Day three under way at Old Hickory
Field of 22 boats takes off for EverStart Championship semifinals
GALLATIN, Tenn. – Temperatures have risen and the wind has picked up for the third day of competition in the EverStart Series Championship at Old Hickory Lake near Nashville. Due to a four-way tie in the Co-angler Division after the opening round, two extra boats are competing in Friday’s action. Instead of 20 sponsor-detailed Rangers, there are 22.
Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas, led the Pro Division in the opening round by amassing the only weight total over 20 pounds. Bill Rogers of Jasper, Texas, led the co-anglers with over 11 pounds.
While anglers should expect the fishing to remain tough on the heavily pressured waters of Old Hickory Friday, catch weights did increase on day two relative to day one. The field caught 14 five-bass limits Thursday compared to just two of them Wednesday. That could bode well for those who the made cut into today, but a lot of that could depend on the current. The Corps of Engineers didn’t pull water through the lake until yesterday afternoon, and that’s when most anglers said the bass started biting.
The co-angler champion will be crowned today, with the winner receiving $10,000 and a fully rigged Ranger boat. The top 10 pros based on Friday’s catch weight advance to Saturday’s final round, where weights are again cleared and anglers compete for position and prize money.
Friday’s weigh-in begins at 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 1112 Nashville Pike in Gallatin. The public is encouraged to attend weigh-in festivities as well as the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 3 p.m.
For fans outside the Gallatin/Nashville area, you can follow the drama of EverStart Series 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 bass action from Old Hickory Lake. Transmission begins every day at the start of weigh-in.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:08 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 69 degrees
Expected high temperature: 80 degrees
Water temperature at the ramp: 59 degrees
Wind: from the south at 12 mph
Relative humidity: 58 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy
Day-three links: