Race to make the cut
Day two underway with anglers bunched up on the leaderboard at FLW Beaver Lake
ROGERS, Ark. – As the 175 tournament boats carrying 350 Wal-Mart FLW Tour competitors made their way out onto the quiet waters of Beaver Lake Thursday morning, the buzz around the dock centered on just how tight the fields are and how this $1 million tournament is still up for grabs. The deciding factor might just be a matter of whoever reaches their fishing holes first today.
While Mark Rogers of Naples, Fla., led the Pro Division Wednesday with a weight of 12 pounds, 8 ounces, the difference between first and 20th place (the cut line after today) on day one was a mere 3-10. Another 3-10 down the standings list, or 5-4, would have put an angler into roughly 60th place Wednesday – and still realistically in the hunt.
Many of the pros fished the lower end of Beaver Lake Wednesday to take advantage of its clearer water for sight-fishing, and there was a lot of company down there. That may go a long way toward explaining why many of the leaders after day one came out of the first few flights.
The majority of anglers were again headed toward the other end of the lake Thursday, but the flights have been flipped for day two. That means anglers who were left out of the first-come-first-served extravaganza yesterday will likely have first crack at the prime spots today. And that could cause a few dark horses down the leaderboard to make a run at the semifinal round.
The weather in the Ozarks remains pleasant, and the bass are still spawning. The only real mitigating factor is the high water level of Beaver Lake – up about 10 feet from normal pool – which is pushing most of the fishing action up into normally dry wooded areas, which can at times be pretty inaccessible.
FLW action continues at Thursday’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. at Prairie Creek Marina, located on Prairie Creek Marina Drive in Rogers, Ark.
Vital statistics
Sunrise: 6:39 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 67 degrees
Expected high temperature: 84 degrees
Water temperature: 62 degrees
Wind: From the south at 10 mph
Relative humidity: 73 percent
Day’s outlook: Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon
Day-two links: