RED WING, Minn. – Mercifully, air temperatures have risen about 20 degrees for the semifinal round of competition at the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship. After launching their boats in bone-numbing sub-freezing temperatures the first two days, RCL anglers found themselves cloaked in a relative layer of warmth as the mercury hovered around 50 degrees Friday morning.
The more reasonable weather could bode well for the fishing, as well. The warm front actually hit the area Wednesday afternoon, and anglers weighed a larger number of big walleyes on day two. Many of them said they caught bigger walleyes in the afternoon when the sun came out and conditions shifted to a normal fall pattern.
“The fish are starting to show up in areas where they’re supposed to be in the fall,” said pro Scott Allar of Welch, Minn., who qualified for the semifinals in second place. “I think the fishing’s going to get pretty good now with some more stable weather.”
The top 12 pros and co-anglers took off from Treasure Island Resort and Casino at 7 a.m. Friday. All weights were reset to zero for today’s competition. The pros are fishing in a one-day shootout to determine the top six who will advance to Saturday’s final round. The co-angler champion will be crowned Friday afternoon.
Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1752 Frontage Road in Hastings, Minn., beginning at 5 p.m.
For fans outside the Red Wing/Hastings area, you can follow the drama of RCL Championship competition live every day on FLWOutdoors.com. Complete with live, streaming audio and results, FLW Live is your fastest and most complete option for catching all the walleye action from the Mississippi River. Transmission begins every day at the start of weigh-in.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:10 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 51 degrees
Expected high temperature: 59 degrees
Water temperature at the ramp: 54 degrees
Wind: from the west at 5 mph
Relative humidity: 76 percent
Day’s outlook: morning showers,
Day-three links: