Fog delays competition on Lake Amistad
Stren Series Central Division kickoff pushed back two hours
DEL RIO, Texas – Fog delayed competition on Lake Amistad for two hours Wednesday morning, leaving Stren Series competitors antsy and anxious to kick off the 2006 Central Division season. A dense fog advisory was in effect until 10 a.m., with takeoff originally scheduled for 7:30. Luckily for competitors, a lake evaluation shortly after 9 a.m. revealed conditions to be safe, and takeoff commenced at 9:30 a.m.
Today on Lake Amistad, anglers should have a veritable bass feast before them, as the big Texas/Mexico reservoir is predicted to yield several fish in the 10-pound range this week as well as a host of bass weighing 6 to 8 pounds. The trouble is, many competitors are making a long run up the river, and long runs may be risky in today’s shortened competition day.
“I was going to make a pretty long run, but apparently the fog delay is going to keep me pretty close,” said Louisiana pro Trey Morgan.
No matter the weather, all agree the lake is fishing exceptionally well, with pro Keith Combs calling for a 26-pound stringer to lead the pack today.
“The primary pattern is deep-water fish,” Combs said. “I think everybody will catch them. If the wind doesn’t blow, it will help it.”
Indeed, fog didn’t hamper competitors during practice as much as the wind, which is expected to slow down a bit today.
“It’s been fishing great,” said pro David Meeks. “It will probably take 35 pounds just to make the two-day cut. You’ll probably see four or five fish over 10 pounds and a lot of 6-, 7- and 8-pounders.”
Logistics
Anglers will take off from Lake Amistad Marina at 7:30 Central each morning. Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina, which is located at Highway 90 West HCR-3 in Del Rio beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2410 Dodson St. in Del Rio beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Anglers will compete for two days to determine the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers who advance to Friday’s semifinal round, based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the semifinal round and anglers compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners on day four are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
In Stren Series competition, pros supply the boats, fish from the front deck against other pros and control boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck and compete against other co-anglers. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points that determine angler standings. Two hundred points are awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, 198 points for third, and so on. The top 40 pros and top 40 co-anglers from each of the Stren Series’ five divisions – Central, Northeast, Midwest, Southeast and Western – will advance to the $1 million Stren Series Championship on Wheeler Lake Nov. 1-4. The top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers from each division also qualify for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world’s most lucrative tournament series, where they can compete for a share of $7.6 million in 2007.
Wednesday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 7:17 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 54 degrees
Expected high temperature: 80 degrees
Wind: NE at 7 mph
Maximum humidity: 64 percent
Day’s outlook: foggy and damp with some drizzle ending by afternoon