia Revo Premier casting reel (7:1 ratio), 25-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line, homemade 5-wire umbrella rig, unnamed 1/8-ounce jigs, unnamed 3" swim baits (shad color).

While he threw a homemade version of the Alabama Rig, Dudley said Berkley is working on a prototype of the lure, which he'll be using once it's ready. Rigged with Berkley Powerbait Split Belly Swimbaits, he believes the rig will be deadly.

Wacky rig gear: 7' medium-heavy Abu Garcia Verdict spinning rod, Abu Garcia Revo Premier 30 spinning reel (5.8:1 ratio), 10-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line, unnamed 2/0 straight-shank worm hook, unnamed soft stickbait (green pumpkin).

Main factor: "Just being mentally tough and making good decisions on the water."

Performance edge: "The rod and reel combo I was using. You can really cast the A-rig a long ways with that combo."

If Morgan has learned anything over the years from fishing Beaver Lake, it's to simply listen to the lake and fish the conditions. He did just that, throwing the umbrella rig from start to finish to claim the runner-up position. He went through at least 15 keepers a day and virtually all of them were largemouths.

"I never knew I could put together 4 solid days," he said. ÒIÕve been here enough and been to the other Ozarks lakes enough to know that if you donÕt fish the conditions, you will get beat. "We had really good conditions for what I was doing. If we had had a bright, sunny and slick day, I might have gagged out, but a lot of other people wouldÕve, too."

Umbrella rig gear: 7' medium heavy homemade spinnerbait rod, Shimano Core casting reel (7:1 ratio), 20-pound Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line, unnamed 5-wire umbrella rig, 3/16-oz. War Eagle jig heads, Zoom Swimming Super Fluke Junior (albino).

He weighed a couple of spawners on day 1 throwing a Zoom Finesse Worm (watermelon candy) in flooded bushes.

Main factor: "Not having anything set in my head. I didnÕt really have any preconceived areas that I was just dying to get to. I fished by the seat of my pants. That seems to work out for me about as good as anything. If I can do that, I tend to do better. If I have areas I want to get to, I always seem to fish too fast or worry about somebody beating me to it."

Performance edge: "The Gamma Edge line. I have a lot of confidence in that. I donÕt retie a lot in a day doing when I was doing what I was doing. I have so much confidence in that Gamma that I might retie four times a day, but I use that stuff like itÕs braid. I get pretty gutsy with where I throw it."

Before the tournament, Clausen talked about his desire for some weather to roll through the Beaver Lake area during the tournament because the fishing tends to toughen up on the deep, clear reservoir in slick, calm conditions.

He didnÕt get his wish on day 1, but his 13-09 catch was enough to get him inside the Top 10 right away in 9th place. The wind howled on day 2 and he rode his 13-11 stringer to the lead at the halfway point. By day 3, he was all-in with the umbrella rig.

ÒAfter day 2, it was the only rod on the deck,Ó he said. ÒI had supreme confidence in it. What I know of the Alabama Rig, the likelihood of it outsmarting a bigger, more educated fish is greater now since it hasnÕt been around too long.Ó

He was constantly reading the conditions and adjusting his retrieve to trigger bites.ÒI kept trying different stuff,Ó he added. ÒOnce IÕd get it figured out, it would work for a couple hours.Ó In the mornings, heÕd tend to catch fish in deeper water (10 to 12 feet) before sliding up shallow (2 to 5 feet) in the afternoon.

ÒSome mornings were tough before I figured out the deep-water stuff,Ó he noted. He only went through eight keepers on day 4 despite working in some areas that heÕd laid off of mostly during the previous days. ÒI went there and didnÕt get bit,Ó he said. ÒIt seemed the other days IÕd figure something out during day and catch deeper off a bank or catch them shallower. IÕd be able to do a lot of work in an hour or two. It just didnÕt happen on day 4.Ó

Umbrella rig gear: 7Õ7Ó Megabass Orochi X4 flipping rod, unnamed casting reel, 16- and 20-pound Gamma fluorocarbon line, unnamed 5-wire umbrella rig, homemade 3/16-oz. jigs (4/0 hooks), 3Ó Z-Man SwimmerZ (black back shad).

He fished the 16-pound line in deeper water and threw the 20-pound on shallower stuff.

Main factor: ÒThe biggest thing was the rig, but also the versatility and figuring it out during the day.Ó

Performance edge: ÒTwo things -- that Megabass rod. It has a really parabolic action, but itÕs heavy enough to cast and load up to land those fish. Also, my Mercury engine. I ran around a lot and was on plane probably 50 to 60 times a day. IÕm really impressed with that engine.Ó

For several years now, Beaver Lake has ranked as CanterburyÕs least favorite lake in the country. That perception is slowly changing after he notched another Top-10 finish, the seventh FLW Tour Top-10 of his career.

ÒItÕs come a long way,Ó he said. ÒTo catch that 19-pound bag (on day 3) and IÕve caught a 20-pound bag in practice before just shows that theyÕre in there and the thing that helps is there are a lot more keepers. ItÕs not near as hard to catch a limit of keeper largemouths than it used to be. There are a lot of fish in the lake.Ó

He marked some fish late in practice around Prairie Creek and intended on fishing there and in a couple other creeks on the lower end of the lake. He anticipated being able to catch 10 to 13 pounds per day in those areas. He boxed 11 pounds pretty quickly on day 1, but didnÕt have anywhere to run to for upgrades. He eventually bolted the lower end and ran up War Eagle Creek where heÕd caught a good stringer last year.

ÒThat was really by best practice Ð the first day of the tournament,Ó he said, Òand then I expanded on it every day.Ó He caught 80 percent of his weigh fish on an umbrella rig, but wishes he wouldÕve gotten on the topwater bite that seemed to develop on the weekend.

ÒThey were just changing so fast and I didnÕt keep up with them quite enough,Ó he said. ÒIf I wouldÕve changed up and found them running out on those shallower points with the water warming up, I mightÕve done a little better. ÒI did all I could do and everything I had into it. You can get close, but itÕll come. If I put myself in contention enough times, itÕll happen.Ó

Umbrella rig gear: 7Õ3Ó heavy TigeRodz casting rod, 7Õ3Ó heavy Abu Garcia Veritas casting rod, Abu Garcia Revo MGX casting reel (7.9:1 ratio), 50-pound Berkley Big Game Braid line, 1/2-ounce 4-wire Swim NÕ Frenzy Mini Frenzy umbrella rig, 1/16- and 3/16-oz. unnamed jig heads, 4Ó Berkley Powerbait Split Belly swimbaits (gizzard shad).

The rig he used was similar to the one used by Spencer Shuffield to finish 2nd at Table Rock in early April. ÒThe smaller rig, with the smaller swimbaits on it, I was fishing it like a spinnerbait. I could actually pitch in dock slips and brush and work it out pretty easily. With the smaller bait, it helps the casting and accuracy.Ó

He also used 3/8-oz. jigs from the MannÕs Alabama Rig on the bottom wires to allow his bait to track straight.

Main factor: ÒJust staying confident and positive about everything. That was the biggest thing. I caught a good bag out there one day during practice and I knew there were big ones in there.Ó

Performance edge: ÒEverything that I use -- my Ranger boat, Evinrude motor, my line, reels and rods all the way down to my Typhoon sunglasses.Ó

Browne fished his strength all week, power-fishing banks and wood in the river. He checked on some old holes and banks in the clearer water down the lake, but chose to fish river stuff after seeing a shad spawn was underway. He got some quality bites flipping wood and throwing spinnerbaits in practice.

ÒI just expanded on it from there,Ó he said. ÒWhen I saw that going on and IÕd had some good largemouth bites, I knew thatÕs where I was going to spend my time.Ó Browne did throw an umbrella rig on day 1, but only caught dinks. ÒI guess I didnÕt throw it long enough and didnÕt dedicate myself to itÓ he said. ÒI got a few bites flipping and off I went.

ÒThe first couple days you had to fish the flatter banks,Ó he added. ÒThe waterÕs been dropping a little bit every day and you could catch them around the flat, mud banks flipping. That stuff was shallow and with the water down another 6 inches since weÕve been here. I got most of my bites the last 2 days off more 45-degree banks and bluff-type banks. In that kind of cover, the fish can move up and down and still be in the cover.Ó

Flipping gear: 8Õ double-extra heavy Carrot Stix Wild Black casting rod, LewÕs Tournament Pro Speed Spool casting reel (6.4:1 ratio), 20-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line, 5/16-oz. Gambler tungsten flipping weight, 5/0 Gamakatsu Super Line EWG hook, Gambler Flipp'n Tube (black neon chartreuse), Warrior Baits Quiver Bug (summer craw).

He also caught some fish on day 4 throwing the Heddon Super Spook Junior (bone).

Main factor: ÒJust sticking to it. You couldnÕt get frustrated or flustered too much. You just had to keep your head down and keep going. Every day, IÕd probably catch 30 fish and catch five to eight keepers. If you got impatient, you werenÕt going to stay with it. You had to have confidence you were going to get bites.Ó

Performance edge: ÒMy boat. You need to have a good boat and good engine and a good rod and reel. TheyÕre great.Ó

BeaverFLW Tour Winning Pattern Bassfan 5/1/12 (Todd Ceisner)

Beaver Lake Patterns 2-5 Bassfan 5/2/12 (Todd Ceisner)