Port Aransas parity

Wal-Mart FLW Redfish anglers started the opening round of Texas competition on a level playing field even though the seas were anything but

PORT ARANSAS, Texas – As the field of 112 FLW Redfish teams made its way past the Port Aransas City Marina shortly after 7 a.m., the brilliant sunrise served as a remarkable backdrop to the start of the second Western Division event of the 2006 season. However, it wasn’t the sun that was on the anglers’ minds early Thursday morning, it was the wind.

“It’s going to be tough out there, the way the wind is blowing,” said FLW Redfish pro David Green. “It’s really going to cut down the opportunities for sight-fishing. It’s typical for this time of year. The water is off-colored, so you’re going to have to adapt. Basically, my strategy is going to be to chuck and wind all day.”

With a total purse of $200,000 on the line over the course of the May 4-6 event, anglers should find it a little easier to ignore the high winds and brave the steady waves that the Gulf of Mexico will certainly produce this week.

The competition

Anglers will not only be competing in two-man teams for a top award of as much as $50,000, but they will also be vying for valuable points toward a berth into the no-entry-fee, $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship in Pensacola, Fla., Oct. 19-21.

The field of 112 angling teams will compete Thursday and Friday. The top five teams, based on heaviest accumulated weight from the first two days, will compete Saturday.

Two redfish may be weighed in per team, per day. The winning team will be determined by the heaviest combined weight from Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Competitors are slated to win upwards of $25,000 cash for capturing a tournament title. However, if a member of the winning team is also the original owner of a Ranger, Champion, Wellcraft or Hydra-Sports boat used during the tournament, the team will receive a $12,500 bonus. Additionally, if a member of the winning team is the original owner of a qualifying Yamaha outboard that is used during the tournament, the team receives a $12,500 bonus from Yamaha for total award of $50,000.

Friday’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Central time at Port Aransas City Marina, located at 710 West Ave. A in Port Aransas, Texas.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:46 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 78 degrees

Expected high temperature: 83 degrees

Water temperature: 78 degrees

Tides (at Port Aransas, Texas): low 2:31 a.m., high 12:35 p.m.

Wind: SE at 16 mph

Maximum humidity: 95 percent

Day’s outlook: party sunny