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.
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. 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 ½-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.”
