Mark Daniels Jr.: Beaver Lake Breakdown
Practice has concluded for Bass Pro Tour competitors and Yuengling Light Lager Stage
5 presented by YETI officially begins this morning. Team Toyota pro Mark Daniels Jr. is
coming into this event riding the momentum of a seventh-place finish at REDCREST on
Table Rock Lake.
MDJ employed his own signature series of crankbaits from Bill Lewis, the MR-6
Crankbait as well as the SB-57 to catch most of his weight at REDCREST. Targeting
steeper banks and rock transitions in the James River, MDJ said these crawfish-colored
plugs were the key to his success on Table Rock.
“It’s always good to find yourself in the top 10 fishing against these guys, but even more
so on the big stage at REDCREST,” Daniels Jr said. “I really didn’t have enough fish to
keep up with the leaders, so I just tried to maximize my bite. Cranking is one of my
favorite ways to catch ‘em and I got to use my own signature series lure. In fact, the
crawfish colors were all sold out on a few websites when I looked before practice this
week. Can’t be mad at that!”
The Ozark Connection
Table Rock and Beaver Lake are connected by the iconic White River and share a lot of
commonalities in terms of how these bodies of water look and how they fish. These
highland reservoirs are two of the crown jewels of the Ozark region that share features
like clear, deep water, miles of rocky shorelines, bluff walls, steep pockets off the main
lake, and a myriad of floating docks or marinas.
Like several BPT pros, MDJ has a good bit of experience on Beaver Lake thanks to his
days competing on the FLW Tour. While Beaver and Table Rock appear similar visually,
MDJ will tell you they are two different animals.
“There are similarities with a lot of the lakes here in the Ozarks but each one of these
fisheries has its own identity,” MDJ said. “For as long as I’ve been coming here, Beaver
has always been absolutely full of bass. I’m talking, like, more bass than Table Rock,
which has a bunch, too. The biggest difference is the average quality.
“Whether we’re talking 2011 on the FLW Tour or this week for practice, the average size
fish in Beaver is just a little bit smaller. The other major difference this week is most of
the fish are either spawning or already post-spawn, whereas a few weeks ago at
REDCREST a lot of those bass were still pre-spawn or getting ready to spawn.”
Quantity leads to Quality
Bass will need to weigh 1-pound, 8-ounces or bigger to add weight to the
SCORETRACKER during Stage 5, and MDJ believes anglers will have to weed through
a lot of smaller fish to connect with impactful scoreables throughout each day of
competition. Daniels Jr. is hoping quantity will be the key to quality in his gameplan this
week.
“I wish I could tell you there was a sneaky key to getting bigger bites, but I didn’t find it
(in practice) if there is,” MDJ admitted. “My plan is to try and catch as many fish as
possible throughout the day and hope enough of them break the 1-8 limit. I’ll be
focusing on smallmouth during the FFS period and then mostly largemouth the rest of
the time. Having a dialed in approach to the Livescope period is so crucial against these
guys on fisheries like Beaver. You gotta load the boat in that timeframe.”
Fans will get to see several species of bass caught throughout Stage 5, as Beaver
holds a healthy population of smallmouth, largemouth spotted bass, and meanmouth
hybrids. MDJ explained that decision making will be paramount for the eventual winner
on Beaver Lake, much like it is in most Bass Pro Tour competition.
What species should I focus on? What section of the lake should I spend the most time
in? What’s the best way to navigate the FFS period decision? Are there any nuances or
subtle bait changes I could make to tap into a better class of fish?
These questions and more will be bouncing around MDJ and his peer’s heads upon the
lines in call. With any luck, Mark Daniels Jr. will navigate through this mental maze
effectively and build on the momentum he’s kept throughout the 2026 season.
