ROGERS, Ark. -- Over 400 anglers will take to the water to fish the FLW tournament, but lake levels are still very high.

FLW Bass Tournament Starts Thursday On Beaver Lake

Flooding has left the lake murky and full of debris.

40/29 News talked to a number of fishing pros Wednesday, and they said they were shocked at how muddy the lake looked.

Anglers signed up for the tournament at the John Q. Hammonds Center in Rogers Wednesday.

"I can't believe how muddy it is. The year Danny won, it wasn't this muddy," said professional angler Anthony Gagliardi.

Shop talk for the pro anglers is focused on the water conditions.

"You'd think it would have cleared up by now," Gagliardi said.

Gagliardi has fished in the FLW on beaver lake for nearly a decade, and is a former angler of the year.

"In my eight years coming, I've never seen it like this. I've seen it high, but the water wasn't dirty like it is now," Gagliardi.

There is a mud line that stretches from rocky branch to the White River and War Eagle Creek. That area is very muddy right now.

So anglers have a choice, they can try fishing in deeper water near the dam where it's clear...or casting their line in the mud.

"We heard terrible stories about the lake when we got here," Gagliardi.

Co-angler Johnny Taylor registered for the tourney Wednesday, he and other anglers have been pre-fishing for days trying to figure out what kind of bait will lure the biggest bass to the weigh in.

I'm going to fish in both. I've got something going in the dirty water, and at the same time I'm fishing the clear water, too," Taylor said

The tournament started Thursday, and 400 anglers are here from across the world, all trying to reel in the $1.5 million purse.

The final weigh-in is Sunday.