Okee-fog-ee

FLW Series pros lose valuable fishing time to day-three fog delay

CLEWISTON, Fla. – The day-three start of the Walmart FLW Series event on Lake Okeechobee stuttered a bit due to a fog delay Friday morning.

In all, pros lost about 45 minutes of fishing time as tournament officials deemed the fog heavy enough for unsafe boat operation.

For some pros, the loss of fishing time will likely not impact them as bad as the forecast for Friday, which calls for a 70 percent chance of rain.

Over the last two days, many leaders have caught key cull fish by sight-fishing. And with fog turning to rain later today, sight-fishing will be difficult at best.

Chances are pros will resort back to surface buzzing type plastics – Horny Toads, Flappin’ Shads and Swim Senkos – to adapt to the conditions. The surface buzzing bite has been hot this week, but pros have complained about losing a lot of fish on this technique due to the thick grass on the flats.

The fog delay did give pros some time to trade fishing secrets. In one boat a trio of bass fishing super powers – Kelly Jordon, Clark Wendlandt and David Dudley – closely examined some of Jordon’s best swimbaits and swapped ideas on the best rigging for such baits.

Perhaps some of the best fishing seminars occur in fog delays.

The day three weigh-in of the FLW Series BP Eastern will begin Friday at 3 p.m. at Roland & Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort located at 920 E. Del Monte Ave. in Clewiston.

Friday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:10 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 67 degrees

Expected high temperature: 68 degrees

Water temperature: 65-70 degrees

Wind: NW at 10 to 20 mph

Day’s outlook: rainy and cooling