Cold front could complicate matters at TTT Championship
Wind also a factor in stingier bite
KILLEEN, Texas – A particularly gusty wind made the air temperatures feel like they were in the 30s Saturday morning on Lake Stillhouse for opening day of the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship. The chilly conditions mean a marked change in fishing conditions for contenders, as air temperatures have reached nearly 90 degrees in recent days.
With the cold front and the wind, the bite on Lake Stillhouse is off and on, said competitor Charlie Anderson of Marble Falls.
“Anytime you’ve got a front coming in, it’ll change the bite,” he said. “It’s been hot all week.”
With the drop-off in temperatures, Anderson estimates it will take 16 or 17 pounds a day to win this weekend’s championship, and it will be won with largemouths.
“The mornings were better when it was warmer,” Anderson said. “There was a top-water bite. But with the barometer the way it is, it’ll be a bottom bite – a worm bite.”
Logistics
The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers from the 2006 TTT season advanced to this weekend’s two-day championship, all of whom are looking to get a piece of the $210,000 pie.
The winning pro at the TTT Championship will earn as much as $75,000, which includes a Ranger 519 VX powered by a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and EverStart batteries plus $15,000 cash. If the winner meets Ranger Boats contingency guidelines, he will receive an additional $20,000.
The winning co-angler will earn as much as $50,000, which includes a Ranger 519 VX powered by a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and EverStart batteries plus $5,000 cash. If the winner meets Ranger Boats contingency guidelines, he will receive an additional $5,000.
Today’s weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 2020 Heights Drive in Harker Heights. The full field will compete again tomorrow for cash and prizes.
Saturday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:55 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 45 degrees
Expected high temperature: 65 degrees
Wind: NNE at 22 mph
Maximum humidity: 41 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny and cooler with gusty winds