BILOXI, Miss. – As the Kingfish Tour Championship field departed the Isle of Capri Casino marina shortly after 7 a.m. under bright, clear skies, teams fully acknowledged the importance of today’s event. To be sure, there is a lot at stake. Not only are teams competing in an effort to qualify for today’s top-five cut, but there is also a potential $150,000 payday for first place serving as added motivation.
The bad news for kingfish teams is that it’s not going to be easy to qualify for Sunday’s finals. With 53 of the best kingfish teams in the nation and an unlimited amount of water in the Gulf to choose from, plenty of teams will have their hands full today. However, the good news is that unlike many other FLW Outdoors events, every single team – even at this late stage in the game – has a legitimate chance at moving on to Sunday’s final day of competition.
The reason: All a team needs today is one catch in the 50-pound range to virtually guarantee a spot in the finals. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? Hardly. Before the tournament began, many teams predicted that 50 pounds would be the magical cutoff margin to qualify for the finals. And so far that analysis appears to be spot on. After the conclusion of yesterday’s competition, Team M&Ms grabbed the overall lead with one kingfish weighing 51 pounds, 10 ounces. In second place was Team Collins with a catch of 49 pounds, 3 ounces. Team Pro Marine USA.com took third with 42 pounds, 12 ounces. After that were a slew of teams in the high to mid 30s. But even the teams at the bottom of the standings can take solace in the fact that they are only one fish away from moving on to a huge payday.
“We’re going hog hunting today,” said David Osborne of Team Salty Dawg, one of the teams that needs to make up some serious ground after finishing day one in 31st place with a catch of 20 pounds, 5 ounces. “It’s going to be one of those days where it’s going to come down to the last minute. We’re going to be hitting those (oil) rigs and keeping the bait in the water as long as possible. Yesterday we only had three or four rods out a time. But today, we’re going to have all of them in the water.”
While keeping all the lines in the water at once is a risky proposition, Osborne said it’s a risk Team Salty Dawg is willing to take.
“If we have a good fish on, we might have to cut some lines,” said Osborne, whose team plans on running 50 to 75 miles to their location of choice. “We’re also going to be using the biggest bait we’ve got. Finding clear water is also key. Yesterday we didn’t find clear water until we’re 40 miles out. So, that’s going to be a big factor as well.”
Tournament logistics/rules
All teams compete for two days, Friday and Saturday, and are permitted to weigh the largest kingfish catch each of those two days. After the completion of day two, teams earmark their biggest catch (whether it was caught during Friday’s competition or Saturday’s) as their official weight. The top-five teams with the largest weights will advance to Sunday’s finals. During the final day of competition, teams will be able to add one more kingfish to their previous weight totals. Whichever team has the largest combined weight (opening round plus the finals) will walk away with the 2007 Kingfish Tour Championship title.
Friday’s weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. (CDT) at the Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel marina, located at 151 Beach Boulevard in Biloxi, Miss.
Saturday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:12 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 57 degrees
Expected high temperature: 77 degrees
Wind: North-northwest at 5-10 mph
Maximum humidity: 52 percent
Day’s outlook: Sunny