Kentucky quest
FLW Tour anglers in search of top-10 cut to advance to semifinals
BENTON, Ky. – As Wal-Mart FLW Tour anglers prepared for the day-two launch on Kentucky Lake Thursday morning, they had one thing weighing heavily on their minds: bringing back enough weight to make the grade.
Two hundred pros and as many co-anglers are on a quest to find enough bass to make today’s top-10 cut, the only way to advance to Friday’s semifinal competition. The full field took off from Kentucky Dam Marina near Benton – location of FLW Outdoors headquarters – beginning at 6:30 a.m. and motored toward Kentucky and Barkley lakes for day-two action.
At Wednesday’s weigh-in, several anglers reported that windy conditions – which reached levels as high as 15 mph – had hampered the fishing. FLW competitors hit the water today under a gray sky and amid relatively calm conditions. At takeoff, the southerly wind was only blowing at 5 mph, but forecasts were calling for winds as strong as 9 mph during the day. And exactly how or whether Wednesday night’s showers will affect today’s fishing remains to be seen.
Though anglers caught a lot of fish on day one, many said they had a difficult time reeling in keepers. Despite the small stature of the predominant day-one catches and weather conditions, anglers still managed to post respectable numbers Wednesday with all of the top 10 pros bringing in limits and eight of 10 top co-anglers bagging five fish.
Last year’s day-two cut weight at Kentucky Lake was 28 pounds, 9 ounces on the pro side and 20 pounds for the co-anglers. This year some pros are predicting a similar cut weight in the 28- to 29-pound range.
Pro John Crews of Jetersville, Va., said this morning, “Probably 28 pounds on the pro side. That’d be my guess.”
Heading into today’s competition, pro David Fritts of Lexington, N.C. – a four-time FLW Tour winner – holds nearly a 2-pound lead over second place with a weight of 20 pounds and 12 ounces. On the co-angler side, Stephen Tosh Jr. of Waterford, Calif., leads the field by only 5 ounces with 13-14.
Thursday’s weigh-in takes place at 3 p.m. Central time at Kentucky Dam Marina in Gilbertsville, Ky. Pros are competing for a first-place prize of $100,000 and a $20,000 check hangs in the balance for the co-angler winner.
For bass-fishing fans unable to attend the festivities in person, you can catch all the weigh-in action live at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live. Show time starts at 3 p.m. Central.
Thursday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 5:47 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 67 degrees
Expected high temperature: 78 degrees
Water temperature at the ramp: 73 degrees
Wind: from the south-southwest at 9 mph
Maximum humidity: 82 percent
Day’s outlook: isolated thunderstorms