Most anglers have a love-hate relationship with Beaver Lake in Arkansas. Some love it; a lot hate it.

That’s the opinion of Brian Travis, pro angler from Conover, N.C., who has been practicing on Beaver this week for the FLW Tour’s first Major of the year.

On Sunday, the first day of practice Travis was loving it.

“It was about 68-69 degrees Sunday and I think the fish bit better for everybody. I had seven keepers that day and a lot of people I know caught some big fish on Sunday.”

But the euphoria was short-lived. Things changed quickly Sunday night when a cold front blew a line of storms across the region, dropping temperatures 20 degrees by Monday – and giving the bass a severe case of lockjaw.

That’s when Travis began hating Beaver Lake.

“Fishing has been terrible,” Travis said. “I’ve caught four fish the last two days and no keepers. I’ve also talked to 10 or 15 other guys and nobody I’ve talked to is catching fish.”

The first couple of days after the storm, he said, it was hard to find water above the mid-50-degree range. On Tuesday, he noticed it beginning to creep up and found some areas with 48-49 degree water.

“The fish are in pre-spawn and they should be moving up. They had a really cold winter up here, though. Just four weeks ago they had 20 inches of snow, but then it turned off pretty warm.”

And, although the water has warmed slightly, he said, the fish have not moved out of the deeper areas yet.

“I”m sure some have started to move up,” Travis said, hopefully.

Before the storm Sunday night most anglers were catching fish on jerkbaits and crankbaits, he said, with a few coming on Shakey Heads.

The spot he caught those seven good fish on Sunday is along a little bank he discovered in a previous tournament on Beaver Lake.

“I caught a few there and then they fell out in that tournament. But they were there the other day. It is setting up like it could be a good staging place,” he said.

“If it warms up like it is supposed to – it’s supposed to be 70 degrees Thursday, the first day of the tournament – I plan to fish that stretch of bank with a jerkbait. If that doesn’t pan out I am probably going to run the river where the water is dirty and throw a Wiggle Wart and a jig along the little bluff banks.”

When the tournament is over Travis, who already has a top 20 finish this year, placing 14^th in the FLW Tour Open on Lake Okeechobee a month ago, will head to Dallas, Texas, to represent his main sponsor, Frog Tape, at the Great big Texas Home Show at Cowboy Stadium. Frog Tape is a painter’s tape treated with Paint Block to keep paint out and lines sharp when painting along edges,

“Things are going really good with Frog Tape and they are happy,” he said of the sponsorship. But, he added, he has some real sponsor competition this year on the FLW Tour.

“3-M came on board with FLW so I’ve got my hands full. I’ve got to beat the 3-M boat.” Travis said pro angler Ray Scheide of Dover, Ark., is sponsored this year by 3-M.

But, everybody appears to be in pretty much the same boat when it comes to catching fish in the first FLW Tour Major of the year.

“Everybody is kind of depressed right now, but we will see how this one turns out,” Travis said. “A lot of guys are wondering how it will turn out. Some are thinking 5 pounds a day will make a check.”

Things could change quickly if the weather warms like it is supposed to, he noted.

“They had a winter trail tournament here a week ago and it took over 23 pounds to win it. There are some big ones here. It’s just a matter of finding them and getting them to bite.”

 

FLW Tour Major #1

Lake: Beaver Lake

Landing: Prairie Creek Park

Date: March 3-6, 2011

www.flwoutdoors.com