Foggy fishing

EverStart anglers brave early morning fog, ready for top-20 cut

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. – Although the majority of the field will be heading home after today’s competition, many anglers will undoubtedly remember this tournament for the impressive display Mother Nature put on this morning. With cool temperatures dominating the early morning hours of tournament action, blanketing columns of rising fog could be seen pouring forth from Lake Martin. Coupled with a beautiful sunrise, it was not long before the entire backdrop of Wind Creek State Park Marina was cast in a surreal, bright-orange glow.

However, beauty has its consequences. Realizing that the conditions weren’t safe enough for the anglers to proceed as scheduled, tournament officials called off the initial 6:30 a.m. start time to wait out the fog. But they didn’t have to wait long. Approximately 10 minutes later, anglers finally received clearance to depart the marina for the open waters of Lake Martin.

Lots at stake

With a total purse of $325,000 on the line, today is arguably one of the most important days of the four-day competition as only the top 20 anglers in each division will be permitted to advance to Friday’s semifinal round.

Currently, Jason Quinn of Lake Wylie, S.C., stands atop the leaderboard in the Pro Division after recording an 11-pound, 11-ounce catch yesterday. Co-angler Ed Clark of Wayne, W.Va., is also in first place after posting an 8-pound, 15-ounce catch in the opening round of competition.

EverStart Championship action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. at Wind Creek State Park, located at 4325 Highway 128 in Alexander City, Ala.

Vital statistics:

Sunrise: 6:07 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 38 degrees
Expected high temperature: 62 degrees
Water temperature: 61 degrees
Wind: calm
Relative humidity: 93 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny

Related links:
Photos
Day-two pairings
Day-one results