Back to the bayou for day two

Opening-round cuts Thursday at FLW Atchafalaya

MORGAN CITY, La. – Temperatures have cooled off a little bit for day two of Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition at Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin, but, hey, at least it’s still raining.

While the moderate cool spell probably didn’t affect anglers much as they dispersed deep into the maze of canals this morning, the rain and moving water will likely affect water clarity throughout the basin when they reach their fishing holes. In this feast-or-famine fishing tournament, most of the top pros said on day one that finding clean water is the key to hooking into a good bass bite.

While more than a few anglers struggled yesterday, some good fish still came across the scale. Pro Mark Pack of Mineola, Texas, landed an 8-pound largemouth fishing in the Shell Oil canals, and leader Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C., assembled a respectable five-bass stringer weighing over 17 pounds while fishing not too far from the takeoff point.

“Now all I need are three or more fish to go with it,” said Pack, who caught his big-bass winner on a Lake Fork craw tube.

Thursday’s weigh-in takes place at 3 p.m. Central time at Belle River Boat Launch in Belle River, La. Following day two, both fields will be cut down to 10 anglers apiece based on their two-day accumulated weight for Friday’s competition.

For bass-fishing fans unable to attend the festivities in person, you can catch all the weigh-in action live at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live. Show time starts at 3 p.m. Central.

Thursday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 6:47 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 48 degrees

Expected high temperature: 57 degrees

Water temperature: 53-54 degrees

Wind: from the north 12 mph

Maximum humidity: 78 percent

Day’s outlook: showers