Calm after the storm

College competitors fish in decidedly fall-like conditions after a week of April-style rain

MURRAY, Ky. – If ever there was a good way for aspiring pro anglers to get a good taste of their abilities, perhaps it’s in the wake of a nice cold front and month of record-setting rainfall. Day 1 of the National Guard College Fishing Central Regional Championship broke crisp, fairly calm and partly cloudy, but this October’s weather pattern has been one of wide temperature swings and record amounts of rainfall. Yesterday alone brought another inch and a half of rain to the Murray area.

Kentucky Lake, a flood-control reservoir of the Tennessee River, is typically drawn down to a low but stable winter pool level by this time of year. The lake is currently just shy of 2 feet above winter pool and fluctuating daily as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has to continuously generate to keep up with the unyielding rains.

Despite all of this, most of the young competitors were optimistic about the fishing this morning. Bass are typically in shallow water gorging on shad this time of year on Kentucky Lake, and yesterday’s rain, though heavy, fell while the air temperature was above 70 degrees, causing little in the way of change to the water temperature. Jonathan Roberts and Matt Goddard of Arkansas Tech University said the heavy rain may help them out because it could reduce a bit of the “home lake” advantage other teams may have.

One such team, of course, is Murray State University’s Kalem Tippett and Steve Miller, winners of a Central Division event on Lake of the Ozarks earlier this month, and representative team from the host university.

“The rain didn’t change things up too much water temperature wise,” Miller said. “But the lake levels have been changing because they’re really pulling water.” Miller and Tippet had a variety of shallow-water lures rigged on their deck, including a few topwater options and some shallow-running crankbaits. The two anglers were headed south this morning, but of course there’s a whole lot of water in that direction from Kenlake Marina, the launch site. As a rule, the lake is shallower and has more grass farther south, near the Tennessee state line, although the grass has been spotty this year. Miller said 15 pounds is a good bet to lead by the end of the first day’s competition.

The top five FLW College Fishing teams from each of the four regular-season Central Division tournaments gained automatic entry into the 2009 Central Regional Championship at Murray State. During the three-day regional event, 20 two-man collegiate angling teams will compete for a top award of $25,000 plus a 177TR Ranger wrapped in school colors and powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard engine.

Teams slated to compete in the Central Regional Championship are Arkansas Tech University, Eastern Kentucky University, Henderson State, Indiana University, Kansas State University, Murray State University, Ohio State University, Ohio University, Southern Illinois University, Truman State University, University of Arkansas at Monticello, University of Central Arkansas, University of Iowa, University of Missouri, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, University of Wisconsin – Stout, Western Kentucky University and Western Michigan University.

Logistics

Collegiate bass anglers will take off daily at 7 a.m. central time from Kenlake Marina in Hardin, Ky. Weigh-ins begin at 4 p.m. daily in front of Roy Stewart Stadium at Murray State University. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free to attend and open to the public.

Murray State University will also host the Reel Life Festival in conjunction with the Central Regional Championship. The free festival, featuring the National Guard Warrior Challenge ropes course, rock-climbing wall, paintball range, geocaching and a variety of other activities, kicks off with a tailgate party Saturday, Oct. 31 from 11 to 1 p.m. in advance of the Murray State Racer football game. The tournament weigh-in and a concert featuring Jennifer Fox and the Pillow Fighters will start immediately following the game at 4 p.m. On Sunday and Monday, Nov. 1-2, the Reel Life Festival will run in conjunction with the tournament weigh-in from 4 to 7 p.m. Reel Life Festival visitors can register to win iPod Nanos, which will be given away Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, and a MacBook Air, which will be given away Nov. 2. Murray State students also receive a free meal starting at 4 p.m. on Nov. 2 as part of the festivities.

The top five teams from each of the five National Guard regional championships (Western, Central, Northern, Texas and Southeast) will advance to the National Guard National Championship April 10-12, 2010, in Knoxville, Tenn. The winning team at the national championship will qualify for the prestigious 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.

Saturday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:17 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 50 degrees

Expected high temperature: 58 degrees

Water temperature: 59-61 degrees

Wind: WNW at 10mph

Max. humidity: 75 percent

Day’s outlook: partly cloudy