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The Arkansas River is rolling high and muddy, so Wade Leblanc went deep in a backwater area where he caught two good ones early.
Photo: Steve Wright
Brian Clark was one of many anglers flipping and casting tight to bank cover.
Photo: Steve Wright
Drew Sloan said he knew there would be a good one in this logjam.
Photo: Steve Wright
And there was a good one, but Sloan had it on for only a second or two. “That was a four-pounder,” he said.
Photo: Steve Wright
Elite Series angler Ken Iyobe found some calm water near the bank behind a rock jetty.
Photo: Steve Wright
Iyobe tried pitching a jig in the abundant cover, but didn’t get a bite.
Photo: Steve Wright
So Iyobe moved out closer to the rock jetty.
Photo: Steve Wright
With the high water, there’s lots of debris in the Arkansas River, either washed up in backwater areas like this, or floating down the main river channel. It’s definitely “boater beware.”
Photo: Steve Wright
Co-angler Jim Simpson was working some shallow vegetation in a backwater area with a buzzbait.
Photo: Steve Wright
And Simpson got a blow-up, but not a hook-up on the buzzbait.
Photo: Steve Wright
There are plenty of bridge pilings to fish in this tournament. Chance Havard tried casting between a bridge piling and a rock bank to no avail.
Photo: Steve Wright
While most of the rock jetties are almost underwater, they continue to provide current breaks that attract both fish and fishermen.
Photo: Steve Wright
Co-angler Billy Doak threw a white spinnerbait along the jetty, trying to coax a strike.
Photo: Steve Wright
Doak got a strike, but it was from a white bass.
Photo: Steve Wright
This heron liked its chances of catching a fish along the jetty as well.
Photo: Steve Wright
Pro competitor Jeffery Lemoine Jr. felt a strike and set the hook a little harder than he needed to for this white bass.
Photo: Steve Wright
“I didn’t catch one white bass in here during practice,” Lemoine lamented.
Photo: Steve Wright
But Lemoine and Doak couldn’t catch anything but white bass here at this hour of the day.
Photo: Steve Wright
