With one event already in the books, the 2nd event of the 2023 Ark-La Team Tournament trail sponsored by Equipment Share of El Dorado, Arkansas, will visit the country’s biggest oxbow lake, Lake Chicot out of Lake Village, Arkansas on March 25th. The opening event exceeded the high expectations set by Lake Claiborne and this one has the promise to be even better. The Angler of the Year leaders, Walt Stevens and Sontus Mitchell, will try to hold on to the early advantage they established in the points race, leading the other forty-eight teams who will be competing for the top prize of $5000, the highest payout of any team circuit in Louisiana.

The size of Lake Chicot can be intimidating but the fishery itself has proven to be top notch, hosting several regular season and championship events in the past. The teams can expect to find the bass in Chicot using both the pre-spawn and spawning phases, which should make for an exciting tournament. In a May event from 2022, it took a limit slightly below fifteen pounds to make the top 20, so the big fish are in abundance.

West Monroe angler Ray Albritton said of Lake Chicot, “I usually get to fish it (Chicot) 2-3 time a year, and barring a drastic weather change, I am going to predict a few stringers over 20 pounds and a winning weight of over 23 lbs. I would think the Big Bass would be in 7-9 lb. class. This should be a good event.”

With any tournament held in the early spring of the year, March especially, one of the biggest factors to a tournament’s outcome can be the wind. High winds from the north or the south can make navigating Chicot difficult and cause it to fish very small. While the abundance of cypress trees and boat docks can be eye appealing to the anglers, figuring out how to catch the larger fish above the 15-inch minimum size limit, is the key. Hold on to your boat seats folks, this event promises to be a good one!!!

After the conclusion of the Lake Claiborne tournament, the 2023 Ark-La Team trail has four remaining events, including Lake Chicot, Cross Lake, the Ouachita River and ending the trail at Felsenthal-Ouachita River with the championship qualifiers battling it out on Lake Darbonne in mid-October. You can follow the Ark-La team trail on our website at www.arklateamtrail.com or on Facebook. See you on the water!!!!