Lake of the Ozarks Midday Update Day 3
The leaders are faltering on the final day
The third day of the Costa FLW Series presented by Evinrude on Lake of the Ozarks dawned crisp, cool and clear. After a delay as the top 10 pros idled out of The Glaze into the main lake to get clear of the fog, the competitors lit out onto a slick calm lake for the final day of competition.
Leader Brian Maloney started close to avoid the fog up the lake, and fairly quickly put a small keeper largemouth in the boat. After a lull, he boated another, but by 10 a.m., he only had two small keepers to show for all the docks he’d hit. On day two, Maloney had an easy 16 pounds at the same point in the day.
Behind him, Dion Hibdon and Cory Steckler started the day just a few ounces back, but neither has really mounted a charge. By about noon, Hibdon had four small keepers, and Steckler only had three small ones.
Starting the day in fourth, Mark Tucker had two by about 10 a.m. In sixth, Marcus Sykora also had two at around the same time.
The story of the day might end up being Duke Jenkel. After rocketing up the leaderboard on day two, the pro from Pinckneyville, Ill., is sacking them up again. By noon, Jenkel had amassed a limit that might go about 17 pounds. Though one of his fish is just a 15-incher, Jenkel reports that he’s got three in the ‘well that are each over 4 pounds.
The final weigh-in starts at 4 p.m. CT at Walmart, and there’s a lot on the line in this one. Though there’s time left to fish, and a good chance that one of the top three pros can make use of the cushion they have over the rest of the field, we might be headed for a pretty interesting weigh-in.
Tournament details
Format: All boaters and co-anglers will compete for two days. The top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on cumulative weight after two days of competition will advance to the third and final round, with the winner determined by the heaviest cumulative three-day weight.
Takeoff Time: 7:00 a.m. CT
Takeoff Location: Public Beach #2, 711 Public Beach Road, Osage Beach, Mo. 65065
Weigh-In Time: 3:00 p.m. CT days one and two, 4:00 p.m. CT on day three
Weigh-In Location: Public Beach #2 on days one and two, day three at Walmart, 4252 Highway 54, Osage Beach, Mo. 65065