“The water temperature was in the upper 50s and low 60s and the fish are wanting to spawn. They are just not up yet and if we were not getting a cold front this week, I think they would be up there,” thrift said.

The weather in northwest Arkansas was headed towards springtime but shifted back to a winter feel at mid-week, with temperatures in low to mid-30s overnight, dropping below freezing Wednesday night, with temperatures predicted in the low 50s Thursday, and winds blowing from 10 to 25 miles per hour. The weather will finally begin warming to the mid-50s Friday and slightly Saturday to the mid-60s and Sunday up to the low 70s.

Before the cold front moved in Thrift had found fishing in practice “fair to decent,” he said. He said he had two good days when the fish were biting, but they started slacking off by Tuesday.

“I haven’t figured out a strategy for the tournament yet,” Thrift said. “But, it’s probably going to be normal Beaver Lake fishing. You will just have to cover a lot of water and hope you run across one or two good fish each day.”

Thrift has a pretty solid record on Beaver Lake in his seven years as an FLW pro. He has earned a check in all five appearances, with three top 25 finishes including a first place in March 2011.

“I’ve done pretty good here in the past, but on this lake it is hard to say what you are going to do in a tournament. You just never know,” said Thrift who has won more than $1 million in FLW Outdoors tournaments in his career, with five wins and 29 top 10 appearances.

Thrift has qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup all six years since he turned pro, with five top 15 finishes in the championship, including last year’s third place on Georgia’s Lake Lanier. He was Angler of the Year in 2010 and has never finished below 8^th place in the annual rankings.

At this point in 2013, with Beaver Lake the halfway point in the season, Thrift is 10^th in the AOY standings, a position he hopes to hold or even improve on this week.

Although he has already qualified for the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup by finishing 5^th in the AOY standings in the FLW Open Division in 2012, Thrift has his eye on another points championship.

“It’s been a good year so far, but I need to keep it rolling. I need another top 10 here, but that might be a shot in the dark,” he said. “But I always try to do the best I can in a tournament. You always want to make sure you stay up there and give yourself a chance to make Angler of the Year.”

FLW Tour Major

Apr 11-14, 2013

Beaver Lake

Prairie Creek Park

www.flwoutdoors.com