Enter Charlotte’s web
North Carolina’s Lake Norman to pose plenty of obstacles for FLW Tour anglers during opening round of competition
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Although a beautiful sunrise greeted FLW Tour anglers as they departed Blythe Landing shortly after 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, the serene, picture-perfect day could quickly turn out to be nothing more than an illusion for many competitors as they hit the open waters of Lake Norman.
While anglers have enjoyed clear water and great spawning conditions when the FLW Tour visited Lake Norman the previous few years, those events were held in late April – not mid-March. And this time things are going to be a whole lot different. For starters, water levels are way down. Secondly, the usually clear, rocky lake has muddied up fairly significantly over the past few weeks. Thirdly, the water temperatures are decidedly cooler on Lake Norman than what FLW Tour anglers are used to.
As a result, Lake Norman could fish entirely differently this time around. And the anglers know it.
“The water levels are about a foot to a foot and a half lower,” said FLW Tour pro Dave Lefebre. “The water temperatures are also a couple of degrees colder this time of year, and on this lake, 1 degree can make a big difference. When we’ve been here before, the prespawn-to-spawning ratio was about 50-50. Now, the fish are more like 95 percent prespawn mode and 5 percent spawn mode.”
While the current conditions almost certainly will affect the spawn and, consequently, the sight-fishing bite, Lefebre believes the most significant challenge for anglers is water clarity.
“The biggest thing is the water color right now,” said Lefebre. “It’s dirtier than I’ve ever seen it. Normally this lake looks like a postcard. But now it just looks fishy.”
However, for some competitors in the field, the increasing migration of stained water isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“Normally when I come to Lake Norman, I’m just trying to get through this event (unscathed),” said Lefebre. “It’s a clear, rocky lake with a lot of spotted bass, and that’s not really geared to my strengths. But with the conditions right now, I really love it. I think the largemouth bass are going to bite a whole lot better, and you’re going to see bigger weights overall. Sight-fishing is going to be tougher, and I think that’s going to help the co-anglers as well. When the pros are sight-fishing for bedding bass, a lot of times there isn’t much left for co-anglers. But during this tournament, I think co-angler weights should be higher than usual.”
Lefebre also said that the recent FLW format change – moving from a day-two cut to a day-three cut – will also play a large factor in the competition.
“This lake has a huge spotted bass population – there are some 6-pounders in here,” said Lefebre. “Under the old format, one big bite could carry you to the finals. But guys aren’t going to be able to do that this time. They’re going to have to fish hard all three days to make the cut.”
So what will the cut weight likely turn out to be?
“My guess is about 12 to 13 pounds a day,” he said. “But to get that, you’re going to need to really mix it up. Right now the fish are deep, shallow, in prespawn and spawn mode. They’re going to catch them on everything. In my opinion, this is going to be the No. 1 tournament of the year for bait variety. I’ve got 30 different rods rigged up in my boat, and I never do that.”
While the winning pattern has yet to be determined, what is clear is that anglers will have to adjust on the fly if they are going to entertain any chances of taking home the tournament title.
“The guy who adjusts to the changing conditions the best is going to be the winner,” said Lefebre. “And the conditions will change, you can count on that. It’s definitely not going to stay the same for four days. It’s going to be a challenge for sure. But I’ll tell you what, Lake Norman is going to be a really fun lake to fish.”
Tourney format, event logistics
The entire FLW Tour field will compete for three days with the top five pros advancing to the fourth and final day of competition based on their overall accumulated weight. At the end of day three, a co-angler champion will be crowned. After the conclusion of Saturday’s weigh-in, the tournament title will be awarded to the pro who has recorded the most combined weight over all four days of FLW Tour competition.
Each morning, anglers will take off from Blythe Landing, located at 15901 N.C. Highway 71 in Cornelius, N.C. The first three weigh-ins – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – will also be held at Blythe Landing beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, located at 4751 Highway 49 North in Concord, N.C., beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will be treated to a Family Fun Zone & Outdoor Expo at Cabarrus Arena and Events Center on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday prior to the final weigh-in from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a drawing for a Can-Am ATV, compliments of 99.7 the Fox, and rod-and-reel combos will be given to the first 300 kids under 14 in attendance on Saturday. The Family Fun Zone & Outdoor Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors. It also provides visitors with the opportunity to learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public. For a full schedule of events, additional information and to register for the ATV, visit FLWOutdoors.com/NationalGuardOpen.
In addition to a tournament title, FLW Tour anglers also will be vying for valuable standings’ points in hopes of qualifying for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. This year’s Cup will be in Atlanta Aug. 5-8 on Lake Lanier.
Coverage of the Lake Norman tournament will be broadcast in high definition (HD) on VERSUS May 2 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide.
FLW Tour action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. at Blythe Landing, located at 15901 N.C. Highway 71 in Cornelius, N.C.
Bass-fishing fans take note
Want to watch the weigh-in live, but can’t make it in person? Then tune in to FLW Live on FLWOutdoors.com shortly before 3 p.m. Central time to watch live streaming video and audio of today’s opening-round weigh-in.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:22 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 37 degrees
Expected high temperature: 73 degrees
Water temperature: 55-63 degrees
Wind: WSW at 3-6 mph
Maximum humidity: 49 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly sunny