Tour de Dardanelle - Bassmaster

Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Arkansas hosts the 6th Bassmaster Elite Series event of the 2017 season.

So we went to the launch site to see what the playing field would look like. Here are some of the players this week as they’ve long been launched and in search mode on Dardanelle.

To further gauge the condition of the water and the playing field, we launch the drone.

The launch site is a perfect place to house 109 boats as it’s protected from wind and current in the boat basin.

Other than the water color and current, a recent mayfly hatch could help the fishing.

The break wall is often a popular spot for anglers to stop and fish with just minutes left in their tournament day.

As we bounce to another ramp in Illinois Bayou we find more anglers.

And the debris remnants of once high water on this fishery.

It is still pretty high, but you won’t be able to tell in some parts of Lake Dardanelle. Many of the backwaters will seem normal, or as close to normal as possible, while main river areas will seem significantly higher.

The Illinois Bayou bridges have been the playing ground for epic moments in Bassmaster history.

Carey Barrett, a drone master that brings the shots to your television screens, does his thing with the big mosquito in the sky.

The riprap and bridges provide a hard edge and a current break.

We found Brandon Card poking around some backwaters.

Not every bridge is created equal as some will produce better than others. This one looks awesome as it has vegetation nearby as well as other cover.

Will the strip pits play a factor this time around?

There is no doubt going to be anglers that find their niche, but will they be able to do the same pattern for 4 days of competition?

Another boat ramp heads a warning for those wanting to keep largemouth bass…luckily our anglers will only hold on to them for a certain time and they will be deposited back in the lake at the end of the day.

Piney Creek has had its moments in past events, but even it had a little more color in the water than usual.

Interstate 40 is one of the bridges that crosses numerous creeks and bayou’s on Lake Dardanelle.

On the main river you can see how the dirty water has funneled down the fishery and is mixing with the stable water.

This is my kind of sign. We found this towards the Spadra area on Lake Dardanelle.

This is another area that offers numerous nooks and crannies for anglers to fish around.

It also provided a photo opportunity for a billy goat that was walking around.

But it too had seen the impact and influx of dirty water.

One perspective shows the remnants of the high water that graced the area over the last month or two…

And another shows the steady fall of the water as some of the water is pulled out of the fishery.

Kelley Jaye notched a Top 12 at our last stop at Sam Rayburn, but he was making a boat ramp change as he didn’t like the water he was checking out.

Meanwhile, Micah Frazier wanted to check it out himself.

High above you can see as the bridge almost becomes a barrier that holds back the dirty water from washing in because clean water is getting sucked out.

Plenty of turns in the creek to spark interest from anglers, but on river fisheries like this, sometimes a small stretch can hold a large population of fish.

Everyone was in search of one of those honey holes this week.

The courtesy dock sign says it all. The dock may not be accessible during high water and the sign is barely in view because of said high water.

Although it is called Lake Dardanelle, in reality it is a pool on the Arkansas River so these bass are used to the dirty water and current that flows from dam to dam.

The main lake was rolling with current from pools above Dardanelle.

But with 109 of the best bass anglers in the world, someone will find a great pattern.

The Scranton Bridge that crosses the Arkansas River has also played host to some cool moments in Bassmaster history.

Mark Menendez used a small opening in a smaller bridge to get into his winning spot in 2009.

The bridge he used to get into the backwater pond is almost completely underwater.

And still seems to be barely accessible for even aluminum boats. It seems that although the opening is almost filled with water, that going above some covered areas is a slight possibility.

The roadbed shows itself and disappears into the muddy Arkansas River.

Shoal Bay is one of the other areas on Lake Dardanelle that anglers will certainly check out during this event.

The narrow opening funnels into the back where it forms a bay.

You can see the similarities in this water level compared to other backwaters.

With over 60 miles of fishery to cover anglers look for their best chance to take home an Elite Series win. The weight guesses should be all over the map and this could be a junk fisherman’s dream this week.