Frigid finals

FLW Tour anglers battle for Wal-Mart Open tournament title

ROGERS, Ark. – As the top 10 finalists departed Prairie Creek Marina shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday, they were greeted with frosty temperatures and signs that troublesome winds were once again on the horizon.

While the cold will probably affect the anglers’ psyches more than the actual fishing during the finals, the wind was clearly on the minds of the pros as they carefully made their way toward the open waters of Beaver Lake early this morning.

“I need the wind to calm down,” said Craig Powers, who currently sits in second place overall in the standings heading into today’s finals. “If it blows like yesterday, I could be in some serious trouble.”

According to Powers, the low lake levels have unexpectedly affected the depth and savagery of the wind as well.

“Because the lake is so low, it’s acting like a giant wind funnel,” he said. “Yesterday, there were 3-foot waves everywhere. I was trying to throw topwaters, and I’m still not even sure if they were on top of the water. I’ll tell you what, it’s pretty hard to fish in these kinds of conditions.”

Tournament notes

Today represents the fourth and final day of competition of the 2006 Wal-Mart Open – which boasts a total purse of $1.25 million. First place in the Pro Division will go to the angler who brings in the largest two-day combined stringer over Friday and Saturday. The winning pro is guaranteed a top prize of $200,000. Currently, pro Shinichi Fukae of Mineola, Texas, is atop the leaderboard after landing an 11-pound, 3-ounce catch in Friday’s competition.

FLW Tour action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. CDT at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, located at 4208 Pleasant Crossing Boulevard in Rogers, Ark.

Saturday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 6:53 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 46 degrees

Expected high temperature: 58 degrees

Water temperature: 55-57 degrees

Wind: NNE at 13 mph, gusting to 20 mph

Maximum humidity: 48 percent

Day’s outlook: cloudy