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Beckley and Beaudrie win Lucas Oil Barkley State Park Open with long run to Kentucky Lake
The Lucas Oil Open was held on Barkley Lake, but the winning team made the long run to Kentucky Lake. Not just to Kentucky Lake, but all the way to Paris, TN. The total run was 72 miles each way and left them just five hours of total fishing time.
With a run of this magnitude many factors have to go right and the winning team of Chris Beaudrie and Don Beckley calculated the distance and wind before they decided to make the run. "I had fished down there recently and caught 26.5lbs by myself so I knew the fish were there. The long run was doable because the wind was blowing out of the west, if it was coming out of the north or south it would have been almost impossible. Once we saw the forecast for west winds we decided to go for it," added Beaudrie. Amazingly, they did not need to refuel and the 52 gallon tank on their Triton and their 225hp Mecury OptiMax allowed them to make it there and back without having to stop for gas.
They weighed a total of 23.76lbs and had two fish over six pounds. In their five hours of fishing, they caught over 30 keepers on Picasso Inviz Wire spinnerbaits and a new vibrating jig called the Picasso Shock Blade.
The key was an adjustment of moving to slightly deeper water. They started off early catching smaller keepers, but due to falling water conditions the bigger fish had moved out further. Once they made the adjustment the big fish started biting and allowed them to take the top prize.
For the win, they took home the Lucas Oil Open guaranteed first prize of $5,000 and an additional $150 for the second big bass of the event, a 6.20lb bass.
