COCODRIE, La. – During Thursday’s fishing bonanza, Redfish Series anglers were able to employ a variety of sight-fishing techniques, which led directly to overall success for the entire field. With nearly 1,400 pounds of fish caught in yesterday’s competition, anglers were eagerly awaiting a chance to duplicate their efforts during Friday’s action. However, while anglers will undoubtedly catch fish in abundance today, the descending cloud cover could put a significant damper on angling teams that have been counting heavily on sight-fishing techniques.
“We were hoping for sunny skies (today) because, if it’s overcast, it’s going to affect our ability to sight-fish – and that’s really one of our strengths,” said Kris Culpepper, currently standing in second place overall in the competition. “If it gets real cloudy, that means we’re going to be doing a lot of blind-casting. And when you’re trying to specifically target those 8-pounders, it makes it a lot harder.”
David Nesloney Jr. agrees that the cloud cover won’t make things any easier.
“If we get some really big cloud cover, it’s definitely going to make it harder to sight-fish,” said Nesloney, whose team currently stands in fifth place. “If the cloud cover doesn’t get too bad, you can still see the fish’s wake moving around on top of the water. But with the weights so close together in this tournament, it’s really important to get those big bites. For us, the key is finding clear water.”
To be sure, cloud cover or not, a lot is at stake in today’s competition. After this afternoon’s weigh-in, only five of the 113 teams will advance to Saturday’s finals and a shot at the lion’s share of the $200,000 total purse.
Tourney format
All 113 angling teams will compete in Friday’s competition. The top five teams, based on heaviest accumulated weight from yesterday and today, will compete in the finals Saturday.
Two redfish may be weighed in per team, per day. The winning team will be determined by the heaviest combined weight from Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
First-place team members each win $25,000 cash. However, if a member of the winning team is also the original owner of a Ranger, Champion, Wellcraft or Hydra-Sports boat used during the tournament, the team will also receive a $12,500 bonus. Additionally, if a member of the winning team is the original owner of a qualifying Yamaha or Evinrude outboard that is used during the tournament, the team receives a $12,500 bonus for total award of $50,000.
Anglers will not only be competing in two-man teams for a top award of as much as $50,000, but they will also be vying for valuable points toward a berth into the no-entry-fee, $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship in Pensacola, Fla., Oct. 19-21.
Friday’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Central time at Coco Marina, located at 106 Pier 56 in Cocodrie, La.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:01 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 76 degrees
Expected high temperature: 87 degrees
Water temperature: 86-88 degrees
Tides (at Cocodrie, La.): low 2:01 a.m., high 2:41 p.m.
Wind: S at 7 mph
Maximum humidity: 66 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy skies with chance of afternoon thunderstorms