Final countdown

Anglers head out onto Lake Wheeler in search of hefty five-fish limits, $110,000 first prize

FLORENCE, Ala. – With a dense fog advisory in effect and overcast conditions dominating the early morning landscape, the top-10 pro finalists disembarked from Joe Wheeler State Park Marina shortly after 6:15 a.m. in a bid to capture the second FLW tournament title of the 2002 season. However, anglers acknowledged that the task at hand would not be easy.

“There are a lot of fish out there, but it’s going to be tough,” said Aaron Martens of Castaic, Calif. “The fish have really been under a lot of pressure over the past three days.”

As temperatures hovered around 36 degrees at takeoff, the foggy conditions seemed to serve as a metaphor for the difficulty in seeing a clear winner in today’s contest. With 10 of the top pros in the country competing for the ultimate prize, anglers readily admitted that the tournament could be won or lost with one cast.

“You never know what’s going to happen on the last day of a tournament,” acknowledged pro finalist Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark. “I’m just going to go out there and go fishing.”

With more than 68,000 acres of available water and a little less than seven hours to produce a winning stringer, it’s clear that strategy and tactics will be more important in today’s contest than any other day of the competition to date.

FLW action continues at today’s final weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. in the Wal-Mart parking lot located at 3100 Hough Road in Florence, Ala.

Vital statistics

Sunrise: 6:35 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 38 degrees
Expected high temperature: 59 degrees
Water temperature: 48 degrees
Wind: From the northwest at 4 mph
Relative humidity: 78 percent
Day’s outlook: Partly sunny

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