Last shot for delta dreams

Ehrler holds sizeable lead, but late tides and a short day could affect outcome

OAKLEY, Calif. – A sunrise flyover by the California National Guard’s Blackhawk helicopter sent a jolt of enthusiasm across 10 boats preparing to launch for the final round of Wal-Mart FLW Series National Guard Western Division competition on the California Delta.

Leading the field, National Guard pro Brent Eherler of Redlands, Calif., carries a 4-pound, 9-ounce lead into Saturday’s competition. With showers forecast for the late morning through afternoon, Ehrler sees a possible meteorological benefit.

“It seems like I’ve been doing better when it gets dark and nasty,” he said. “They’re forecasting rain, so maybe (the bass) will bite.”

The big question mark for Ehrler will be the tides. Throughout the week, he has found his better bites on the outgoing stage, but today’s schedule has the water coming in during the morning and starting out right around the 3 p.m. check-in time.

“The tide is not where I like it, but I’ve caught some fish when the tide was high – I just didn’t have the flurries like I did when it was low,” Ehrler said. “I’ll just fish a deep-runnning bait and try to get down to the fish.”

To hold the top spot, Ehrler said he needs to add at least 20 pounds to his current mark of 83-11. “If I can catch 25, I’ll feel pretty good.”

Sitting in second with 79-2, Brett Hite – the Phoenix, Ariz. Pro fresh off an FLW Tour win on Florida’s Lake Toho – has enjoyed the reasonable assurance of a fish-rich canal system that he’s had all to himself throughout the tournament. With no reason to change what has gotten him to the top 10, Hite plans to continue his pattern of working a chatterbait over shallow grass.

“I have a lot of bank that seems to be very productive through the (entire tide cycle),” Hite said. “The tide is actually getting better for my kind of bite – I’d rather have an incoming tide.

“I’m just going to stick to my guns in this one area and make as many casts or more than all the other competitors in key places. If I get the right bites and execute, I’ll have a chance to win.”

In the fifth place boat, Randy McAbee of Bakersfield, Calif. spent the pre-launch minutes rigging up big swimbaits – a potential homerun for big delta bass. Drop shot rigs, spinnerbaits and Senkos are also likely to see action today.

Notably, Brentwood, Calif. pro Dee Thomas’s forward deck held only one rod, rigged with a blue and black jig, under the straps. Thomas has plenty of gear, but his will be a strategy of time-management efficiency.

“You talk about simplicity, that’s all the tackle I’m going to use right there,” Thomas said. “It tells me where I’m going to fish, it tells me how I’m going to fish and it allows me to cover a tremendous amount of water.

“I have all the faith in the world in that little jig. It’s caught every fish that I’ve caught this week. That bait got me a third place finish on Clear Lake last weekend, where I weighed (38 pounds) on the second day. If I get lucky and get a bag like that today, school could be out.”

Thomas sits eight and a half pounds off the lead, but his 3-day weight of 71 pounds, 3 ounces strikes an interesting parallel to his age. At 71 years young, Thomas is the event’s most senior competitor. He’s nearly triple the age of 25-year-old Cody Meyer – the sixth place pro from Redding, Calif., but that doesn’t bother Thomas.

“At this point in my career, winning is not as important as making the top 10,” Thomas said. “I just want to show a bunch of people that you can be an old guy and still play the game.”

Logistics

Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 4893 Lone Tree Way in Antioch, Calif., beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Wal-Mart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include the Kellogg’s trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.

The entire field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events. Co-angler winners are determined on day three based on the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.

Saturday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 7:19 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 45 degrees

Expected high temperature: 56 degrees

Water temperature: 53 degrees

Wind: from the northwest at 7-10 mph

Humidity: 55 percent

Day’s outlook: partly cloudy to rainy