Throwing darts
Any one of 10 well-heeled finalists could win Forrest Wood Open
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Take the top-10 list of pro finalists from this week’s Forrest Wood Open, tape it to the wall and throw a dart at it. The name you hit is as good a bet as any to win this tightly contested fish fest at Lake Champlain.
The pros took off at 6:30 a.m. Saturday for the second half of the final round in Wal-Mart FLW Tour action on the big, clear lake.
By all accounts, practically every single one of them has a legitimate shot to win this thing and the $200,000 top prize. The top three pros – first-place Randy Blaukat, second-place Dan Morehead and third-place David Walker – are within 2 ounces of each other. The weight difference separating Blaukat and 10th-place Jason Kilpatrick is just under a reachable 5 pounds. The difference between Blaukat and 8th-place Charlie Hartley is a mere 2 pounds.
In other words, the size of one meager Champlain smallmouth is all that stands between eight equally eager pros and a huge payday. Even Kilpatrick and ninth-place Rob Kilby, who is 3 pounds off the lead, have a conceivable shot; handfuls of 5-pound bass have been caught here this week and the biggest was 6-5.
If these pros have their way with the lake today, we might just see some more of those 5-pound kickers. Rest assured that, barring some kind of breakdown, everyone will catch five-bass limits. But some pros hinted that they have been saving their best spawners for last, which means all the stops come out today.
“There’s still more fish out there where I’m at,” said Kilby, who led day two by catching big smallmouths in deeper water.
“There are a lot of 15- or 16-pound bags here, but getting that 17- to 18-pound bag is the key,” said seventh-place Scott Martin, who is no stranger to his GPS unit. “Look for a lot of guys who kept some of those 4- to 5-pound fish until today to step up.”
Strategy, adjusting to the conditions (which are favorable today) and a deft ability to work the GPS: That’s what will win this event. And with the already impressive track records of these 10 pros – combined, they have 102 top-10 finishes in FLW competition – expect a big-time shootout Saturday afternoon.
“I’m just going to pretend there’s no tournament going on and go out and have fun,” Blaukat said.
Saturday’s final weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh. The Family Fun Zone – featuring interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy – is also free and open to the public. It opens at 11 a.m. at Wal-Mart.
For bass-fishing fans unable to attend the festivities in person, you can catch all the weigh-in action live at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live. Show time starts at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Saturday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 5:10 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 50 degrees
Expected high temperature: 74 degrees
Water temperature at the ramp: 65 degrees
Wind: from the west-southwest at 9 mph
Maximum humidity: 48 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy