Visibility low, optimism high
Fog faces finale fishermen at FLW Series in Florence
FLORENCE, Ala. – As a chilly white veil obscured the Tennessee River, Saturday’s likely outcome held no more clarity for the 10 anglers fishing the Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern Division finale at Florence, Ala.
Most of the field turned right out of the marina at McFarland Park and disappeared into a soupy mist less than a half mile from the Wal-Mart check-out boat. Leading the field for three days, Mark Rose of Marion, Arkansas holds only a 13-ounce lead over Paducah, Kentucky’s Terry Bolton. The Suave pro is making no assumptions, but he carries a solid game plan into Saturday’s competition.
“I have a lot of confidence in what I’m doing – I know the depth range and what the fish are doing. The mental game is a lot in this sport, so if you understand what the fish are doing, you feel like you can go (anywhere) and catch them.”
Rose will target bars, points and humps in 14-20 feet between Yellow Creek and the Pickwick dam. He has found good numbers of aggressive fish and he’ll continue throwing a ¾-ounce green pumpkin Strike King football jig with a Strike King Rage trailer. Rose hopes to catch 16-17 pounds.
“That’s doable – I’ve done it (on Pickwick) a couple of times,” he said. Things have slowed down a little bit on my key area where I caught (my day one and day two) fish, so I may have to look for some new areas today.
“I’m looking for bait on my areas. It seems that if you can find the bait, you can find the fish.”
Lake current, or the lack thereof, concerns Rose the most. Day three saw low discharge levels at the Tennessee River dams and the fish activity declined in the slow water. If he faces the same scenario today, Rose said he’ll decrease his retrieve speed, downsize his jigs, trim the trailers and occasionally switch to a finesse worm.
“It’s just do-nothing type tactics – anything to finesse fish them,” he said.
Bolton, who weighed his heaviest bag (17-6) on day three, brings 46 pounds, 2 ounces into the final round. Success, he said will hinge on his ability to maximize his opportunities.
“Every day in a tournament comes down to 15 minutes and I made a pretty wise choice for those 15 minutes yesterday and caught a couple of those bigger bass. You just hope that you make the right choice and that things work out for you.”
Bolton will stick with the same deep water pattern that got him to the final round. He’ll throw a jig or a spinnerbait in 20-27 feet. Lake current, he said will be helpful, but not imperative.
“The current would help, but yesterday they didn’t run any water (through Pickwick Dam) and I caught them better,” he noted. “The fish are running bait out there and you just have to hope they run them by your area for the right few minutes.”
Logistics
Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 3100 Hough Road in Florence beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone 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.
The entire field competed for the first three days of FLW Series events. Co-angler winners were determined on day three based on the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition today, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
Saturday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 6:55 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 50 degrees
Expected high temperature: 69 degrees
Water temperature: 75 degrees
Wind: from the east-northeast at 1-2 mph
Humidity: 64 percent
Day’s outlook: Sunny and cool