BRANSON, Mo. – Although they are two entirely different fisheries, the Walmart FLW Tour event on Table Rock is playing out similarly to the Chevy Open on Lake Guntersville. For starters, David Walker led the field after the opening day at both tournaments. And at the conclusion of day three at both qualifiers, Scott Canterbury was clinging to a narrow lead.
Canterbury hopes this tournament will be different from the season opener. At that event, his shallow-water area was ruined on day four due to a drop in water temperature. He fell from first to eighth, but has no regrets. These are entirely different circumstances and Canterbury has no reason to believe he will face a similar dilemma.
“I am excited to have the lead again, I really am,” he said. “They can say whatever they want to, but they have to catch up to me.
“At Guntersville I caught 14 out of 15 keepers out of one spot half the size of a football field. Here, I’m running around and catching fish in different places every day. On Table Rock, you’ve just got to move and find active fish.”
While most of the finalists are beating the banks in the James River, Canterbury is spending most of his time in the White River. Logic would suggest that his chances of winning today are strong because his fish have received significantly less pressure.
On the other hand, today’s weather is going to change dramatically. While it has been cloudy and cold for most of the week, then sun is expected to pop out mid-afternoon and the high temperature will be in the 60s.
“Everybody said it was tough when the sun came out during practice,” added Canterbury. For me, it was OK. I was still catching quality fish I just had to change my colors.”
Second-place pro Scott Suggs doesn’t plan any changes today. For him, that means throwing a swimbait until he has accumulated his five-bass limit. Once he has secured his limit, he will switch to fishing a jig and look for kickers.
“It looks like we’ll have a little cloud cover early so these first few hours are critical. For me, that means its swimbait time. For me, it really helps mentally to already have that limit secured.”
Tournament notes
Today represents the fourth and final day of competition at the FLW Tour event on Table Rock Lake. First place in the Pro Division will go to the angler who brings in the heaviest two-day combined stringer over Saturday and Sunday. The winning pro is guaranteed a top prize of $100,000, with a chance to win $125,000 if he is a registered owner of a Ranger boat.
The action continues at today’s weigh-in, which is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. Central time at the Branson Convention Center, located at 200 W. Main St. in Branson. The free Family Fun Zone will open its doors at noon. One lucky member of the audience will win a new Ranger boat during the final 4 p.m. weigh-in. Admission is free and you must be present to win.
On the Web
For those who can’t 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.
Sunday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:24 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 42 degrees
Expected high temperature: 62 degrees
Water temperature: 42-48 degrees
Wind: S at 9 mph
Maximum humidity: 59 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy