Nose to the grindstone
DETROIT – Wal-Mart FLW Tour anglers battened down the hatches as they took off onto the big, bumpy water of Lake St. Clair for Friday’s action in the Forrest Wood Open. Today is the semifinal round for the top 10 pros and the final round for the top 10 co-anglers.
It’s relatively green field fishing in the Pro Division. Of the 10 pros left, just two of them – Steve Daniel of Clewiston, Fla., and Mickey Bruce of Buford, Ga. – have won on the FLW Tour. Yesterday’s lead qualifier, Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark., is a perennial top-10er in search of his first victory, but second-place qualifier Pat Fisher of Stone Mountain, Ga., (who actually tied Nixon’s opening-round weight at 32 pounds, 13 ounces but placed second by virtue of a tiebreaker), a past winner in the Co-Angler Division, is fishing his first season as a pro. The rest of the field is also sprinkled with ambitious young gunners with solid fishing resumes in search of their first taste of FLW glory. Anglers like Koby Kreiger of Osceola, Ind., David Dudley of Manteo, N.C., and Sean Stickler of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., all have repeated top-10 experience, but have yet to reach the brass ring.
In the Co-Angler Division, today will be a virtual victory lap for Wesley Burnett of Hot Springs, Ark., who captured the Co-Angler of the Year award on Thursday. Past that, it’s toss-up as to who will come away with the Forrest Wood Open trophy since all 10 finalists have performed well and no one co-angler really stood out in the opening round.
The co-angler winner will take home $40,000 following today’s competition. The Pro Division is fishing to make the top-five cut into tomorrow’s final round, where the winner will take home $200,000.
Today’s weigh-in is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Van Dyke Ave. in Warren, Mich. The Wal-Mart FLW Tour Family Fun Zone will be open in the Wal-Mart parking lot from 3 to 5 p.m.
Vital statistics
Sunrise: 5:55 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 63 degrees
Expected high temperature: 71 degrees
Water temperature: 67 degrees
Wind: North to northwest 10 to 15 mph
Relative humidity: 80 percent
Day’s outlook: Variably cloudy with showers
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