It’s Scheide by a pound

Windy conditions prevail at Big O, leaders remain tight

CLEWISTON, Fla. – Fighting through cool, windy conditions at Lake Okeechobee Friday, Ray Scheide of Russellville, Ark., took the Pro Division lead in the first half of the final round of Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition with a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 8 ounces.

After a blockbuster opening round on the Big O where countless anglers caught bass over 7 pounds and many came in with limits over 20 pounds, the big bite shut down today. Many pro finalists made it this far by sight-fishing for bedding bass, but the brisk north wind stirred up the lake and made it all but impossible to see any fish.

Of the 10 finalists, Scheide, who isn’t sight-fishing, appears to have made the best adjustment. He’s been catching his fish all week by flipping hydrilla mats in the South Bay area of the lake. The first two days, he used a Terminator Skeet’s Creature bait to land his big keepers, but he had to switch over to a Gambler Cricket with a heavier, 1 1/2-ounce tungsten weight in order to penetrate his bait through the mats made denser by the wind.

“I used the same technique, just a different bait,” he said. “The wind blowing in straight from the north like that pushes that stuff in tight. It made it hard to present the bait right and get it to go down.”

He presented the cricket bait well enough for eight keeper bass, however, including a difference-making 4 1/2-pound kicker. Scheide, an FLW Tour rookie who was surprised to take the lead with just 14 1/2 pounds, said his spot on South Bay was key Friday even though fishing conditions were less than favorable.

“That wind, I don’t know where it came from, but it really started bothering me,” he said. “But I keep fishing this small area, and I’ve got it to myself right now. In the past, the people who do well in these tournaments might not exactly have been flipping hydrilla like I am, but they were in areas that are close to hydrilla.

“I’m very pleased with my performance so far, but these guys caught them all week. Even the guy in last place still has a shot.”

Anybody’s ballgame

While the pros caught smaller fish Friday than earlier in the week, they still brought in limits. Seven out of the 10 finalists weighed in five bass, and that kept the competition tight heading into Saturday’s competition. Just 4 pounds, 6 ounces separates the top five pros and, with the very real potential to hook a 10-pounder on any cast at Okeechobee, it’s still anyone’s tournament.

Sliding into second place right behind Scheide was opening-round leader Chris McCall of Jasper, Texas, with a limit weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces.

McCall, who busted an FLW Tour near-record 46 pounds, 6 ounces in total weight the first two days, said he had a rougher go of it Friday. Thursday, he kicked the door open early with an 8-pound catch on his third cast. But he had to wait anxiously until the last cast Friday for his kicker bass.

“It’s been strange,” he said. “I struggled pretty hard today, but then I caught that big one on the last cast. It’s been a great week as far as the fishing goes.”

2003 FLW Champion David Dudley of Manteo, N.C., continued to battle as well. He claimed third place with a limit weighing 10 pounds, 12 ounces, easily within spitting distance of yet another title.

“The way it looks, it’s not too bad right now, but I really wasn’t happy with today,” said Dudley, who had been mining sight-fish all week long until today. “I had to go to some backwater areas just to catch what I did. When you can’t see them, you get a little frustrated.”

Seven ounces behind Dudley sits Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., in fourth place, who caught a limit weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces. Lefebre returned to his sight-fishing area Friday, but said that he didn’t mind not being able to see the fish in the newly muddied water. What bothered him was that he broke off three good bass.

“Oh man, I just wanted to cry. I lost three toads,” he said. “But, by the looks of it, it’s not quite over.”

Japanese pro Shinichi Fukae of Osaka also had to change tactics and locations due to the wind. He placed fifth with a limit weighing 10 pounds, 2 ounces.

“My main pattern was sight-fishing,” he said. “However, the wind was too strong so I had to go to South Bay.”

Also still in the mix for the win are James Parker of Fayetteville, N.C., and Dean Rojas of Grand Saline, Texas. Parker placed sixth with a limit weighing 9 pounds, 6 ounces and Rojas placed seventh with a limit weighing 8-6.

Even the last three pros, who all managed to catch just one bass Friday, aren’t completely out of it yet. Rick Lillegard of Atkinson, N.H., placed eighth with a weight of 1 pound, 11 ounces; Billy Bowen Jr. of Ocala, Fla., placed ninth with 1-1; and day-one leader Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark., placed 10th with 0-13. Okeechobee can be fickle, but it can also be hugely productive on any given day.

“You know, I like fishing this way. I like coming from behind,” Bowen said. “Anybody’s liable to get a 20-pound sack here any day. They’ve got their hands full because I’m going to go get them tomorrow.”

The final day of FLW Tour competition at Lake Okeechobee begins Saturday at 7 a.m. EST as the 10 pro finalists take off from Roland Martin’s Marina located at 920 E. Del Monte Ave. in Clewiston. The heaviest two-day weight from Friday and Saturday combined will determine the tournament’s $100,000 winner.