Ultimate Match Fishing Season 4- Outdoor Channel - Friday Nights at 9pm
For the Championship Round, Lake Dardanelle native and professional bass angler Zach King will give viewers and in-depth look at what strategies, tactics and presentations will work on Lake Dardanelle for the six remaining UMF competitors. Zach King is one of the leading money winners on Lake Dardanelle and has fished the lake his entire life. Zach's unique perspective will give you an inside look at fishing one of the nation's premiere bass lakes.
Field Report- Zach King- Arkansas Flooding and the effect on fishing Lake Dardanelle

Welcome to Springtime in Arkansas...and the rain just kept on falling. As many of you know, Arkansas experienced one of the wettest springs on record in 2008, and the effect the flooding has had on fishing has been felt statewide. Lake Dardanelle is legendary for the shallow bite in the flooded brush and timber but this spring, the fishing seemed to slow as the water rose, and the reasons are as numerous as the thunderstorms that rolled through central Arkansas all spring long. For most anglers, this can present a puzzle that seems impossible to unlock. Hwoever, one of the best things about Lake Dardanelle is that it's anything but one dimensional.

From the incredible shallow water bite to the many ledges, drops and creek channels that line the bayous and bays of this sprawling reservoir, Lake Dardanelle can fish to the strngths of almost any angler. Of course, she can also expose your weeknesses, too. One of the biggest challenges facing the UMF anglers is that they will be coming from a lake that has recently hit historically low levels, to a flooded fishery that has seen water continue to rise. And although Lake Dardanelle is a flood controlled reservoir, a rise of 12-24 inches is going to be a factor.
The angler that does the most damage will be the one that can adapt to the changing conditions that Lake Dardanelle will present. Yes, there will be fish up shallow, but if the cloud cover sends the spawning shad to deeper water, then a ledge bite might prevail. Regardless, I believe you'll see just about all of the six remaining competitors with a jig, crankbait and spinnerbait tied on and ready to throw. In the end, it will be the angler that can make quick decisions in 90 short minutes that will previal. Good luck to all and check back for more of my field reports as the title round continues.
Zach King Field Report- Lake Dardanelle

Now that Lake Dardanelle has shown her tough side, I wanted to say a few things about post spawn fishing and how the competition seems to be shaping up. Post spawn fishing can be tricky just about anywhere, and as the anglers have discovered here on Dardanelle during the quarterfinals, finding the schools of quality fish can be frustrating especially when you only have a 90-minute quarter to pull it together.
As the post spawn faze begins, often the larger fish will back off of the shoreline and begin to congregate on offshore structure like humps, ledges and channel bends.
You’ll almost always find fish shallow because of the grass, vegetation and cover, but when it comes to a match-changing fish, offshore is often the ticket. And as we’ve seen so far in the championship round, both David Walker and Dave Lefebre have advanced by doing just that, finding schooling bass offshore.

While it often takes hundreds of days on the water to find just the right offshore structure, it amazes me how these pro anglers can find great spots in just a few days. I guess that’s what makes them professionals.

Look for the anglers, like Lefebre and Walker, who can pinpoint offshore structure for schooling post spawn bass, to go a long way in the championship round..
Have a question about Lake Dardanelle? Ask expert Zach King- Click Here!
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