Magic City tricks
Logan Martin is different things to different anglers as they take off on day two
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – If you’re looking to find out how Logan Martin Lake is going to behave for the second day of competition at the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship, the answer is going to depend on who you ask. Ray Scheide says it depends on current. Darrel Robertson says he hasn’t even seen any current. Randy Blaukat has seen it, but he doesn’t believe it’s a factor.
Current or no current, one thing that’s for certain is that it’s going to be another scorcher down here in Alabama. The currently forecasted high is 95 degrees, with heat indexes making the air feel as if the temperature registers in the 100s. Such is summer in the South, and anglers headed out this morning armed with sunblock, water and floppy hats alongside their rods, reels and tackle.
As for the fishing, though, it’s all in the eye of the beholder.
“Really, the conditions have been so stable that there are not a lot of factors other than fishing pressure that could affect it,” Blaukat said. “I think you’ll see weights pretty much the same. We’re in those dog days when you have a lot of stability.”
But Ray Scheide thinks the numbers will fall slightly due to the time that water will be pulled today, which creates current. Scheide, though, caught one of the heaviest weights of day one and leads his bracket by more than 6 pounds, so he can afford to be conservative today whether the weights truly fall or not.
“I think it’s going to drop off a bit because they’re going to pull water an hour later,” Scheide said. “Unless these guys time it to where they’re on their spots the last hour, it’s going to be tougher.”
While Robertson agrees with Scheide that current indeed helps, he says he never did see it yesterday in the spots he was fishing.
“Some of my best days I’ve caught them without current at all,” Robertson said.
No matter what the catch, today’s weigh-in should bring excitement to the crowds in Birmingham, as half the field will be eliminated this afternoon, bracket-style. Some anglers are leading their brackets by a long shot while others are holding onto slim leads, but at the end of the day, only one pro per bracket will advance.
Today’s weigh-in begins at 5 p.m. Central time at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena.
The championship’s boat and outdoor show features more than 140 exhibits, fishing seminars by Hank Parker, Guido Hibdon, David Fritts, David Walker and other bass-fishing legends, as well as free daily giveaways. The boat and outdoor show runs from 2 to 8 p.m. today, noon to 9 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
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 5 p.m. Central.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:01 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 80 degrees
Expected high temperature: 95 degrees
Wind: W at 7 mph
Maximum humidity: 53 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny