Okeechobee Day 2 Coverage
30 minutes until weigh-in
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2:30 p.m.: Join us on FLW Live
Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. ET at FLWFishing.com. The FLW Live feed will be up shortly. Tune in to see who makes the top 20 cut.
2:00 p.m.: Bradley Hallman continues to set the pace
With one hour left to go until weigh-in, Bradley Hallman is the clear leader. By our estimates he has 20 to 22 pounds. This afternoon he really cranked it up and put together a flurry of fish catches to reclaim the lead from Alex Davis.
Reports are that the water temperature hasn't dropped as much as some anglers expected. Though, the water has gradually gotten dirtier as the day has gone on due to this relentless wind that continues to blow.
Clewiston faithful are starting to roll in to weigh-in here at Roland and Mary Ann Martin's Marina and Resort. Join us wherever you are via FLW Live at 3 p.m. ET.
1:30 p.m.: Hallman hammering away
Move over Alex Davis, because Bradley Hallman wants his lead back.
The Norman, Okla., pro is into some fish. He missed two bites then filled his limit with a 5-pounder. A few minutes later, Hallman culled out a 1 1/2-pound bass with a 6-pounder and made a huge upgrade. He thinks he has 20 pounds, but pros always underestimate. He very well could be in the 22-pound range now.
Hallman is the man to beat.
It's not clear what has caused the sudden uptick in the action. It might have to do with the beautiful sunshine and 67-degree air finally warming up the shallows and prompting some new bass to move into their spawning areas. The wind is certainly blowing and has a chill to it, but in protected areas it seems that the fish might be recovering.
12:50 p.m.: Hallman is on the move
Day-one leader Bradley Hallman might not have a limit yet, but his four keepers are the right kind. He thinks they'll weigh 14 to 15 pounds. He's got himself in position to maintain the lead with plenty of fishing time left.
Behind Hallman, local ace Brandon McMillan has only three bass that weigh about 6 pounds. He's got some ground to make up. McMillan is using a trio of presentations to pick apart the cover as he bounces around the south end of the lake.
Alex Davis lit up the Twitter feed this morning when he quickly sacked up an 18-pound limit, but he's been quiet ever since then. He was in third after day one.
So far, these three seem to be establishing themselves as the favorites. They should be neck and neck after today's weigh-in, unless one of them cracks a couple of hawgs this afternoon.
11:45 a.m.: Slow going as we hit the midday mark
There were a lot of questions regarding whether or not the south end of the lake could hold up with today's stiff north wind, or whether pros would be better off heading north. Right now, there's still no real answer to those questions. The pros who did go north are struggling a bit, but that area was slow yesterday too. And down south, no one is lighting up the world. Alex Davis caught a quick 18 pounds in the south end, but we haven't had an update in almost two hours. Others in the top 10 who are fishing down south are catching far fewer bass than yesterday.
The only real conclusion that can be drawn is that this post-frontal weather has really hurt the bite.
10:25 a.m.: Shaking up the top five
It's still really early on this second day of competition, but already the top five is shaking up. Tournament leader Bradley Hallman recently made a move to a more outer area where the water is dirtier but he's a little more protected from the wind. He has just one keeper. It's a good one, but that's it.
Local favorite Brandon McMillan's livewell is still empty. He said yesterday that he wasn't sure what would happen out there today with this high water and wind switch. Just give him time though. He knows Okeechobee better than most. He'll figure something out before the day ends.
Alex Davis has made the biggest move. Though he's been quiet for about an hour, Davis already has about 18 pounds in his livewell. He's the unofficial leader.
Joshua Weaver in fourth place has a pair of keepers, but they aren't big. Still, he's only a fish away from making a run at Hallman's lead.
Flipping is the dominant technique among the top pros. It's slow fishing, but it can pay off big time when the fish hunker down in thick cover after a cold front.
Jeff Sprague caught two hawgs on day one. See him in action here:
Watch Wesley Strader catch his day-one limit
9:35 a.m.: Davis has 18 pounds
Alex Davis continues to be the story of day two. The Alabama pro just culled up to almost 18 pounds. On a morning when a lot of pros are struggling, he seems to have figured out something that's working. He's the unofficial leader for sure now.
9 a.m.: Alex Davis is hammering away, trying to catch Hallman
Two 4-pounders anchor an early limit for Alabama's Alex Davis, who came into today in third place. He was an even 4 pounds off Hallman's lead after day one. He's the unofficial new tournament leader.
It seems like more pros are flipping today, while yesterday was a pretty even split between flipping and winding moving baits. This cold front certainly prompted the slowdown.
Despite the wind blowing out of the north, several of the pros in the top of the standings still ran south.
One thing's for sure: The rim canal will be busy today. Not many pros are going to run the open water of the main lake in this stout wind.
8:15 a.m.: Check out the day two takeoff photo gallery
7:30 a.m.: Pros brace for a windy, wild day on Okeechobee
Today's second round of competition is sure to be a challenging one for the pros fishing the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Okeechobee. Last night, a steady rain rolled through Clewiston, leaving behind tough post-frontal conditions with sustained – and quite chilly – north winds at about 20 mph. Instead of flip-flops and shorts, pros were donning stocking caps and heavy jackets at takeoff.
The forecast is for the wind to taper off slightly, but its effects are already being felt by the anglers, mostly in the form of uncertainty regarding how to fish today. Most of the action yesterday was in the south end of the lake, but the wind was blowing out of the south.The wind did a complete 180 overnight. Now that it's blowing straight in on the south end, fishing there could completely shut off.
Still, this is Okeechobee, and somebody will figure out how to catch them. The tough conditions only serve to level the playing field a bit and open the door for anyone to move into the top 20.
Conditions
Current temperature: 54 degrees
Forecast high: 64 degrees
Sky: partly cloudy
Precipitation: 0 percent chance
Wind: N at 21 mph
Weigh-in Details
Watch the day two weigh-in live at FLWFishing.com starting at 3 p.m. ET.
Click here for complete tournament details.