Shrouded in mystery
With pressure mounting during last day of competition, the final outcome of the 2007 Wal-Mart Open is still very much up in the air
ROGERS, Ark. – As the mist poured off of Beaver Lake in the early morning hours of Sunday’s final day of Wal-Mart Open competition, the top-10 pros departed Prairie Creek Marina shortly after 6:30 a.m., with the realization that the tournament title is finally within reach.
Looking more like a set from a grade-B horror movie than a tournament takeoff venue, the foggy conditions surrounding Prairie Creek Marina seemed to serve as a metaphor for the hazy and unpredictable outlook of today’s competition. All week long anglers have attempted – and mostly failed – to unlock the mystery of the fickle bass bite on Beaver Lake. So what will it take to overcome the odds and finish atop the leaderboard in one of the most difficult FLW Tour events in recent memory? Well, that’s anybody’s guess at this point.
However, one thing is clear; pressure is now the name of the game. With time running out on the finalists, anglers will have a little less than nine hours to unravel the secrets of the 28,000-acre impoundment if they are to have any chance of walking away with the tournament title and $200,000 top prize.
The final field will also have to contend with pressure in three distinct forms. Anglers will have to contend with barometric pressure – the high pressure system that has stymied anglers for three consecutive days. There is also the sweat-under-the-collar pressure of fishing on the final day of a $1.5 million nationally televised event. And there is fishing pressure, which can now be exploited by the savvy angler now that the full field of 201 boats has been reduced to 10.
“It’s my hope that without 200 boats on the water, the fish will start biting again,” said Wal-Mart Open competitor Ray Scheide, who heads into the finals in eighth place. “This week, the high-pressure system has made them not want to bite as much. But I think conditions are changing. There are still big fish in this lake; I’ve seen a lot of them. And I expect that weights for everyone will be up today.”
The competition
With three days of tournament action already under their belts, anglers will be gunning for the top prize of $200,000 – earmarked for angler who turns in the largest two-day combined stringer during Saturday and Sunday’s action.
Currently, Jay Yelas of Tyler, Texas, leads all pros with a total weight of 11 pounds, 13 ounces. Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., (9 pounds, 6 ounces) and Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville, Ill., (7 pounds, 3 ounces) round out the top-three contestants.
Sunday’s weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. Central time at the John Q. Hammons Center, located at 3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway in Rogers, Ark.
Sunday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:06 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 52 degrees
Expected high temperature: 78 degrees
Water temperature: 70-75 degrees
Wind: South at 9 mph
Maximum humidity: 47 percent
Day’s outlook: Sunny