Champlain brunch

Top 10 semifinalists try to use later start time to their advantage as they battle for position in Friday’s competition

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The sunshine is gone. Temperatures are dropping. And rain is on the horizon. However, if you had asked any of the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers before the start of today’s competition, they would have probably told you that the weather was the least of their concerns. What matters most to the remainder of the field – which departed Mooney Bay Marina shortly after 8 a.m. per Friday’s customary late start time – is quite simply the fact that their dreams of a tournament title are still alive. And that’s more than can be said for the other 380 competitors who already have been sent packing.

So what’s at stake during Friday’s action? For starters, co-anglers will be vying for a first-place prize of $40,000, which will be awarded after today’s weigh-in. Meanwhile, the top 10 pros will be fishing as hard as they can to maximize today’s catch weights, which carry over to Saturday’s final day of competition. The pro who winds up with the best two-day stringer (on Friday and Saturday) will go on to claim the top prize of $200,000.

Currently, Rob Kilby of Hot Springs, Ark., owns the top qualifying spot in the Pro Division heading into the semifinals after netting an opening round catch of 35 pounds, 12 ounces. Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky., led all co-anglers into today’s finals after securing a total catch of 30 pounds, 2 ounces.

In addition, today’s competition represents one of the final days of the season to gain valuable year-end standings points – a crucial component for qualifying for the 2004 FLW Tour Championship, scheduled to take place Aug. 11-14 on Logan Martin Lake in Birmingham, Ala. The championship, which boasts a total purse of $1.5 million, offers a top prize in the Pro Division of $500,000. However, only the top 48 anglers in each field – based on year-end point standings – will be invited to the championship.

FLW action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. EST at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Friday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 5:10 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 53 degrees

Expected high temperature: 67 degrees

Water temperature: 65 degrees

Wind: from the east at 6 mph

Humidity: 83 percent

Day’s outlook: showers