Bracket bonanza begins in Alabama
Half-million-dollar top prize on the line as 2006 FLW Tour Championship opens on Logan Martin
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The hype, the analysis and the practice is over. Now it’s time for the top 48 pros and 48 co-anglers on the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour to get down to business. The FLW Tour Championship took off onto Logan Martin Lake Wednesday morning at 7 o’clock.
One of the biggest decisions facing the pros this week will be whether to fish deep or shallow. The buzz coming into this event has surrounded the shallow-water, dock-fishing bass bite. Lots of pros are packing spinning gear with Shaky Head worms in order to target docks in much the same manner that Luke Clausen did to win here two years ago.
However, there is also a countertheory about those who go deep. Some are saying that the pros who choose to focus their energy on the deeper bass bite will come out ahead, if only because, as they’re saying, the fish are bigger there.
“I’m doing a little bit of both, but I’ll probably stay deeper,” 40th-place qualifying pro Brent Ehrler said Wednesday morning. “I tried fishing shallow, but I couldn’t really catch anything of any size in around 2 or 3 feet, really.”
Of course, a key factor here is the current, especially for the deep-water anglers. While the lake has been mostly slack during practice thanks to little rainfall in recent weeks, don’t be surprised if the current picks up this week. Continued high temperatures throughout Alabama means more people are using their air conditioners, and Alabama Power tends to run the turbines on the Coosa River dams to generate backup power. So, while the water remains low, the heat could have a direct impact on the river current. And that could spell success for some anglers.
When all is said and done, look for the pros to aim for about 12 pounds a day in order to feel comfortable about winning their bracket matchups.
Opening weigh-in at 5 p.m., outdoor show opens at 2 p.m.
The Pro Division winner of the FLW Tour Championship will take home $500,000, and the Co-angler Division winner will earn $25,000. There are 48 anglers competing in each division.
The pros are competing in head-to-head competition the first three days. The two-day opening round lasts through Thursday, after which the field will be cut in half to 24 anglers. Friday, the semifinal-round qualifiers compete head-to-head within their bracket, again for a single day, to qualify for Saturday’s 12-angler final round.
Wednesday’s weigh-in, the first half of the opening round, begins at 5 p.m. Central time at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena.
The championship’s boat and outdoor show features more than 140 exhibits, fishing seminars by Hank Parker, Guido Hibdon, David Fritts, David Walker and other bass-fishing legends, as well as free daily giveaways. The boat and outdoor show runs from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
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 5 p.m. Central.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 84 degrees
Expected high temperature: 94 degrees
Water temperature: 85-92 degrees
Wind: W at 6 mph
Maximum humidity: 59 percent
Day’s outlook: isolated thunderstorms
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