Anglers head into drizzle on day four
Final round of EverStart Eastern season opener under way
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – The top ten anglers in the Lake Okeechobee EverStart finals blasted of into a light drizzle this morning.
A small cold front is moving through the area and should be clear of Okeechobee by this afternoon. The nighttime low was 63 degrees and the high will reach 69 today. The slight cool down will probably come too late today to make for another red hot flipping bite like early round EverStart leaders experienced this week.
Yesterday, a change in wind directions shifted the clear water areas and rearranged the floating hyacinths mats. In essence, the Lake Okeechobee puzzle is in pieces and anglers will have to start putting it back together again.
Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., looks to be the favorite. He has the local knowledge to make adjustments quicker, but that comes with a price. “Local knowledge is a double-edge sword,” said Martin. “Yeah, it allows you to adjust quicker, but it also fills your head with hundreds of ideas. If one adjustment does not work on the first cast, your mind throws another option at you immediately. This can lead to panic.”
Panic will not be a problem for Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn. who was in second this morning. He does not have to manage a hundred options floating around in his head.
“I am just going flipping again,” said Morgan. “I’ve got nothing else to do, no where else to go. I forced that hand yesterday and it worked out – hopefully it will really work out today.”
Vital statistics
Sunrise: 7:20 a.m.
Temperature: 63 degrees
Water temperature: 61 degrees
Forecasted wind: from the northwest at 5-10 mph
Relative humidity: 100 percent
Day’s outlook: drizzling in the morning, sunny by afternoon
Day-four links