BULL SHOALS, Ark. – Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour anglers awoke Wednesday wondering if the conditions could get any worse. Things were already going to be tough under normal circumstances due to an Arkansas state law that mandates walleyes must be a minimum length of 18 inches.
To make matters worse, the lake is about three weeks behind schedule due to an unseasonably cold spring. Last, but not least, a strong thunderstorm swept through the Bull Shoals area last night, carrying high winds, lightning, rain and some instances of hail.
While the storms have passed and the wind has died down, anglers are confused about how it will affect the bite.
Local co-angler Dick Fuller said, “I haven’t talked to many people who have been catching fish. The fishing wasn’t good before the front came in, so I guess it can’t hurt.”
Although the temperatures have dropped off considerably, the expected high temperature is near average for this time of year.
Pro angler Matt Froelich plans to cast crankbaits along the shore until the sun comes up. He said he believes it will be a very tough bite and that the majority of the fish will be caught early in the day.
“I think there will only be two or three guys with double-digit weights,” he said. “Someone will catch two or three big ones and bring 14 to 16 pounds to the scales.”
There is a general consensus among the field that the bite is brutally tough. If anyone is actually on fish, they are remaining extremely tight-lipped. But these are fishermen after all, which means they are extremely adept at telling tales.
While these are far from ideal conditions, you’ll hear very few complaints from the anglers in a field of 104 boats, who launched this morning with hopes of capturing a top prize of up to $80,000.
The truth will be told at 3 p.m. Central time Wednesday, when the field begins returning to Bull Shoals Boat Dock on Route 178.
Wednesday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 6:49 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 58 degrees
Expected high temperature: 68 degrees
Water temperature: 49-54 degrees
Wind: SSE at 10 mph
Maximum humidity: 66 percent
Day’s outlook: isolated thunderstorms