A damp, drizzly morning turned into a soggy day for anglers in the Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division tournament on the James River. A light mist became a steady shower, which gave way to sporadic downpours of moderate intensity.

The remainder of day one will see little change, according to weather reports.

The gloomy weather likely presented a blend of opportunity and challenge for the field. Had the morning been typically sunny, the usually reliable topwater bite might have waned by midday. Fish feel more comfortable feeding near the surface in low-light conditions, but they’ll tuck tighter to cover as visibility and sunlight penetration increases. Dim skies have undoubtedly extended the topwater bite, possibly throughout much of the day.

On the flipside, those who established good flipping bites in practice likely saw their plans diluted by today’s weather. Bass will still bite a jig or Texas-rigged bait in the rain, but with the fish more given to roaming, it’s just harder to target them.

Top finishers at today’s weigh-ins will probably tell tales of junk fishing with a mix of moving baits dominating the arsenals