Semifinal round begins with 45-minute delay

Thick fog, thunderstorm warnings and late start contribute to revised fishing tactics for many anglers

D’IBERVILLE, Miss. – Dense fog held up the start of takeoff for the third day in a row, causing many anglers to reassess their carefully planned fishing strategies during the all-important semifinal round of FLW competition on the Pascagoula River. With strong winds, four-foot waves and thunderstorm warnings predicted for late afternoon, many anglers who had thought about making long journeys today were forced to scrap their original itinerary and settle for hastily assembled backup plans.

Day-two leader Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., had planned on making a 300-mile round-trip run during today’s competition. However, after gauging the weather conditions and factoring in the 45-minute delay, Biffle issued a rather emphatic response to the question of whether he could complete his run as originally planned.

“No way,” he said.

However, Marty Stone of Linden, N.C., said that he planned on making his scheduled 90-mile one-way run if the conditions did not worsen.

“I’ve been living by the seat of my britches all week, so I’m not going to get overly concerned about the delay or the conditions now,” said Stone, who currently resides in fifth place. “Even if I decide I’ll only have an hour to fish today, I’m still going to my original spot. My choice basically boils down to this: I can make a tough run and gut it out or stay around here, look really pretty and not catch anything for eight hours.”

Today’s weigh-in begins at 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 3615 Sangani Blvd. in D’Iberville.

Vital statistics

Sunrise: 6:35 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 65 degrees
Expected high temperature: 73 degrees
Water temperature: 61 degrees
Wind: South 9 mph
Relative humidity: 100 percent
Day’s outlook: Mostly cloudy; scattered T-storms

For a look at all of the day’s photos, click here.