Hot or cold?

Will Lake Lanier produce the same number of fish today as it did on day one?

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – On opening day of the Wal-Mart FLW Series event on Lake Lanier, the 200-boat field hauled in 1,237 bass, including 142 five-bass limits. However, some still looked at the results sheet and declared the weights were down. So is it a good week or a bad week on Lake Lanier?

According to pro Tom Mann Jr. of nearby Buford, Wednesday was a good day, and that opinion was backed up by another Georgia pro, Mark Hardin, who credited the warming water with yesterday’s good catch.

But Oklahoma pro Harmon Davis believes it’s still a bit early for Lake Lanier to be in its prime.

“If we were here next week, it’d be ugly,” he said. “I would love to be here when these spots got on beds.”

Indeed, some fat, football-like spots were brought to the scales yesterday, but this morning’s frosty temperatures do indicate that it is still a bit too early for the Lanier bass to be at their fattest.

“The weights may go down today, but not much,” Davis predicted. “It’s just springtime. Next week is a full moon, and a lot of these fish are in the backs of creeks. It’s about time for these fish to be moving up.”

A wind advisory for the entire Atlanta metro area could complicate matters today, as sustained winds of 20 to 35 mph are expected, with gusts of at least 35 mph. The wind advisory takes effect at noon and is expected to last until midnight.

Competitors will weigh in their catches today beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern at Little Hall Park, which is located at 3501 Dawsonville Highway in Gainesville. For those who cannot be at the weigh-in in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, its cutting-edge Web application that brings viewers audio, video, results and more in real time.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:54 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 40 degrees

Expected high temperature: 69 degrees

Wind: S at 15 mph

Maximum humidity: 51 percent

Day’s outlook: partly cloudy