Lake Gaston on go
Fourth Stren Series event of Northern Division changes venues due to low water
BRACEY, Va. – The fourth and final event of the Stren Series Northern Division began this morning on Lake Gaston on the border of North Carolina and Virginia.
If you do not recall seeing Lake Gaston on the Stren Series schedule for 2007, that’s because it was not on the schedule until a few weeks ago.
The original venue for the final Stren Northern Division event was actually Kerr Lake, but due to severe low-water conditions the tournaments had to be moved to Gaston.
At about 20,000 acres in size, Lake Gaston, which is located just downstream from Kerr on the Roanoke River, is much smaller than Kerr.
Initially, when the venue change was announced, angling pressure from a potential field of 200 boats over a three-day period was a concern for the smaller lake, but with 109 boats participating in the Stren event, the worry of boats fishing on top of each other has diminished.
Despite its compact size, the lake is chock full of docks and grass (elodea) from one end to the other, giving anglers plenty of fishing options.
A Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event over this past weekend allowed anglers some idea of the weights needed to do well here.
The BFL was won with a two-day total of 29 pounds, 11 ounces, and it took 16 pounds, 8 ounces to be in the top 10 after two days.
Pete Gluszek of Franklinville, N.J., who won the last Stren Series Northern Division event on the Hudson River, noted he has experienced a couple of solid days of practice at Gaston over the last few days.
“When they pull water, there is a pretty good schooling bite that occurs in many places across the lake,” Gluszek said. “The problem is they have to be pulling water, and with this drought situation and the water being so low up at Kerr, they’re just not pulling much water at all. And when they do pull it, it’s real late in the day, like about 4 o’clock, when most of us will be weighing in.”
Gluszek maintains that 25 to 26 pounds after three days should get a pro in the top 10.
“A five-bass limit per day should do it for the top-10,” he added. “A 15- to 16-pound catch for one day would be a banner weight.”
Targeting grass and docks, or a combination of the two, will likely be the dominant pattern at Gaston this week.
With this being the final Northern Division event, one thing on many anglers’ minds at Lake Gaston this morning is making the Stren Series Championship to be held at the Mobile Delta in Alabama Nov. 8-11.
The top 40 pros and 40 co-anglers from each Stren Series Division qualify for the no-entry-fee championship, which will pay as much $140,000 to the pro winner and $70,000 to the co-angler winner.
Logistics
As for this event, anglers will take off from Americamps located at 9 Lakeside Lane in Bracey, Va., at 7 each morning. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins also will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m.
Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 200 N. Cooper Road in Henderson, N.C., beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The Lake Gaston Stren Series tournament is hosted by the Vance County Tourism Department.
Pros will fish for a top award of $25,000 plus a $40,000 519VX Ranger powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics if contingency guidelines are met. Ranger will award another $3,000 to the winner if he or she is a participant in the Ranger Cup program. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $1,500 to the highest-finishing participant in the contingency program. Yamaha will match 50 percent of Ranger Cup earnings if “Powered by Yamaha” guidelines are met.
Co-anglers will cast for a top award of $5,000 plus a $30,000 Ranger boat and trailer if contingency guidelines are met.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:09 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 70 degrees
Expected high temperature: 86 degrees
Water temperature: 75-80 degrees
Forecasted winds: NE at 5 to 10 mph
Day’s outlook: overcast, drizzly