MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – Fishing for kings in November isn’t the easiest task in the world, but the leading teams from day one of the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship showed that it’s not impossible, either. All you need is a little cooperation from the weather, a little luck and just the right water temperature.
Some 12 teams blanked in the opening salvo of this contest Thursday, but the top six teams each managed to catch at least one kingfish over the vaunted 30-pound mark, led by Team Double Gobble’s 36-8.
The key for most teams today, as it was yesterday, will be the ability to find some warmer water with more active fish. The water temperature in Charleston Harbor has been hovering around 62 degrees. The successful teams have been fishing in water temperatures reaching 68 to 70 degrees, which can be tougher to find this time of year.
Fortunately, that might become easier as this week wears on. Another beautiful, sunny day is forecast for the South Carolina coast Friday with high air temperatures slated to reach 80 degrees. That will only serve to warm up further some fishing areas that were already starting to thaw Thursday. As long as the wind stays down, even more 30-pound-plus kings should come across the scale today. And the threat of a 40-pounder is a definite possibility.
Right now, the top-five cut weight for Saturday’s finals stands at 32 pounds, 12 ounces, but that should rise significantly as teams jockey heavily for position under more favorable conditions.
At stake in the championship is a potential $150,000 payday for the winning team. The total purse for the event is $500,000.
The scales open at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time Friday at Charleston Harbor Marina, located at 24 Patriot’s Point Road in Mount Pleasant, with official check-in time at 5 p.m. The final championship weigh-in Saturday will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1481 U.S. Highway 17 North in Mount Pleasant beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:45 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 67 degrees
Expected high temperature: 81 degrees
Inshore water temperature: 62 degrees
Tides: 5 a.m. low, 11:27 a.m. high, 5:56 p.m. low
Seas: 2-4 feet
Wind: SSW at 7 mph
Maximum humidity: 59 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny