Top-10 cut, heavy skies loom large on horizon
Stren Central anglers battle bass bite, possibly wet weather for shot at fishing finals on Columbus Pool
COLUMBUS, Miss. – Friday will be a heavy day for the 272 Stren Series Central Division anglers competing this week on the Columbus Pool, the weight of three key elements pressing down on them: scrambling for enough weight to make today’s top-10 cut, earning points toward a possible berth in the Stren Championship and the weather.
Both professionals, 136, and as many co-anglers face the daunting task of make-or-break fishing today, as the cut awaits both divisions by day’s end. Only the 10 pros and 10 co-anglers with the heaviest accumulated weight over the first three days of fishing will move on to fish in Saturday’s finals, with a shot at top prizes worth $65,000 and $35,000, respectively.
Furthermore, this tournament is the third of four regular-season events in the Stren Series’ Central Division. With only one more to go in 2007 – on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks, Sept. 19-22 – several anglers here may be as interested in playing it safe and earning points toward qualification for the Stren Series Championship as they are in swinging for the fences in hopes of winning the tournament. Anglers earn point at every tourney in which they catch fish: The higher their finish, the higher their point total, and only the 40 best pros and 40 co-anglers in the Central Division will advance to the Nov. 
8-11 championship on the Mobile Delta in Alabama.
Obviously much is looming over these anglers, figuratively speaking, but quite literally, they also will deal today with leaden skies that could bring thunderstorms and rain showers this afternoon. At the 6 a.m. takeoff, the humidity felt oppressive at 90 percent and the horizon was dense with thick clouds, as the sun fought to break through.
Though the clouds are expected to scatter somewhat – from a high of 82-percent coverage this morning – they will still cover more than half the sky throughout the day, ushering in a 40-percent chance of thunderstorms and rain showers by afternoon. Though moderate wind was a factory in Thursday’s competition at 8 mph and gusting higher, it has calmed down today. Anglers met a 2 mph, south-southeasterly zephyr this morning, which is expected to peak at only 6 mph by midday. By afternoon it is likely to become a west-southwesterly breeze, back at 2 mph.
Thursday’s weigh-in illustrated the yin-yang effect of tournament bass fishing: What’s good for one angler will veritably hamper another. After a sunny opening day, a handful of anglers reported Thursday’s cloud cover ramping up their bite, while as many if not more were hoping things would clear up again today. The same is true for the wind: After dead calm on day one, some fishermen greeted yesterday’s chop-inducing wind with open arms, while others bemoaned it, saying it moved their fish.
And it’s that pendulum swing that always keeps things interesting at a bass tournament with anglers of this caliber; the only thing predictable is that at least a few of these skilled fishermen will solve the puzzle, so stick around, fishing fans.
Friday’s weigh-in and top-10 cut will take place at Columbus Marina, located at 295 Marina Drive in Columbus, Miss., beginning at 3 p.m. Central time. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1913 Highway 45 N. in Columbus beginning at 4 p.m. Final takeoff will commence Saturday morning at 6 at Columbus Marina. 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.