Deep retaliation
Bite promises to deteriorate as anglers scramble to make top-10 cutoff
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Day one of the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray was largely dominated by shallow-water fishermen. But Thursday’s thick cloud cover will give way to partly cloudy skies on day two. The change in weather has the deep-water anglers thinking about revenge.
Pringles pro Gabe Bolivar was part of the deep contingent on day one. Like most, he struggled – catching only one keeper bass. But his practice was productive and he still believes the $2 million championship will be won deep.
“I just think it has to bright and sunny for the deep fish to bite,” said the Ramona, Calif., pro. “When the sun is out, the fish hold tight to the deep brush piles. In practice we had bright, sunny days with temperatures in the 90s. Practice wasn’t spectacular but I was confident that I could catch at least 8 
pounds a day.”
At 7 a.m. Eastern time, the skies were still covered with clouds, but it won’t last. By 9 a.m. the skies will be partly cloudy and Bolivar plans to adjust his day accordingly.
“I haven’t fished shallow all week, but I’m going to try it for a few hours this morning. Once it gets real hot, I’ll go back deep. The deep fish are definitely untapped while the shallow fish are getting hammered.
“What’s got me scared is that I could see the fish on my graph; I just couldn’t get them to bite. With all those people fishing shallow, I think the weights are going to drop tremendously today. If they don’t, I’ll be shocked.”
Berkley pro and 2007 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year Jay Yelas disagrees with Bolivar.
“I expect this tournament to be won shallow – probably with a flipping stick in hand,” he said.
Yelas flipped himself on day one, catching a 10-3 limit on Chigger Craws and Power Worms for 16th place. He figures if he catches 13 pounds today, he’ll make the critical top-10 cutoff.
“I’m around tons of fish. Between the two of us, we caught 18 keepers yesterday and my co-angler is leading the tournament. If I can catch one 4- or 5-pound fish I should be in good shape.”
With an FLW Tour AOY title, a BASS AOY title and a Bassmaster’s Classic victory, Yelas is a Forrest Wood Cup win away from becoming the first angler to own the grand slam of professional bass fishing.
“One of these days I hope to win this tournament. It could be this year – I’m just taking it one step at a time.”
Logistics
The two-day, opening-round cut will be made following Friday’s action. The full field competes in the opening round for one of 10 slots in Saturday’s competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Look for the pro cut weight to hover around 22 to 24 pounds, and the co-angler cut weight to settle in around 11 to 13 pounds.
Weights are cleared for day three, and co-angler competition concludes following Saturday’s weigh-in. The top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
The day-two weigh-in will begin at 5 p.m. at the Colonial Center located at 801 Lincoln St. in Columbia. The doors to the Family Fun Zone and Outdoor Show will open at 2 p.m.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:46 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 69 degrees
Expected high temperature: 89 degrees
Water temperature: 83-86 degrees
Wind: ESE at 6 mph
Maximum humidity: 66 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy