Winds of change
Flip-flopping expected on day two
ESCANABA, Mich. – Fifty-two. It’s the mind-boggling number of anglers who zeroed on day one of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event on Bays de Noc. For some, the fishing was good. For others, it was downright awful. But the wind is changing directions and it will likely change fortunes as well.
Day one was the third consecutive day of northerly winds. Some anglers felt that the consistent weather helped the bite and made the fish more predictable. Both pro leader Chad Schilling and fifth-place pro Mark Courts rode the north winds to impressive catches.
Courts thinks if the wind switches to the south today as expected it will slow things down further.
Chevy pro Tom Keenan disagrees. He thinks the northerly winds push the warmer water out of the bay and screw up the baitfish.
“The wind is supposed to change and come from the south today and I think that will make things better for everyone,” he said. “The fishing gets better in the whole bay with a south wind.”
In addition to the tournament at hand, the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year race is heating up. Just like the bass side, it appears there will be a photo finish. Before the tournament began, Ron Seelhoff and Ted Takasaki were tied with 421 points each. Scott Steil was in third place with 402 points and Pete Harsh was fourth with 401.
In an eerily similar fashion to the Chevy Open, Seelhoff, Takasaki and Steil all zeroed on day one. Harsh, on the other hand, caught 15-12 and is in 10th place. Although none of the aforementioned anglers are out of contention, Harsh has put a firm grip on the title for the time being. His main competition may come from Tom Backer, who entered the tournament with 384 points and is tied for 16th on Bays de Noc with 13 pounds, 5 ounces.
Mr. Tiller nearly had to withdraw from the final qualifier because he contracted Lyme’s disease in June. During practice he would fish one day and rest the next.
“At about 2 p.m. yesterday I wasn’t feeling reel good,” said the Sauk Centre, Minn., pro. “But I felt a lot better after we got that 9-pounder in the boat.”
Anglers will weigh their catches beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern time at Escanaba Harbor in downtown Escanaba. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:23 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 60 degrees
Expected high temperature: 78 degrees
Water temperature: 67-72 degrees
Wind: SSW at 10 mph
Maximum humidity: 55 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly sunny