Bow to bow
Fog delay hampers FLW Series day-three takeoff at Smith Lake
JASPER, Ala. – For nearly an hour and half this morning, Wal-Mart FLW Series anglers waited on pins and needles for a thick blanket of fog to lift from Lewis Smith Lake so they could go fishing.
With fishing conditions already at a Level 5 of difficulty, the last thing the pros and co-anglers needed was 83 minutes of fishing time deducted from their day.
When the fog finally cleared, another kind of smoke began forming just 
outside the off-limits signs: a myriad of boats fishing for release fish.
The first two on the scene were a pair of Daves: David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va., and Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa.
Both anglers have a shot at taking the FLW Series Angler of the Year points title away from current leader Clark Wendlandt.
Dudley, second in points, only needs 37 points to close on Wendlandt while Lefebre, fifth in points, needs 70 points.
After some good-natured ribbing with each other as they traded casts on the same point, both revealed that the real issue centered less around the AOY race and more on the battle for the Ranger Cup points title.
"I want that Ranger Cup worth $75,000,” Dudley said.
Similar to the FLW Series points race, Wendlandt also leads the Ranger Cup race.
“I figured it up,” Dudley said. “I need to finish 14th or better in this event to catch Wendlandt in Ranger Cup.”
Dudley currently sits in 46th place in the tournament. With a monster bag of retreads, he could possibly pull off the unthinkable and capture the Ranger Cup.
Overall, FLW Series pros are going to get a much different day today than they had the two previous days.
The scattering fog left behind bright blue skies and calm, cold conditions.
Today is the last day of competition for the full field. Top-10 cut for Saturday’s final round will be determined this afternoon when the weigh-in takes place at the marina at Lewis Smith Lake Dam beginning at 3 p.m. CST. For those who can’t watch the action in person, FLWOutdoors.com provides FLW Live, a real-time viewing application that is the next best thing to being there.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:23 a.m. Temperature at takeoff: 37 degrees
Expected high temperature: 58 degrees
Water temperature: 58 degrees
Forecasted winds: light and variable
Day’s outlook: sunny and cool