A different tournament begins

Zero weights, rapidly changing conditions bring new beginning to Stren Series Southeast event

LAGRANGE, Ga. – The top 20 pros and 20 co-anglers in the Stren Series Southeast Division tournament started from zero Friday morning as they made their way out to West Point Lake.

Not only has the reset button been pushed on their weights, that same button has been pushed on the fishing, too.

With such a rapid warm-up, conditions are changing fast and so are the fish; West Point is not the same lake that these anglers started on Wednesday morning.

Pro leader Tommy Williams of Shepherdsville, Ky., is a little worried that the sudden warm-up might change his fish.

“The water temperature in my area has come up 8 degrees since Wednesday morning,” Williams said. “If it gets too warm, they’ll scatter out and get harder to catch. I was hoping it would stay cold. That cold water keeps them bunched up tight on the channel swings and makes them easier to pinpoint.”

While Williams is apprehensive about the big changes, other anglers welcome them.

Pro Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., jumped into the top 20 with a 14-pound catch yesterday, which he attributed to the warm-up.

“I had three spinning rods on my deck yesterday morning,” Lane said. “I pulled up to try one shallow spot and caught a 5-pounder. I immediately put those spinning rods away and started fishing shallow. These fish are moving up into the warmer shallows, and I think there’s going to be some good fish caught today.”

Friday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:22 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 46 degrees

Expected high temperature: 67 degrees

Water temperature: 50-54 degrees

Forecasted winds: NW at 5-10 mph

Day’s outlook: cloudy, 30-percent chance of rain

Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the LaGrange Wal-Mart on New Franklin Road, beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern.