Master of the Mud

BEAVER LAKE - The recent openings of Beaver Dam’s spillway gates pulled muddy water all the way to the dam, perhaps for the first time since the 1960s.

If those reports are reliable, the muddying of the entire lake would be in line with weather experts labeling the storms and floods of this spring a half-century event.

The FLW Wal-Mart Open bass tournament has only been around for a few years, but suffice to say, the bass pros competing today through Sunday have never seen the lake so high and dirty.

Granted, the water is clearing near the dam, where on Saturday the lake bottom was visible as much as 10 feet out from shore. A family of scuba divers donning wetsuits at Dam Site Park certainly seemed to think the water was clear enough for diving.

However, the condition of the lake was markedly different a couple of hours later at the Arkansas 12 bridge launch ramp. The water was muddy as far as one could see toward Prairie Creek Park, up the lake past Bear Island and down the lake south of the bridge.

Nevertheless, as the high water lapped onto the low side of the parking lot, the high side of the parking lot was lined with the colorful vehicles and trailers of FLW contenders out trying to make sense of the situation.

One pro who can do just that with the best of them - George Cochran of Hot Springs - had agreed to take a guest aboard for a couple hours of practice fishing while sharing his morning impressions of the lake.

While lingering at the ramp, the lake was remarkably quiet and deserted, with not a boat to be seen except for one “wrapped” rig bearing sponsor logos whose occupants showed up to briefly fish the flooded willows lining the lakeside of the parking lot. The two anglers not only cast between the trees, but also behind them, perhaps testing an asphalt pattern.

Meanwhile, the conditions were far from being all quiet on the western front, where thunderheads were building and approaching as the leading edge of a storm line that would include supercells and tornadoes. The pros would soon learn that such weather had been a weekly affair this spring and that they could expect to see more of it sooner than later.

The approaching storms would result in one of the shortest fishing outings in my many years of experience, but Cochran would make it worthwhile for average bass fishermen who have stayed off Beaver Lake because of its high and muddy conditions.

During his 27-year professional career, Cochran has established himself as not only one of the top pros of Arkansas, but also of the entire country. With remarkable consistency in Bassmaster tournaments, he earned the right to compete in 21 Bassmaster Classic championships, winning two of them and pocketing$1,110,609 in career winnings.

Since he started fishing the FLW Tour in 1996, the amiable pro has quickly amassed $857,650 in earnings, including winning the 2005 FLW Tour Championship and $500,000 on Lake Hamilton in his hometown. He is the only pro to win the Classic twice and the FLW Tour Championship.

Along the way, Cochran also has become known as one of the most generous pros in terms of sharing his expertise.

More to the point for Beaver Lake fishermen this spring, he is considered a specialist at fishing muddy water. In fact, longtime friend and fellow bass pro Larry Nixon of Bee Branch once dubbed Cochran “the best mudhole fisherman in the world.”

SHOW AND TELL

On account of the rumble of thunder to the west, Cochran was a man in a hurry when he arrived at the ramp.

“The radar is showing some violent storms coming, so we won’t get to fish long,” he said as we pulled away from the ramp in his Ranger Z-20 bass boat with its distinctive Wal-Mart wrapping.

I was anxious to hear his impression of the lake during his first morning of practice fishing, and Cochran was forthcoming.

“I’ve seen the lake high before and I’ve seen it muddy up the river arm, but I’ve never seen it this high or so dirty out in so much of the main lake” he said, speaking of tournament experiences dating to the 1980s on Beaver Lake.

Relative to the water level, Cochran reached his arm up to show he could nearly touch the Arkansas 12 bridge while idling under it during a short run down the lake and back.

He had heard of the clear water near the dam but quickly dismissed the idea of going there.

“I expect almost half the field will be up there during practice and during the tournament, fishing with spinning rods and little worms for those little bass,”Cochran said.

He also said the bass spawn starting in the clear water to provide sight-casting opportunities, but he expected no spawning pattern in the dirty water.

“Bass don’t like to spawn in dirty water,” Cochran said. “They’ll get shallow, but they will wait until the water clears, even if takes until June.”

The tip for average anglers in that comment is alerting them to the opportunity to follow the bass spawn as the clear-water line moves across the lake.

Instead of heading toward the dam Saturday morning, Cochran said he had stayed in the off-colored water within 2-3 miles of the Arkansas 12 bridge.

“Fishing dirty water is my strong point, so I’m going to spend all my time in it practicing and during the tournament,” he said. “I believe if you can get a good pattern going in this water, you have a chance to catch the bigger fish that can win the tournament.

“I’ve already got a couple of nice fish in the livewell to show you,” he added.

Indeed, he had one bass weighing about 2 pounds and a nicer one in the neighborhood of 4 pounds. Both fish were largemouths, both were females with eggs and both were of pale color associated with muddy water.

In spite of hitting the lake cold turkey in unusual conditions, Cochran would have already been on track to catch a heavy string if the tournament had started.

WORKING TIGHT TO COVER

He wasn’t shy about revealing the kind of spots he had been fishing, heading straightaway to a shoreline with flooded cottonwoods, willows and green trees.

“In high, muddy water, the bass move up shallow close to green cover becausethat’s where the bait is - and that’s where I’m fishing,” Cochran explained. “But muddy water also makes casting critical because the bass will be holding real tight in the green cover.

“So what you have to do is fish real slow and present the lure very precise and close to the cover. The main mistake fishermen make is fishing too fast in muddy water.”

He demonstrated by flipping a jig right down into the branches and close to the trunks of green trees, noting that the jig was his foremost choice for fishing dirty water. Notably, the trailer on his jig was a large, green-colored crawfish pattern.

“For big fish, the jig is number one. I fish a 3/8-ounce Strike King jig with a variety of trailers,” Cochran said. “But in muddy water, you want a bulky trailer that sinks slower and moves more water when it falls tight to the cover.”

His second choice was a dark-green soft-plastic lure that resembled a long, narrow tube bait with arms, paddles and skirted tail.

“This lure is called a Wild Thing andis a bulky, lizard-type lure,” Cochran said, noting that he rigs the lure with a regular worm weight.

His third pick was a spinner bait that was notable for having four willowleaf blades in graduated sizes, large to small.

“If the fish get real aggressive, I’ll use a spinner bait like this one, but again, I’m going to be fishing it tight and slow in the green cover to keep it in the strike zone as long as possible,” Cochran said.

Such was his advice before the thunderstorm looming overhead with flashes of lightning led Cochran to hurriedly call an end to the outing with no argument on my part.

Before parting, he said he always has a good time fishing the Wal-Mart Open on Beaver Lake, where he shares a cabin with powerhouse pros like Nixon, fellow Hot Springs pro Rob Kilby and longtime friend Tommy Martin of Hemphill, Texas.

“But I’m not here for fun,” he assured. “I’m here to win this thing, and I like my chances in this muddy water.”

History says his chances are worth nearly $2 million so far.