Havasu Midday Update Day 2
Clouds and wind add a new challenge
Lake Havasu is showing her moody side today and anglers fishing day two of the Costa FLW Series Western Division opener on this desert gem have experienced a mixed bag of results. For starters, the sunny and slick calm lake of yesterday now sits beneath a dreary gray canvas, while a sporty breeze has chopped up the surface — not to the point of navigational hazards, but definitely more waves than day one.
Typically, clouds and wind ignite the bite, but the weather has been changing all week at Havasu. All this fluctuation seems to be negatively impacting the bite.
Case in point: When local stick Shaun Bailey — a staunch power fisherman fond of big swimbaits — resorts to slowly dragging a small worm, you know the bite it tough. Notably, that tactic produced a 4 1/2-pounder for Bailey, but as of 11 a.m., that’s all he had.
Day-one leader Roy Hawk nabbed a quality smallmouth in the first 30 minutes, but went over an hour before adding a largemouth.
Joe Uribe Jr. started the day in seventh place, but he’ll almost certainly rise in the standings. He had his limit by 11:30 — four on a swimbait, one on a finesse rig.
We also expect to see local pro Johnny Johnson (eighth) improve. He had four for about 13 pounds by late morning. Elsewhere, Patrick Spencer reported about 12 pounds.
Otherwise, we saw a lot of long faces with anglers still seeking more than the time-wasting striper bite. Robert Lee, who placed third on day one, has three in the box, but says the cloud cover is hurting his bite.
David Valdivia, fourth yesterday, was also experiencing a tough morning and only had one small largemouth around 10 o’clock.
With today’s weigh-in scheduled for 3 p.m. MT, you can look for several changes in the top 10.
Tournament details
Format: All 124 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: 7:30 a.m. MT
Takeoff Location: Lake Havasu State Park-Windsor Beach, 699 London Bridge Road, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 86403
Weigh-In Time: 3:00 p.m. MT
Weigh-In Location: Lake Havasu State Park-Windsor Beach, 699 London Bridge Road, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 86403