Searching the shallows
Stren Central anglers pursue shallow bite at Columbus Pool on day two
COLUMBUS, Miss. – Decisions. That’s what competitive bass fishing is all about. And the anglers fishing this week’s Stren Series Central event in Columbus, Miss., have their share to make. To lock or not to lock? Jigs or tubes? Wood or grass? However, one question few will grapple with Thursday: Shallow or deep?
Wednesday’s kickoff to the third stop of the 2007 Central Division schedule yielded mostly predictable weights, but did offer a few small surprises. For starters, few expected 15-pound-plus bags, especially not from a co-angler, but a few exceptions crossed the scale: Kenneth Sheets hammered a 16-14 sack to lead the pros, followed by Mark Rose with 15-3, and local co-angler Bill Bowen pummeled his division with 15-13. But, again, those were the exceptions.
And some figured there would be a roughly even distribution of the 136 boats among the fishable pools 
on the Tombigbee Waterway: the takeoff site of Columbus, north to Aberdeen or south to the Alabama side at Aliceville. But reportedly less than one-fourth of the field locked through to the south, the vast majority stayed close by, and relatively few locked upriver. In fact, Sheets said he was amazed he saw so few boats near his hot spot in the upper pool.
One additional surprise for many – though certainly not all – was the lack of a decent topwater bite in the morning. But the common denominator among seemingly all competitors – whether locals or visitors, crankbait specialists or flippers, grass fishermen or woodsmen – was the shallow depth at which they found their gilled quarry. Though it’s possible that some of the more quiet anglers fished deeper, not a single competitor on-stage during Wednesday’s weigh-in or while being interviewed reported catching a bass in water deeper than 8 feet. And the overwhelming majority reported hooking up in water less than 2 1/2 feet deep.
Texas pro Paul Whitman Jr. of Dallas said Thursday before takeoff: “A lot of (the fishery’s bass pattern) is current-related. I think, regardless of the heat this time of year, they want to stay shallow, tucked into lay-downs, brush, wood.”
Whitman was able to catch four bass Wednesday, heavy enough for 27th place, with “a little brown jig,” all caught in less than 5 feet of water on the Aliceville Pool. He said he fished mostly around lay-downs, weeds and grass, “keying in on wood.”
“I’m going to do the same thing, basically,” he said. “I think I’m on the right deal.”
Even if the weather were the driving force behind patterns this week, static conditions will serve as an unchanging equalizer across the field. Conditions today, as well as what’s forecasted through Saturday’s finale, are expected to essentially mirror what anglers saw Wednesday: temperatures in the lower to mid-90s, high humidity and a slight breeze.
At stake
Winners in both the Pro and Co-angler divisions will be determined by heaviest combined weight over the course of the four-day event. The field will be trimmed Friday to the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers, who will fish one final day Saturday.
Pros are competing for a guaranteed top award of $25,000 cash, plus a $40,000 fully loaded Ranger boat package and contingency dollars if qualifying guidelines are met. Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of a guaranteed $5,000 cash, plus a Ranger boat-trailer package and bonus dollars if guidelines are met.
Anglers will take off from Columbus Marina located at 295 Marina Drive in Columbus, Miss., at 6 Central time each morning. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1913 Highway 45 N. in Columbus beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
On the Web
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 3 p.m. Central today.