Another great day on Columbia Basin
Big-river smallies on the menu again
TRI-CITIES, Wash. – Another crisp, gorgeous morning greeted FLW Series anglers as they took off onto the Columbia River for day two of Western Division competition. That means one thing: Expect another smallie-fest Thursday.
“Can you feel the change in the air?” pro Michael Tuck asked. “It’s going to be a great day.”
Temperatures could reach 80 degrees and the wind is supposed to blow out of the west – conditions that seemed to benefit the anglers on day one. Limit after limit of smallmouths came to the scale Wednesday, and there’s no reason to expect anything different Thursday.
One key variable, of course, will be the current. Yesterday’s top weights seemed to come in with the later flights, which maybe indicated that they pulled water on the river in the mid-afternoon. With the limits flowing and the weights tightly packed, it will be interesting to see how many of the early-flight guys from yesterday can make a day-two push when they can stay on the river a little longer into the afternoon today.
Whatever happens, the pros will need to readjust their target weights since 10 pounds a day doesn’t look like it will cut it this week. Look for contending pros to gun for 12 or 13 pounds a day in order to make the final day. Co-anglers, too, have their work cut out for them since their cut weight settled on 11 pounds yesterday.
Catch the action
FLW Series Western competition continues at Thursday’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. Pacific time at Columbia Point Marina, located at 660 Columbia Point Drive in Richland, Wash.
On the Web
For those who can’t catch the weigh-in action in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, an online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results, streaming video and audio.