It’s the same lake and essentially the same time of year as 2023, but things couldn’t be more different on Lake Eufaula Oklahoma in 2024 as the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN makes its return trip to the massive reservoir in eastern Oklahoma.
Instead of relatively clear water and stable lake levels, anglers have seen dirty water, strong winds and rapidly falling water during their practice period.
“The lake seems very different from last year,” 2023 Lake Eufaula champion Joey Nania said. “Overall the lake is way, way dirtier this year. The water came up four feet above full pool, but now it has fallen back down. There are a lot of changing conditions.”
Predictably, the changing conditions and steamy air temperatures have a lot of anglers less than thrilled. Tackle Warehouse Elite Qualifier pro Dakota Ebare is one of the exceptions. He’s excited about the opportunity to potentially move into the Angler of the Year lead.
“The lake is changing daily. There’s a lot of things in play this week,” Ebare said. “I have a good feel of the lake and a good idea of a certain kind of deal that is going on. I’m actually really excited to expand on it and go to work over the next three days. I haven’t had a phenomenal practice, but I’m glad to be here and excited to be here.”
2023 College Classic Bracket champion Easton Fothergill has a similar mindset to Ebare. The Minnesota native has never been to Eufaula, but it is setting up like the Bracket.
“Looking at the results from last year, I figured it would be a super tough event and practice hasn’t been different from that,” Fothergill said. “It is going to be an event where you have to be mentally strong and those are the ones I tend to thrive in. I’m actually really excited to get out there.
“I was actually texting (my college partner) Nick (Dumke) and I said ‘This is exactly like Milford Lake exactly, just expanded.’”
A bite isn’t easy to come by. EQ pro Matt Henry, who sits sixth in points, has caught a bass in every section of the water column and Ebare thinks plenty of anglers will be able to find bass doing several different things.
“In practice, I have caught bass anywhere from 2 feet of water to 30 feet of water,” the Alabama native said. “Practice, in other words, has been a lot of money spent on gas. I’ve heard a lot of people crying the blues about how bad it’s been and I wouldn’t say I had an awful practice, but it has definitely been tough.
A disappointment for the shallow angler
Flipping bushes is an Oklahoma staple. And with heavy rains washing over the area a week or so before official practice began, sending the lake well over full pool, there was a hope that a really good shallow bite could unfold.
That possibility is looking less and less likely as the Corp of Engineers has moved water out of the lake at a rapid pace. The lake is closer to normal levels now, leaving anglers like Henry disappointed.
“This has been one of my toughest practices. This lake changes extremely fast. They are dropping it 4 to 6 inches every day,” Henry said. “I would much rather be fishing shallow. But there isn’t going to be any of that because the water isn’t high enough (anymore). I found some stuff the first day that I thought had some potential. (Wednesday) I rode around and most of it isn’t in the water anymore.”
That doesn’t mean there won’t be shallow opportunities, but the consistency may not be the same.
“I was really looking forward to this one, but conditions have made it to where I’m hoping to survive more so than hoping to win. I messed my practice up. I should have seen the water coming down, but I didn’t see it coming down as fast as it did.”
Expect a crowd
It’s a massive reservoir, but Lake Eufaula tends to fish small. Opens anglers showcased that last year as 60 to 80 boats lined a stretch of bank (nicknamed the Miracle Mile) just outside of takeoff. Several Top 10s were notched there in 2023 and that area is likely going to get some attention again this year as well as the couple of small areas that do have clearer water this week.
Had the water stayed up, Ebare believes anglers could have spread out.
“It would have opened up more opportunities for guys to spread out a little bit rather than fishing on top of one another,” he said.
The key is either finding something to yourself or finding a sneakier way to catch the bass in the crowded areas. Fothergill feels he has done the latter.
“I do have a pattern figured out,” he explained. “A mid-depth pattern. It is a certain combination of things I’m looking for. Once the wind gets up, it is kind of a junk fishing deal, but from my understanding we aren’t going to have too much wind during the event. The lake does fish small for its size, so the X-factor is who can find some fish that are untapped.
“I’m around people constantly, but I do feel like I am fishing differently than the crowd around me. I’m optimistic.”
Anglers to Watch
Joey Nania: Last year’s Eufaula Oklahoma champion finds himself in 32nd place in the EQ standings right now, but he could make up a lot of ground if his gameplan from 2023 carries into this event.
Dakota Ebare: The least surprising part of the 2024 season so far is that Ebare is in contention for Angler of the Year. He managed a respectable 63rd place finish during an MLF Pro Circuit event last April and will look to improve that mark this go round.
Matt Messer: Messer had a monster Day 2 last season where he caught 22-10 and an 8-pounder, launching him into the final day. If he can put together three consistent days this go-round, he could very well notch another Top 10 and improve his 20th-place position in points.
Kyle Austin: The 2024 Santee Cooper Open champion is in his best midseason points position since he started fishing the Opens. Another good finish here could be the next step in achieving his Elite Series dreams.
