Big ‘O’pen for business
FLW American Fishing Series anglers hit the open waters of Lake Okeechobee in search of a tourney title during season-opening Southeast Division event
CLEWISTON, Fla. – With blustery winds and temperatures dipping in the low 40s, the field of 147 pros and co-anglers departed Roland & Mary Ann Martins Marina & Resort shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday to embark on the first leg of a hopeful three-day journey on one of the most storied waterways in all of Florida.
Heading out onto the open waters of Lake Okeechobee – known for its predominantly shallow waters and monster largemouth bass – anglers’ spirits were high despite the unseasonably cool weather and pesky wind that almost certainly will contribute to some rougher-than-expected outings for many in the field.
“It’s still going to be a good day despite the wind,” said pro Frank Jenkins of Fort Meyers, Fla. “I think the bite will still be there. The wind might hurt the sight-fishing bite some, and it’s going to be cold, but I still think the fishing will be good. You’ve got to have faith, right?”
Jenkins’ co-angler partner, also a Florida native, agreed that the weather shouldn’t negatively affect the fishing – or the big bites for that matter.
“I think you could see a couple of 30- to 32-pound stringers today,” said Ron Buck of Port St. Lucie, Fla. “There are lots of 9- and 10-pounders lying on the beds right now. All week the fishing has been getting better and better.”
While North Carolina pro Red Moore believes the wind could hinder the bite some, he argues that anglers should be able to employ their full arsenal of baits and tactics with relatively few exceptions.
“The fishermen are catching them on a little bit of everything right now,” said Moore. “They’re using spinnerbaits, plastics, flipping and pitching (techniques). Everything seems to be working with the exception of the frog bite. The frog bite is dead right now.”
Not surprisingly, anglers predict that the majority of the fish caught during the event will come shallow.
“Most, if not all of the bites, will come in 2 feet of water or less,” said Moore. “I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of fish caught deeper than 6 feet.”
“There will be a lot of fish caught very shallow,” added Buck. “But two of my biggest fish in practice were caught in water 3 to 4 feet deep.”
If the wind and weather don’t hamper the bite, most anglers predict that it will take a whopping 20 pounds a day on the pro side just to advance to Saturday’s final day of competition.
“The sight-fishing bite might be tougher today, but I still think that it’ll probably take about 20 pounds on the pro side and about 15 pounds on the co-angler side to make the cut,” said Jenkins. “There are just too many good places to fish here. It’s a big, old lake with plenty of fish. And people are going to catch them.”
Tourney format
During FLW American Fishing 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 and two, with the top-10 pros and top 10 co-anglers advancing to Saturday’s final round of competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all three days.
Pros will fish for a top award of $25,000 plus a 198VX Ranger boat with 200-horsepower outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award of $10,000. If the co-angler meets the Ranger Cup guidelines, they will earn an additional $5,000.
The American Fishing Series consists of four divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast and Texas. Each division will consist of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points that could earn them a trip to the American Fishing Series Invitational on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., Nov. 4-6. The points champion from each division will qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup and a fifth Forrest Wood Cup qualifier will advance from the Invitational that is open to the top 50 anglers from each division.
FLW American Fishing Series action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. at Roland & Mary Ann Martins Marina & Resort, located at 920 E. Del Monte Avenue in Clewiston, Fla.
Bass-fishing fans take note
Want to watch the weigh in live but can’t make it in person? Then tune into FLW Live on FLWOutdoors.com shortly before 3 p.m. Eastern time to watch live streaming video and audio of today’s opening-round weigh-in.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:51 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 47 degrees
Expected high temperature: 64 degrees
Water temperature: 67-72 degrees
Wind: NNW at 20-25 mph
Maximum humidity: 45 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly sunny and windy