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Stren Central anglers to swing for fence ahead of inclement weather

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. – Yesterday, the hill opposite Lake Norfolk Marina wore a blanket of snow. This morning, that same slope abutting the west end of the Highway 62 Bridge stands bare. Tomorrow, it’ll be white again. That’s the story greeting anglers at the start of the Stren Series Central Division event in Mountain Home, Ark.

By the 8 a.m. checkout, a strong storm system, similar to the one that swept northern Arkansas on Monday, was headed toward Mountain Home and pushing strong winds. Anglers bundled themselves in sweatshirts, insulated jackets and foul weather gear in preparation for what was to come. National Weather Service reports call for cold, windy weather throughout the day. Showers are possible by early evening, with snowfall starting after dark when temperatures tumble below freezing.

Thursday will be far from comfortable, but conditions may actually favor fishermen. Strong winds will pile baitfish along open shorelines and finding the food means finding bass. Bill McDonald of Indianapolis also sees promise in the overcast skies.

“I’d say with the cloud cover and the wind, the fish will come up a little shallower,” he said. “I’ll be targeting 10 feet or shallower in creeks and coves. I’m looking for stained water because that heats up a little more quickly.”

Raul Morneau of Mexico City will target brush piles in 10-20 feet. The key, he said, will be presentation speed. “I’m going to use a tactic called `very slow,'” Morneau joked. “I’m going to drag a tube or grub for smallmouth.”

Castrol pro Carl Svebek of Siloam Springs, Ark. said that conditions like today’s will test an angler’s patience. Notwithstanding the occasional moment of impulse, Svebek said a methodical approach will prove prudent.

“I think you’re going to have to really slow down and work your areas out thoroughly,” he said. “It’s awfully cold and the water temperature’s ranging around 43-44 degrees, so you’re going to have to make every cast count – work it slow, and work it back to the boat.

“Some guys will get reaction strikes with crankbaits and that sort of thing. It really will be a grueling tournament when you have to work so slowly, but that’s the approach that’s needed to do well.”

Co-angler Jose Narvarez of Brooklyn, Texas joins Morneau on day one. He said he’s prepared to pull out all the stops and give the fish plenty of options. “You’re going to have to do all you can today. I’m going to throw what I was throwing (in practice) and if that doesn’t work, I’m going to throw the kitchen sink. I’ll try everything I’ve got and maybe something unusual will trigger a strike.”

The snow that fell earlier in the week shortened the tournament by one day, as organizers rescheduled registration from Tuesday to Wednesday when several competitors were unable to reach Mountain Home. With the approaching storm placing a big question mark on Friday, anglers realize the importance of maximizing whatever they can find on Thursday.

“It’s definitely a go-for-broke (situation),” Svebek said. “We’ll go out there today and absolutely catch all we can catch. There won’t be any saving anything (for the next day) in this tournament. You’ll just go out and catch every fish you can possibly catch and hopefully do well enough to make the top-10.”

At checkout, there was no official word on how the approaching snow may affect the event’s remaining schedule. Regardless, most anglers will fish with a one-day mentality and do whatever they can to scrape together a limit. With Norfolk holding largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, Kentucky and meanmouth bass, today’s weigh-ins will probably see several mixed bags.

Logistics

The Stren Series event, which runs March 6-8, is the first of four regular-season Central Division events. Hosted by the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce, the Lake Norfolk tournament offers a total purse of $275,225. The winning pro could earn as much as $65,000 in cash and prizes if contingencies are met, and the winning co-angler could earn as much as $35,000.

Anglers will take off from Henderson Point Park, located off Highway 62 East in Henderson, at 8 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Weigh-ins also will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 65 Wal-Mart Drive in Mountain Home, Ark., beginning at 4 p.m.

The full field will compete Thursday and Friday and the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers advance to Saturday’s final round. Winners will be determined Saturday by the heaviest accumulated weight from all three days of competition.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:33 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 32

Expected high temperature: 38

Water temperature: 43

Wind: NNE at 15-20 mph

Humidity: 73

Day’s outlook: overcast, afternoon showers likely with evening snow