It’s a scorcher
TBF Central Division Championship competitors take off early to beat the Mississippi heat
COLUMBUS, Miss. – To say it’s going to be a hot one in Mississippi would be a massive understatement. Competitors in The Bass Federation Central Division Championship presented by the National Guard, starting today on the Tenn-Tom Waterway’s Columbus Pool, will be working just as hard to safeguard themselves against the heat as they will for the fish.
A 5:30 a.m. launch saw temperatures in the low 60s that will steadily increase to a peak in the mid-to-upper 90s with barely a cloud to give any relief. But what of the fishing? Suspended in the water, the fish don’t seem to care how hot it is until they are taken out of the water.
According to Mississippi state qualifier Jeremiah Beard, it’s an early-morning bite on the Columbus Pool – so maybe those fish do mind the heat after all. Beard expects to see leading weights in the 10- to 11-pound range, with five-bass limits comprised of largemouths. When asked if the heat would affect competitors out there today, Beard simply laughed.
Beard’s weight prediction would coincide with numbers put up here last week by Stren Series competitors, as leaders had four-day weights in the 40-pound range. This week’s event spans three days and features 84 competitors from seven states.
Logistics
Seven states – Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas – sent 12 competitors each to this week’s Central Division Championship, half of them fishing as boaters and half of them fishing as co-anglers. Individual states determine which six state competitors fish as boaters from their own boats and which six compete as co-anglers. Daily pairings are at random, and boaters are generally expected to share front-of-boat time with their co-angler partners.
While one angler will leave the Columbus Pool this week as the tournament winner, the real competition this week is between the states. The top cash award goes to the winning state, not the winning angler.
Also, where an angler finishes overall is not as important as where he finishes among the 12 competitors representing his state, as the top angler from each state, whether boater or co-angler, will advance to the 2008 TBF National Championship as a boater. The No. 2 competitor from each state will also advance to the national championship, but as a co-angler.
Thus, today’s weigh-in will really yield seven leaders – one leader per state. Competitors will weigh in their catches today beginning at 2:30 p.m. CDT at Columbus Marina, located at 295 Marina Drive in Columbus.