Fantasy Fishing: Local factor at Dardanelle

The best of both worlds is the best way to describe Lake Dardanelle. There are ledges, shallow mats, rip-rap banks, spawning flats, backwater areas and plenty of main river for the field to ply in search of the winning stringers of bass.

The Diamond Drive is making its first appearance on the Bassmaster Elite Series. Lake Dardanelle has hosted three previous top-level tournaments, two Elite 50s and one Major in 2007. Those tournaments were held later in the year, from April through August, so while some of these pros certainly have experience here, none have fished here under BASS this time of year.

Home-water experience will come into play, as local anglers like Kevin Short and Greg Hackney can rely on intimate knowledge of the river to make quick decisions and adjustments as conditions change. The fact that this is a river system means current, water levels and water clarity could change overnight and force competitors to scramble to find productive water.

Another factor to throw in at the Diamond Drive is the spawn. Warming weather had bass on the move until a recent cold front snapped that trend. Now, with temperatures again warming to spring-like levels, bass should start flooding the shallows, making shallow-water experts like Terry Scroggins, Dean Rojas and Bill Lowen prime choices to fare well on Dardanelle. Then there is Kevin Wirth, winner of the Tennessee Triumph on Old Hickory, who should not be counted out in any shallow, spring-time fishery.

Of course, many of these anglers might not even recognize Dardanelle as the fish factory of old. According to Clark Reehm, a Russellville local and Elite angler, the numbers and quality of the fish are down from past years. Click here to read the preview for the Diamond Drive and hear Reehm's take on the fishery.

Without further ado, here are some top choices in a variety of categories for the Elite Series' second stop on Lake Dardanelle:

Big Money Picks:

Mike Iaconelli — Ike is riding the wave of a 13-pound monster Amistad bass and a seventh-place finish. When he's hot, stand in his radiance and get a nice tan because it won't be getting cloudy in Ike-land anytime soon. How about some real hard evidence for picking the man aside from his new slogan, "Fish 'til you puke." Ike has a second- and 14th-place finish on Dardanelle and his one average finish was during the late summer and not during the spring.

Gary Klein — This wily veteran was fooled by suspended bass when the sun shone on Lake Amistad at the season opener. Fool him once, shame on those bass, fool him twice, not going to happen. In the three "special" tournaments on Dardanelle, Klein finished no lower than 13th. Rumor is that the bite has been tougher than normal on that part of the river and if it takes a methodical hand to fool the bigger fish, Klein will rule the roost.

Dean Rojas — With warming weather, those Arkansas River bass just may be chewing a frog. Even if they aren't, Dean the frog machine has a Dardanelle track record that makes him one to watch. He is the only angler in the field aside from VanDam to make the top 12 in all three high-level tournaments on Dardanelle.

Greg Hackney — Hackney + river = you better have him on your team. Maybe you are not happy with his performance on the Red River. Well, he probably isn't either and Dardanelle is his chance to prove himself the true river rat on the Elite Series. In two high-level BASS tournaments on the big D, the Hack Attack has a second- and eighth-place finish to his credit. In the tournament he finished eighth, he was in second before they moved the anglers to the hole course. Four days to do what he wants makes Hack a strong contender for the title.

Bargain Pick:

Kevin Short — The Pink Panini scored big once again on Amistad. Now, he gets to go 45 minutes from his house to a lake/river he has fished many times. How could you resist this steal for only 17.9 points (unless you were smart enough to follow my advice and pick him up for Amistad at 17.4 points)? Short has knowledge of Dardanelle that most other Elite Series pros don't, save maybe Scott Rook. If there was ever a time to make this his season, it starts in Russellville.

Risky Picks:

Clark Reehm — Reehm is good for one high finish each year. In his one year on the Elite Series, he got one high finish, so he's starting a trend. Bank on his best finish this year coming on his "home" waters of Lake Dardanelle. Even if that is too risky for your conservative pundit mind, soothe those fears by dropping only 14.2 points for Reehm and then picking up VanDam or Reese for an inflated 23-plus points. It will all balance out in the end.

Rookie Pick:

Matt Herren — Herren is flat-out scary with a jig in his hand. Scary with a capital "s" and a big, fat period on the end. He will pick apart the shallow-cover laden Dardanelle and score big for a mere 12.6 points. Herren even has the creds to back him up, with a tour-level victory on another circuit in May on Dardanelle. His first two tournaments with BASS have been mostly disappointments and if he expects to turn it around, he better start with a pummeling in the Diamond Drive.

KVD Watch:

If you don't have the monster bass catcher known as KVD, now would be the time to pick him up. He made the final-day cut at Amistad just for points, but his history on Dardanelle suggests he'll be going for all the marbles. With a third-, 10th-, and eighth-place finish to his credit on the east-central Arkansas fishery in three tries, he has a connection with the fishery that makes him hard to pass up, as always. Plus, get him now before he gets too expensive heading into his Tennessee River wheelhouse events on Wheeler and Guntersville.

Think you know more than me? Fine, I would love to hear your thoughts. Humble me anytime on the Fantasy Fishing Message Board.