Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock and Marina Services

Bull Shoals Lake: A Incredible Fishery for Bassmaster Elite Anglers, Amateurs or Families By Jill M. Rohrbach, travel writer Apr 30, 2012 Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Bull Shoals Lake is an incredible fishery – just ask a pro, especially those at the recent Bassmaster Elite Series TroKar Quest held April 19-22 on this 60,000-acre impoundment.

“Most definitely this is one of the best lakes I’ve fished in a long time,” said Bassmaster Pro Gerald Swindle. “If you’ve got children and you want to spend some time fishing, I would definitely look at Bull Shoals. You can put a line in and catch fish anywhere. It’s like Christmas.” He added that his wife now wants to visit Bull Shoals to fish.

Swindle placed 41st in the tournament and was a commentator for the event, which will air on April 29 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET on ESPN Classic.

Aerial view of the Bull Shoals White River State Park

With a four-day total of 78 pounds, 6 ounces, Brandon Palaniuk, 24, won the TroKar Quest and $100,000. Comprised of 100 of the most talented anglers in bass fishing, the field of competitors has won more than 200 Bassmaster tournaments, 17 Bassmaster Classic championships and 21 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles. The Elite field - especially anglers such as four-time Classic champ Rick Clunn of Missouri, perennial qualifier Kevin VanDam of Michigan, and several popular Arkansas favorites like Mark Davis of Mount Ida, and Scott Rook of Little Rock - drew the public to attend the daily weigh-in events.

Nearly all of the anglers remarked on the fantastic fishery that Bull Shoals Lake offers as well as the great support and turnout for the event from the community. Many also expressed a desire to return to Bull Shoals Lake. The tournament was based at Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock and Bull Shoal-White River State Park.

Palaniuk was able to land some big fish to make the difference in his win. Every angler was catching a lot of fish and weeded through the keepers to gain ounces. Most were cranking bluff walls and transitions.

“This is a phenomenal fishery. I probably had 150 keepers over the last three days,” said Jason Quinn. Compared to other waters, Quinn said it ranks up there because “you can just go out there and catch ‘em.”

Palaniuk fished tight angles on small brush and rock piles in open water. On day three he hooked himself in his left pinky finger when he was reaching down for a catch and it shook. “It was a KVD treble and went all the way to the bone,” Palaniuk explained. “I took 20 minutes to try to push it out but it wasn’t doing.”

He had to head to the Mountain Home emergency room. He was in and out in one and a half hours, then back on the water fishing.

Derek Remitz, who landed in 9th place with 60 pounds, 13 ounces said, “This is like a diamond in the rough.” He caught most of his fish on crankbait. They were biting about everything he threw in, type and color. “Throw it in, wind it in, and run a pattern,” he said.

Finishing in 6th place with 63 pounds, 1 ounce, Cliff Pace said, “This place is unbelievable how many fish you catch. My hands hurt so bad yesterday I could barely get fish out of my live well.”He nodded off the ubiquitous holding up of his fish at final weigh-in because he said he’d be lucky if he could even open a pickle jar later.

Edwin Evers weighed in with a solid 66 pounds for 4th place, and said he fished 45 degree banks.

“I’ve been here seven days and I saw 21 more spots today that I’d like to fish.” He told Bassmasters, “I’d come back anytime you guys want to come back.”

Brent Chapman, 6th place with 64 pounds, 7 ounces, agreed and remarked on the amazing Sunday crowd for the final tournament weigh-in. He said he used an old-school wiggle wart and “something that hasn’t caught on here yet, a top shelf swimbait. That’s what I caught all my big fish on.”

Keith Poche, who ended in 12th place with 58 pounds, 3 ounces, said he “didn’t think this fishery would do these kinds of numbers but it did.” Mark Menendez, 11th place with 59.5, added, “It is a beautiful place, a fantastic place to fish.” He said Bull Shoals Lake will be “off the hook in another year or two.”

Arkansan Scott Rook, 8th place with 61.8, worked a square-billed crankbait. “I caught 20 pounds a day in practice,” he said. “I’ve caught more fish this week than in a long time. Bull Shoals is alive and well.”

For more details on this Elite Series event, visit www.Bassmaster.com.

In addition to fishing, Bull Shoals Lake offers recreation activities in boating, skiing, swimming, camping, picnicking and scuba diving. Facilities are located in 19 parks operated by the Corps of Engineers, Arkansas State Parks, local governments and a marina. These parks include 18 boat ramps, 11 campgrounds, 13 picnic shelters, 11 marinas, 7 designated swim areas, and hundreds of miles of undeveloped shoreline. For more information, visit www.Arkansas.com.

Branson Palaniuk with two of his best courtesy http://www.bassmaster.com

Hosting the event are the Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock, Mountain Home, Ark., State Representative and Executive Director of Ozark Mountain Region, Kelley Linck and the State of Arkansas.

 • Keeping the faith at Bull Shoals

• Palaniuk takes lead at TroKar Quest

• Bull Shoals: Day One Quotes

• Bull Shoals Showing Off

• Bull Shoals on the upswing

• Bull Shoals Full of Bass

• Noone Saw This Coming

• Day Two Launch

• Day Two on Bull Shoals Lake

• Determined Palaniuk leads on Day Two

• Palaniuk on Day Three

• 2012 Trokar Quest Weigh Ins

• Day Three on Bull Shoals Lake

• Day Three Weigh In

• Notes and Quotes from Day Three

• Palaniuk Continues Pursuit of Win at Trokar Quest

• Day Four Launch on Bull Shoals

• Day Four from the Air: Sunrise over Bull Shoals Lake

• Poche is on the Right Track

• Bull Shoals is Better Than Ever!

• Wind Picks Up, Fish Activity Too

• Palaniuk Wins!

Russ Lane photo by Tom Marler 4/20/12

Bassmaster Elite Series To Uncover Bull Shoals’ Potential by B.A.S.S. News Apr. 19 - 22, 2012 - Bull Shoals, AR.

Elite Series angler Kevin Short believes Bull Shoals Lake is the best in the White River chain. He will take on the fishery in the upcoming TroKar quest.

Bull Shoals, something of a sleeper lake for several years, will be getting a wake-up call April 19-22 in the Bassmaster Elite Series Trokar Quest Tournament, the first time the Bassmaster Elite Series has stopped at the Arkansas-Missouri border fishery.

"The last lake in the White River chain, Bull Shoals is, in my opinion, the best lake in the chain, and it’s received the least amount of pressure," said Kevin Short, one of the 99 Bassmaster Elite Series pros in the event.

One reason for such an unpressured bass fishery, Short said, can be traced to consecutive years of high water. Bass were able to wiggle deep into flooded shoreline trees, some submerged in an extra 30 feet of water. Fishing that "flooded forest" was so frustrating, many an angler quickly gave up wrestling with the lure-eating tree limbs.

The spawns proceeded, and year classes of bass - largemouth, smallmouth and spotted - flourished.

The 2012 Elite field should see levels as close to normal as they’ve been for some time, Short said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which regulates the lake, has been steadily drawing water through the system in anticipation of heavy spring rainfall toward the end of the month.

"People pull up to the shoreline, see the old waterline, and think the lake’s low. It’s not. It’s actually going to be at normal pool level, or maybe a little bit above, when we get there," he said.

From Mayflower, Ark., Short knows White River impoundments. The most recent proof of that is his 2011 win in a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on Table Rock Lake. But success on a Bull Shoals’ sister lake doesn’t make him a shoo-in for the TroKar Quest, Short said. While the lakes are similar - rock-clay-gravel bottom unshaded by vegetation - subtle differences change the game. And his victory was in October.

This time out, Short expects spawning bass to play a role. But unlike in past Aprils, the spawn cycle is on the downhill side because of the warm winter, he noted.

The sheer size of Bull Shoals will tend to spread the field out. The lake is about 45,500 surface acres, has close to 1,000 miles of shoreline (at higher water levels), and scores of seemingly untouched coves. The lake is uncharted competition water for many in the field: it’s been almost 21 years since B.A.S.S. last brought an Elite-caliber tournament to Bull Shoals.

That was in 1991. Now-Elite pro Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., was there, and finished fifth. Although he hasn’t competed on Bull Shoals since, he has visited the lake often "just for fun," he said.

"The lake went through a period of time when the fishing wasn’t very good, but in recent years has come back," Davis said. "Now there’s a good population of all three species - largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. We’ll have mixed bags."

The lake has successfully fought off a bout of largemouth bass virus that affected the fish about 10 years ago, he noted, and the bass are now healthy and numerous.

"We’ll see a lot of 2-, 2 1/2-pound fish," he said. "To win, you’ll need 3 1/2-pound bass on average, and a 2 1/2-pound average to get a check. Anything less isn’t going to win you any money. That’s about normal for a mountain lake."

In an Elite event, each pro can bring in five fish a day, so Davis’ winning-weight estimate shakes out to about 60 to 70 pounds over the event’s four days.

Davis said he’s looking forward to competing on such a huge fishery.

"There’s not a creek, not a pocket, that does not contain fish. It will be a real pleasure to fish," he said.

First prize in the TroKar Quest is $100,000 and a berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic. The third of eight regular-season Elite events, the tournament gives pros another opportunity to earn points that count toward post-season and Classic qualifications. Pros also amass points that count in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race.

Daily weigh-ins at 3:15 p.m. CT will be at Bull Shoals White River State Park (on the east side of the dam), 153 Dam Overlook Lane, Bull Shoals, AR 72619. Fans are invited to arrive early and enjoy the TroKar Quest Family Fest at the park. All Bassmaster activities are free and open to the public.

For fans watching online, the Bassmaster website will provide extensive coverage. When the anglers are on the water, fans can follow along via BASSCam video and BASSTrakk reports from the water, blogs, and the new War Room feature. During the weigh-ins, live video and real-time leaderboards will relay the action. Photo galleries, stories and standings will be posted daily.

The Bassmasters on ESPN2 will feature the TroKar Quest on April 29 at 8 a.m. ET.

Hosting the event are Mountain Home, Ark., and the State of Arkansas.

2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha

2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsor: BOOYAH, Carhartt, Lowrance, Luck "E" Strike, Power-Pole, Ramada

2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Proud Partner: Mustang Survival

About B.A.S.S.

For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications - Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times - comprehensive Bassmaster website and ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series,Cabela’s B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.

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Elite Series pros hit Bull Shoals this weekend for the Trokar Quest event there, and will be facing a much different lake than the two Florida waters they most recently fished. BassGold is a huge resource in such circumstances, though it also offers a lot for folks who just fish locally.

Former B.A.S.S. pro Ken Cook and I took a brief look at what the historical pattern information in BassGold indicates the winning patterns and weights will be next week. Note that because BassGold has nearly 20 years of patterns (exclusive data) from the highly regarded Central Pro-Am circuit, the information on Bull Shoals is particularly good.

Macro Factors

Bank-beaters should have a ball because the "Macro Factors" graph (generally where on a lake to fish) shows that "Shoreline" accounts for 51 percent of top five finishes on the lake in the April-May timeframe. That makes sense: In April and May, bass in deep, clear upland reservoirs generally head to the bank.

Ken: "I'm a little surprised coves and pockets [10 percent of high finishes] aren't better-indicated, but this is late spawn time and the majority of the spawners have probably moved out of the back of the coves and are located around secondary points and small shoreline cuts."

Habitat Factors

At this writing, the lake level is up a bit, which should make bank patterns even more important. And that of course means "Wood," a term in BassGold that in the case of this tournament means mostly bushes.

That's no secret to anyone who knows the lake. As Ken noted, "It's a good thing there's lots of shoreline for anglers to work with because everyone will be looking for the same things."

BassGold shows that "Spawning Beds" are the second-most-effective Habitat Factor, with "Ledge/Drop," "Gravel/Clay" and "Rock" following in that order.

Two important things to note:

1.A lot of the value in BassGold is how you interpret what it's telling you, same as any fishing tool. You'll get different things out of it depending on your fishing experience and knowledge.

2.You can mine some great info from the detailed pattern summaries. To use a recent example, high finishers at the recent EverStart Series tournament on Bull Shoals fished dirtier water ? but not with faster-moving baits, like you'd expect. And one keyed on bushes with bigger bases.

Lures/Baits

Shoreline, bushes, you know what's next: flipping and pitching. Sure enough, the "Lures/Baits" graph in this April-May "Pattern Report" for Bull Shoals shows that typical flip/pitch baits are best ? sort of.

Half to two-thirds of first through fifth patterns incorporated slower-presentation baits like jigs and soft-plastics. But here's where the ability to manipulate the "Pattern Report" graphs is so valuable. Take a look below at the differences between what winners (yellow bars) and second-fifth finishers (orange bars) used.

So if you're fishing this tournament to win it, looks like you should have a jig in your hand.

Though Ken feels that spinnerbaits and squarebill crankbaits could be factors in stained water, he predicts that "the winner will target flooded bushes in main lake pockets and the shoreline with jigs and small crawdad-imitating plastics."

He noted that the topwater bite that develops later in the month on Bull Shoals could be an effective locating technique now.

Winning Weight

The BassGold Pattern Report for April-May shows that winning and placing (second-fifth) weights average in the mid-teens per day. That means a shade less than 15 pounds on the low side and 17 pounds or a little higher on the high side.

More Gold

BassGold.com, a B.A.S.S. partner, is the world's best bass patterning tool. It has taken 45 years of tournament patterns, now over 3,500 and counting, and turned them into data you can search and sift, resulting in pattern "gold" never seen before. As a Bassmaster.com reader, you can get 15 percent off the regular subscription price when you use code BFB001 today.

http://www.bassmaster.com/news/bassgoldcom-previews-bull-shoals

BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES

BULL SHOALS QUEST

Bull Shoals – Mountain Home, Arkansas

All Anglers Are Eligible. Visit ToyotaFishing.com

For information about BASS Contingency Programs, visit Bassmaster.com/Contingency

ENTRY FEES

MARSHAL ENTRY FREE: $100 (paid when signing-up) DEADLINE: March 20, 2012

Entry fees are non-refundable and non-transferable regardless of date of cancellation if you are in the tournament. Marshals on the

waiting list entry fee are refundable if they do not get into the tournament.

PRE TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

REGISTRATION/CHECK-IN

DATE/BRIEFING/FOCAS/SOCIAL April 18, 2012

WEDNESDAY ACTIVITIES LOCATION Gaston’s White River Resort 1777 River RoadLakeview, AR 72642

OFFICIAL MARSHAL ONSITE

REGISTRATION/CHECK-IN

3:00 pm to 4:00 pm

You must register in person with B.A.S.S. Staff. This will be the only registration

period. See Rule No. 4. You will be fined for being late.

OFFICIAL PRO REGISTRATION/CHECK-IN Pros will be pre-registered and will be checked in as they enter briefing

TOURNAMENT SOCIAL 4:45 pm to 5:30 pm

TOURNAMENT PRO BRIEFING 4:30 pm All Bassmaster Elite pros must attend and be on time

TOURNAMENT MARSHAL BRIEFING 4:15 pm to 4:45 pm All Bassmaster Marshals must attend and be on time

FOCAS (Fellowship of Christian Anglers) 3:30 pm to 4:00 pm

OFFICIAL PRACTICE DAYS April 16, 17, 18, 2012

DATES TOURNAMENT WATERS

OFF-LIMITS FOR PROS

March 19, 2012 through April 15, 2012

(Read Rule No. 3 carefully regarding the “no information rule” during off-limits)

DATES TOURNAMENT WATERS

OFF-LIMITS FOR MARSHALS There are no off limits for Marshals

TOURNAMENT WATERS

Bull Shoals Lake and all rivers, creeks, and canals, connected to Bull Shoals Lake.

(Arkansas and Missouri waters – must have required license and or permit). Only water

open to ALL public fishing will be considered tournament waters. Any waters closed to

public fishing will be close to this tournament’s contestants.

FISHING LICENSE

Arkansas license is required. Visit website www1.ar.wildlifelicense.com/start.php or

call (800) 364 – GAME (4263) for licenses. Marshals do not need a fishing

license.

FISH MINIMUM SIZE LIMIT 5 fish, Largemouth & Smallmouth – 15” Spots – 12”

*Note: All meeting times are local times

BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES

BULL SHOALS QUEST

Bull Shoals – Mountain Home, Arkansas

All Anglers Are Eligible. Visit ToyotaFishing.com

For information about BASS Contingency Programs, visit Bassmaster.com/Contingency

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

TOURNAMENT DATES April 19, 20, 21 and 22, 2012

LAUNCH TIME 6:30 am Contestants will go out in flights. Flights and check-in times

will be staggered to give each contestant equal fishing time.

LAUNCH LOCATION Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock 14 Boat Dock CoveBull Shoals, AR 72619

WEIGH-INS 3:15 PM

WEIGH-IN LOCATION

Bull Shoals White River State Park

(Pavilion #2 & Picnic Area, east side

of Bull Shoals Dam)

153 Dam Overlook LaneBull Shoals, AR 72619

HOUSING HEADQUARTERS Marshals are on their own in regards to making room reservations. For more

information please visit www.arkansas.com & www.gastons.com .

TOURNAMENT TIMELINE

THURSDAY APRIL 19 Official opening of the Bull Shoals Bassmaster Elite Series. Check-out and weigh-in times will be

announced at the Tournament Briefing.

FRIDAY APRIL 20 Tournament fishing schedule will be posted at weigh-in Thursday. Field reduced for Saturday’s

competition. Pairings meeting for Pro field and the participating marshals immediately after weigh in.

SATURDAY APRIL 21 Top 12 pros fishing on Sunday will be announced. Awards presented at the BASS trailer for 13th

through the top half in the pro division.

SUNDAY APRIL 22 Final competition day for top 12 pros. Awards presentation will be held at the weigh-in site.