Winding it up
Conditions just right for FLW Series pros running the Columbia in the finals
TRI-CITIES, Wash. – The top 10 pros took off for the final round of Wal-Mart FLW Series Western Division competition Saturday morning, and most of them were hoping for one thing: low winds. But that’s a tall order on a breezy raceway like the Columbia River.
The strong, steady winds that routinely blow through the Columbia River basin are such that Hood River, Ore., located about 150 miles downstream, is known as one of the world’s top windsurfing destinations. That’s great if you have a sail and a surfboard, but not so great in a flat-bottomed bass boat.
The top pros coming into the day aren’t traveling as far as Hood River, but Charlie Weyer and Clayton Meyer are fishing roughly the same area a ways downstream, locking through to the next pool each day to get there. Both of them expressed concern about the possibility of winds making it rough on them in the finals if it kicks up Saturday.
“I almost turned around and came back yesterday,” Meyer said, “but it was a good thing I didn’t.”
However, it appears that Mother Nature will be kind to the finalists this week. The river was clear and glassy calm at Saturday’s takeoff – probably the calmest it’s been all week. The forecast is calling for the wind to reach a mere 10 mph out of the west by early afternoon in the Tri-Cities area, so that’s about as good a prognosis as the anglers can hope for.
Still, any type of west wind can be intimidating here as it channels up the Columbia River basin against the current. It will be interesting to see how Weyer and Meyer handle it under the pressure of fishing for a hundred grand.
The stakes
Pros are competing this week for a top award of $125,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the BP East-National Guard West Fishoff and a shot at advancing to the $2 million, 2008 Forrest Wood Cup, where the winning pro will earn as much as $1 million – the sport’s biggest award.
Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2801 Duportail St. in Richland, Wash., beginning at 4 p.m. Pacific time. There is also a Family Fun Zone for the kids prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Wal-Mart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include the Fujifilm trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.
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.