Wind-swept wonderland
Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Western Division anglers face blustery conditions on Texas Gulf Coast during opening round of Port Lavaca tourney
PORT LAVACA, Texas – They say everything is bigger in Texas. However, nobody ever said anything about the wind. As the full field of 96 FLW Redfish Series teams departed Lighthouse Beach marina shortly after 7 a.m., the main topic among anglers before official takeoff was the extraordinarily windy conditions that are almost certain to dominate Thursday’s headlines.
According to the National Weather Service, Redfish Series anglers will not only be facing winds gusting in the 15- to 25-mph range, but they could also see some sporadic thunderstorms throughout the early morning hours of today’s event.
“It’s not going to be a fun ride this morning,” said Redfish Series pro Terry Thomas of Huffman, Texas. “We’re making an 80-mile run, so it’s going to be an eventful day, to say the least. There will probably be a few teams that don’t get too far this morning.”
According to Thomas, the bait of choice among the field is going to come down to a combination of spin jigs, weedless spoons and Berkley Gulp Shrimp.
“My guess is that it’s going to take 15 pounds a day to be in the running for (Friday’s) top-five cut,” said Thomas. “The water temperatures are still pretty cool, but the fish are definitely starting to move up. As the weather gets nicer throughout the week, I think the guys will really start to catch them.”
The competition
The Port Lavaca event, scheduled to run from April 10-12, represents the first FLW Redfish Series Western Division tournament of the 2008 season. Per Redfish Series tournament rules, the full field of 96 teams will compete each of the first two days of competition. At the end of the second day of tournament action, the top five teams – based on total accumulated weight – advance to the finals on day three. Final standings are determined by the total weight from all three days.
Up to two redfish may be weighed in per team, per day. However, each fish must fall within the regulated 20- to 28-inch slot limit to be counted.
Anglers will be competing on two-man teams for a top award of as much as $50,000. In addition, they will also be vying for valuable points toward a berth into the no-entry-fee, $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship in Biloxi, Miss., slated for Oct. 30-Nov. 1. The winning team at the championship will earn as much as $100,000.
Thursday’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Central time at Lighthouse Beach located at 700 Lighthouse Beach Boulevard in Port Lavaca, Texas.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:06 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 75 degrees
Expected high temperature: 88 degrees
Water temperature: 67-70 degrees
Tides (at Sarasota, Fla.): low 6:00 a.m., high 6:27 p.m.
Wind: SSW at 15-25 mph
Maximum humidity: 64 percent
Day’s outlook: isolated thunderstorms in morning giving way to partly cloudy conditions