Motor City misery
Wet, wild day three under way on Detroit River
TRENTON, Mich. – Leave it to Mother Nature to put a good dousing on what was shaping up to be a compelling tournament. As the rain relentlessly beat down, the 300 anglers competing in the season-opening Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event prepped for what for what promised to be a taxing day on the Detroit River.
If there is any consolation, several of the anglers described the downpour as a “warm rain,” which might be a psychological description more than anything else. The temperature at takeoff was roughly 10 degrees warmer than the prior two days, but the high is only expected to reach 51 degrees.
Pro Ron Erhard and his partner, Scott Tipton, both sit just outside the cutoff in their respective divisions. Erhard rallied Thursday, catching five walleyes that weighed 14 pounds even. He currently sits in 36th place and figures a 20-pound bag Friday would put him in contention to make the top 10. He is one pro who hasn’t let the wretched weather dampen his spirits.
“I think the fish will bite better all day long,” Erhard said. “The warm rain will make the fish move more and hopefully bite more.”
The Wellsville, Kan., pro went on to explain that the wind causes the river to dirty more so than rain. He said the rain might cause muddy water for those fishing upriver, but he doesn’t expect it to be a problem for those fishing near the launch.
Tipton is in slightly better shape than Erhard, sitting in 30th among the co-anglers with a two-day weight of 23 pounds, 1 ounce. The Box Elder, S.D., native agreed with Erhard’s comments and added that river fish aren’t affected as much by rain as lake fish.
The two plan to vertically jig the hot-water discharge near the marina with big plastics.
“We’ve caught more of our big fish on plastics, and I need 20 pounds to make the cut so we’re going after big fish,” Erhard affirmed. “I think there will be bigger bags and as many big fish as yesterday. The fishing is only going to get better; we’re so close to the spawn.”
Tournament notes
The critical day-three weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Eastern time, when the field of 150 boats is trimmed to the top 10 pros and the top 10 co-anglers. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at Elizabeth Park Marina. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 23800 Allen Road in Woodhaven, Mich., beginning at 4 p.m.
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:05 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 47 degrees
Expected high temperature: 51 degrees
Water temperature: 43-51 degrees
Wind: NNE at 14 mph
Maximum humidity: 84 percent
Day’s outlook: rain