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BASS Returns to Lake Dardanelle
with Second Stop on 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series Trail
March 20, 2009 - The 2009 Bassmaster Elite
Series brings BASS back to an old friend in Arkansas' Lake Dardanelle
for the March 26-29 Diamond Drive out of Russellville. The last
BASS tournament held there was a 2007 Bassmaster Major won by
Boyd Duckett of Demopolis, Ala., not long after his 2007 Bassmaster
Classic victory. Duckett's four-day total weight for the event
was 55 pounds, 9 ounces.
Fishing fans can catch all of the on-the-water
action from the Diamond Drive on The Bassmasters, which airs
Saturday, April 4, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The daily weigh-ins
for this and all other regular-season Elite events and two postseason
events will be live on ESPN360.com, ESPN's broadband sports network,
while a wealth of unique content will also be available at Bassmaster.com.
The Diamond Drive includes a top prize of $100,000
and awards valuable points in the 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster
Angler of the Year title race. Fans are encouraged to attend
daily launches (7:15 a.m. CT) and weigh-ins (4 p.m.) Thursday
through Sunday at Lake Dardanelle State Park, 100 State Park
Drive, Russellville. Before Day Three competition Saturday, the
field will be cut to the top 50 anglers. Only the top 12 will
go on to compete in Sunday's final day.
Part of the Arkansas River Valley, the 34,300-acre
Lake Dardanelle has been host to five BASS events. Duckett's
August 2007 victory came together on the final day of competition,
after he struggled to find the bite in deeper water on Day Three.
He switched to a heavy jig a 1 12-ounce Tru Tungsten flipped
to shallow grass mats. He also used a 3/16-ounce Tru Tungsten
jig with a 7-inch, electric blue Berkley Power Worm.
Two years later, second-year Elite Series pro Clark
Reehm of Russellville, Ark., says anglers should expect an entirely
different fishery.
"Most of the grass is dead, it hasn't grown
yet," Reehm said. "And the water temp is 52 to 54 degrees.
There are very few limits being weighed in at local tournaments."
He added that the pros who have been to Dardanelle
in the past might rely on 40 to 50 fish caught a day, but the
bounty won't be that plentiful in the Diamond Drive.
"Granted this is the Elites, but if the fish
aren't there, they aren't there. Even the short fish usually
you catch 20-50 short fish, and it doesn't seem like people are
catching even that many."
Reehm, who has five top-10 finishes in BASS competition,
anticipates a lot of action on Spinnerbaits or jigs, noting that
the trick will be to get keepers to bite. He predicts an overall
weight of 70-75 pounds to win the tournament.
"About 17-18 pounds a day," he said.
"A lot of guys will come in without limits. Usually this
time of year there are about 90 limits, but this time there might
be 40-50 limits, just judging from local tournaments that have
happened lately."
Reehm said that, given the time of the year, most
of the pros will be shallow and the lake will fish small.
"It's a river system, so the fish are shallow
anyway, except in the summer," he said. "There might
be a river bite, but for the most part guys will be in backwater
bays. It's probably going to be won on water that's real difficult
to get into."
Reehm lives about six minutes from the boat ramp
at Dardanelle, though he said he has no local advantage on the
lake. In fact, he predicted that Kevin Short and Billy McCaghren,
two Elite pros from Mayflower who have fished Dardanelle all
their lives, will be the ones to beat in the Diamond Drive.
Sunday's activities include the live taping of
Hooked Up, hosted by ESPN Outdoors personalities Mark Zona and
Tommy Sanders. The show, which will air live at 4:30 p.m. ET
on ESPN360.com, will preview Sunday's final weigh-in.
Other activities Saturday and Sunday at the Diamond
Drive, including Dog Training & Retriever Demonstrations
Brought To You By Sport Dog, will begin at 1 p.m. CT at Lake
Dardanelle State Park. Fans are invited to join the "Ask
the Experts" session with the Elite pros during Bassmaster
University, set for Saturday, March 28, at 3 p.m. CT.
All events at the Diamond Drive are free and open
to the public.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208
or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN's latest
releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video, audio
clips and more.
Local sponsors of the Diamond Drive is the Sate
of Arkansas and Russellville A&P Commission.
Sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series: Toyota Trucks, Berkley,
BOOYAH Baits, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries,
Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Marine; Bass Pro Shops, Costa Del Mar,
Ramada, SpongeTech and Triton Boats.
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