Posted -  May 15th, 2008 11:22pm CST

Mark Pack Leads a Tight FLW Tour Field After Day One

Story by Dru Smith - Photos by  Matt Pangrac

Rogers, AR – 200 FLW pros waded into the muddy waters of Beaver Lake to test their skills against each other and the water logged conditions of Northern Arkansas. Adding insult to injury, Mother Nature opened the rain clouds on the 200 man field on the already water soaked Beaver Lake. 

As anticipated, limits were plentiful as 160, five fish limits crossed the stage and the overall weights exceeded average totals from years past. Split into two different types of water, clearer down by the dam and muddy everywhere else, many of the pros ran back and forth trying to decipher the quality bites.

On a rain soaked Thursday, Mark Pack, from Mineola, Texas, pulled five fish from the dirty waters of Beaver Lake. His day one total of 14-13 gave him a slim lead heading into Friday’s final qualifying round. Fellow Texan, Jason Reyes fell into second with 14 pounds even tied with Yamaha pro Joel Richardson.

Local favorite, Greg Bohanan came in with 13-12 pounds to secure fourth. Sam Newby and Dan Morehead rounded out the top five.

The projected cut line could be around the 23 pound range and several anglers are still within striking distance. Beaver Lake has shown it can produce quality weights when the conditions are right. 

Skinny Water for Pack
Journeyman, Mark Pack relied on the shallows of Beaver Lake to post the day’s best weight. “We probably caught 50 fish today and 30 were keepers,” Pack said about his 
day on the water. “We stayed in 2 foot or less all day.”

With a decent limit in the boat by 10:30 a.m., Mark left his primary area to look at some new water, but plans to return to his primary area in the morning. “I had one other boat come into there this morning, but he was exactly on the right spot. I think there are enough fish in there to last four days.”

Pack believes that 10 to 12 pounds on Friday will ensure him a spot in the top ten.

Back and Forth for Reyes
Fishing in just his second year on the FLW tour, Jason Reyes is still looking for that first top ten cut. His 14 pound stringer on Thursday will give the angler, from Humble Texas, a fighting chance. “I ran up lake and went back down lake,” he said. “I finesse fished in the clearer water and power fished in the muddy areas.”

Reyes put an early limit in the boat from the relatively clear part of Beaver closer to the dam. With five decent fish in the livewell he went down lake with hopes of improving his weight. “I found a little stretch of bank that was holding good fish in practice. I ran back in there today and with just 30 minutes left, I caught my best fish of the day.”

Reyes has no plans of letting up believing it will take at least 21 pounds to make the cut. "These guys are too good not to fish hard,” he said. “If conditions warm up the bite could get even better.”

Right Time for Richardson
Joel Richardson calls Kernerville, NC., home, but this week he feels right at home on Beaver Lake. “This place fishes just like Kerr Lake and Bugs Island when they’re high,” he revealed. “With the high water and the shad spawn going, conditions are lining up for some good weights to be caught.”

Richardson alternated between a spinnerbait and crankbait to catch his 14 pound limit on day one. Predicting even better conditions on Friday, Richardson is excited about his chances. “My pattern is getting stronger. The first year I came here the water was high and I missed the cut by just a few ounces. I’m catching fish off the same spots now as I did back then.”

Local Comes Through
Being a local favorite has its advantages and disadvantages. You enter the tournament with confidence from past experiences, but often times the past can come back to haunt you. Greg Bohannan entered the Beaver Lake event as a home town boy and a definite favorite. “I’ve been excited about this tournament because of the high water,” he said. “The fish do certain things on this lake when the water is like this I know where they will be.” Greg admitted that it has been since his college days that he can remember the lake being this high, but he feels comfortable having the home town curse hanging over him.

Bohannan started fishing at 7:03 a.m. on Thursday and had his limit by 7:12 a.m. “I came into this with about 8 spots I wanted to concentrate on. I only got to fish three of them because other guys were fishing on some of the areas.”

Bohannan’s intimate knowledge of the lake lead to his day one success. With the muddy conditions, he felt he had an advantage over the other competitors. “I am fishing stuff out in front of the bushes and little rock piles that I know exactly where they are located. You can’t see the structure, but I know where it is.”

Looking at the 21 pound mark as the cut off, Bohannan is little nervous about his chances. “I’m not worried about the weather, but fishing pressure could change things. Some of the guys are starting to get dialed in on what the fish are doing. I feel like I can catch a decent limit tomorrow.”


Newby No More
Another long time pro, Sam Newby is looking for a chance to secure his second win on the FLW tour. With a strong limit of 13-07 on Thursday, Newby is in position to make his fourth top ten on the Tour. “I started out catching a lot little spotted bass,” he said “I moved to a different area and started catching better quality largemouths.”

Newby stayed in the dingier water all day and felt comfortable with the conditions. “I’m fishing my strengths. If the sun comes out the largemouth bite could get better.”

Looking for another 12 or so pounds on Friday, the angler from Pocala, OK isn’t sure what to expect. “I don’t know how it is going to play out. I feel good about what I am doing, but things could change in a hurry. They always seem to do around here.”

Change Key for Morehead
Dan Morehead has had an up and down season thus far with a 6th at Toho, 122nd at Lewis-Smith and a 43rd at Lake Norman. On Thursday, he put a 13 pound limit in the boat and will begin Friday’s round in 6th. “The day started off horrible with all the rain,” Morehead said. “I had a particular pattern that worked for me in practice, but it didn’t work today.”

Around 10:00 a.m. in the morning, Morehead changed tactics and the bass responded. “I went to flipping and I’m just happy to have what I did. The conditions are changing and I think tomorrow will be better.”

Morehead had a better than average practice, but the weather was key to his success. “I did a lot better with clear skies and a slight wind. I had my mind set going into today’s round that I was doing the right thing. I think I have a good idea of where the fish are staging.”

We a mindset of run and gun, Morehead plans to tough it out on Friday. “I think you will see the weights drop off on Friday. I like Beaver because it is a pattern lake. I will try to run my pattern on new water tomorrow.” 

THE TOP 100 AFTER DAY ONE