The rain cometh
Mother Nature throws yet another curveball at Stren Series Western Division anglers as snowy conditions give way to rain showers on Lake Shasta
REDDING, Calif. – Nobody said it was going to be easy. After braving frigid conditions throughout Wednesday’s opening round of competition, anglers awoke early Thursday to cold, steady rains and the prospect of one soaking wet day on the water.
As the full field of 150 pros and co-anglers departed Bridge Bay Resort marina shortly after 7:30 a.m. (PST), they could see the changes in the landscape all around them. The hillsides that had been covered in snow just 24 hours prior were now blanketed in clouds, fog and rain. And as any angler will tell you, it’s a lot easier to prepare for the cold than it is to prepare for an entire day of steady rains.
But such is life in the big leagues of Stren Series tournament action.
To be sure, the news was not all bad. With the slightly warmer temperatures, the bass bite has a definite chance to improve. While anglers struggled mightily throughout Wednesday’s competition to land sizeable stringers across the board (only 10 anglers mustered sacks 10 pounds or greater), today’s conditions just might be enough to jar the bass into feeding on a more consistent basis.
That would be good news for the majority of the field as plenty of anglers – especially in the Pro Division – have a lot of ground to make up.
Currently, pro Chris Laskowski of Anderson, Calif., has sole possession of first place after turning in an outstanding catch of 18 pounds in yesterday’s event. By virtue of his catch, Laskowski holds a whopping 5-pound, 10-ounce lead over his nearest competitor.
In the Co-angler Division, anglers are much more tightly grouped together. Sean Kimble of San Leandro, Calif., maintains the overall lead thanks to a 9-pound, 10-ounce catch in Wednesday’s competition. However, 25 co-anglers are within 2 pounds of the lead which means that Kimble’s grasp on first place is tenuous at best.
Ultimately, by the end of today’s competition, the separation between contenders and pretenders should become a bit more obvious.
Tourney format
During Stren Series competition, pros supply the boats, fish from the front deck against other pros and control boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck and compete against other co-anglers. Anglers are permitted to weigh in their best five bass each day. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points that determine angler standings. Two hundred points are awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, 198 points for third, and so on. The full field competes on days one, two and three, with the top-10 pros and top 10 co-anglers advancing to the finals based on their three-day accumulated weight. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
Pros will be fishing for a top award of nearly $70,000 assuming contingency guidelines are met, while co-anglers will be angling for a first-place prize of $30,000.
In addition, competitors will be vying for valuable points that could earn them a berth in the $1 million Stren Series Championship, slated for Table Rock Lake in Branson, Mo., Nov. 5-8.
Stren Series Western Division action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. (PST) at Bridge Bay Resort marina, located at 10300 Bridge Bay Road in Redding, Calif.
Can`t make the weigh-in in person, then watch it on FLW Live on FLWOutdoors.com beginning at 3 p.m. (PST).
Vital statistics:
Sunrise: 7:33 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 44 degrees
Expected high temperature: 50 degrees
Water temperature: 42-49 degrees
Wind: From the south-southeast at 6 mph
Maximum humidity: 84 percent
Day’s outlook: Rain showers