Back out on the Bend

Stren Series Texas Division leaders more concerned with traffic than heat

HEMPHILL, Texas – Day two of the Stren Series on Toledo Bend promises to be another hot one, with temperatures forecasted to be a little warmer than day one.

But the heat and humidity seems to bother these Texas anglers about as much as rain bothers a duck. At yesterday’s weigh-in, anglers coming off the water hardly winced at the sweat dripping from their faces.

“This is par for the course in Texas,” noted leader Stephen Johnston. “We’re used to it.”

Instead, Johnston and other leaders were much more concerned with the annual McDonald’s Big Bass Splash, which can bring up to 1,500 boats to Toledo Bend’s bass-rich waters and begins Friday.

Many of the leaders have participated in the event in the past, which focuses on weighing in just one big bass instead of a limit.

“It’s a huge tournament,” noted local pro Tommy Martin, who is in third place. “Every great fisherman that lives within a hundred miles of the lake will be over here this weekend. And since they’re focused on just catching a big fish, they’ll all be fishing deep, where the big ones are this time of year.”

Indeed, deep water was the hot ticket yesterday as the entire top five were fishing between 15 and 25 feet deep.

“Once those deep flats and breaks get covered up with hundreds of boats, man, it’s going to be a challenge,” Martin continued. “At that point, you have two choices: go fish places that no one knows about – which is very rare – or get out there among them and fish a technique that is a total alternative to what they’re all doing.”

Thursday’s day-two weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. at Frontier Park & Marina located at 360 Frontier Drive in Hemphill, Texas. For those unable to catch the weigh-in action in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, an online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results, streaming video and audio.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:11 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 73 degrees

Expected high temperature: 95 degrees

Water temperature: 86 degrees

Forecasted winds: light and variable

Day’s outlook: hot, 30-percent chance of storms