It’s a go in the snow

Weather permits day two launch at Stren Central on Norfork

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. – Mother Nature came close to stealing a second day from the Stren Series Central Division event on Norfork Lake, but dawn found safe road conditions allowing anglers a final qualifying day – this one set against a backdrop of wintry frosting.

When heavy snowfall earlier in the week kept several competitors from reaching the event site in Mountain Home, Ark., tournament officials decided to postpone registration from Tuesday night to Wednesday night. This shortened the tournament from four days to three, and many feared another cancellation when a second snow storm made its way toward Northern Arkansas Wednesday afternoon.

Snow flurries taunted the day one weigh-ins and by nightfall, a solid layer of white covered trees, roofs, trucks, boats and John Deere tractors. Tournament director Ron Lappin said that angler safety was paramount, but depriving competitors of another qualifying day was an option to avoid if at all possible.

Tournament staff rose early Thursday morning and checked driving conditions on roads leading to the launch ramps at and near Henderson Point Park. Fortunately, the judgment was favorable and by daybreak the sounds of splashing trailers, cranking outboards, and the check-out bullhorn played a symphony of optimism.

A day two cancellation probably would not have offended Thursday’s top 10 finishers, but those still looking to make the cut appreciated a second qualifying day. Wayne Hauser of Winston-Salem, N.C. caught only undersized fish on Thursday, but hopes his day two game plan of fishing crankbaits around rock bluffs close to Henderson Point will help him gain ground in the standings.

“I’m going to fish stained water with 1-3 feet of visibility because this makes the fish come up shallower and makes them more susceptible to the crankbait,” he said.

Hauser said that water quality would play a big role in his success. “I was on a really good bite earlier in the week and I was catching 10-11 pounds a day. That disappeared when the color changed dramatically in the backs of the creeks. It went from a nice stain to a dark mud.

“I ran around a little bit yesterday and found some water that wasn’t just chocolate in the back of a little creek near (the boat ramp). I actually caught a couple of my fish back there yesterday late in the afternoon, so I’m feeling more comfortable today that I’ll be able to catch some (keepers).”

Entering day two in third place, Mike “Cowboy” Foree of Osage Beach, Mo. knows he’ll need to pad his 8-pound, 4-ounce stringer if he’s to reach Saturday’s top-10 finale. Foree will start with a conservative approach and then shift to a more aggressive strategy.

“I’m going to try to get five bites and then pull off the fish I’m fishing and go to where I’ve been catching some bigger fish to try and get a kicker to move up,” he said.

Foree said he expects better fishing conditions than he found on day one. “I think the bite’s going to continue to get better. We had a couple of days earlier in the week when it was slow and yesterday was pretty slow, but it started picking up. The fish are starting to acclimate themselves better (to the weather.)”

With relatively low weights on day one, there’s plenty of room for anglers to greatly improve their position with a strong day two performance. Tenth place is 6 pounds, 8 ounces, so the door is wide open for significant shuffling.

Logistics

The Stren Series event, which runs March 6-8, is the first of four regular-season Central Division events. Hosted by the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce, the Lake Norfork tournament offers a total purse of $275,225. The winning pro could earn as much as $65,000 in cash and prizes if contingencies are met, and the winning co-angler could earn as much as $35,000.

Anglers will take off from Henderson Point Park, located off Highway 62 East in Henderson, at 8 a.m. Saturday. Weigh-ins also will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Friday. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 65 Wal-Mart Drive in Mountain Home, Ark., beginning at 4 p.m.

The full field will compete Friday and the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers advance to Saturday’s final round. Winners will be determined Saturday by the heaviest accumulated weight from three days of competition.

Friday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:32 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 32

Expected high temperature: 34

Water temperature: 42

Wind: N 10-13 mph

Humidity: 61

Day’s outlook: Overcast with afternoon snow showers