Weather reverses course again
Provost desperately seeking points
CASS LAKE, Minn. – After a beautiful day two on Cass Lake, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour anglers were looking forward to stable weather for the rest of the four-day tournament. As it turns out, that was wishful thinking. At approximately 9 p.m. last night, a thick band of severe thunderstorms rolled through the area. For day three, continued instability is in the forecast – complete with winds of up to 30 mph.
Friday began under partly cloudy skies but the weather is predicted to take a turn for the worse. Just after 7 a.m. thick clouds covered the sky and light rain began falling. It has been a topsy-turvy week in northern Minnesota and the walleyes are confused. As it turns out, they aren’t the only ones.
G3 pro Nate Provost of Green Bay, Wis., is one of many anglers who have been baffled by Cass Lake’s ever-changing conditions.
“This is the first time I’ve ever double zeroed in my life,” said Provost, who has four top-10 finishes on the Walleye Tour. “I had a good prefish, so I was pretty confident coming in. I don’t know if it’s the weather or what. I’ve been doing this for 10 or 11 years and it’s never happened. Now I know how other people feel.”
Before the tournament began, Provost was 40th in the points race and well on his way towards qualifying for the no-entry-fee Walleye Tour Championship. After two goose eggs, he’s desperately trying to accumulate valuable points.
“We’re going back to Pike Bay. I think I just didn’t sit down on one place and fish these fish all day long. There may be only a half hour window where they bite. And if I’m running around from spot to spot I could miss it.”
Provost did actually catch several keeper walleyes on day one but he threw them back thinking better fish would come. On day two, he caught several shorts and several perch but not a single legal walleye.
“Today is all about getting a few points. I’d like to go Escanaba (the tour’s final qualifier) and not have to win or take second to make the championship. If I fail today, it won’t be because of effort I can tell you that.”
Look for the pro cut weight to hover around 35 to 37 pounds, and the co-angler cut weight to settle in around 32 to 34 pounds.
Tournament notes
The critical day-three weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Central time, when the field of 124 boats is trimmed to the top 10 pros and the top 10 co-anglers. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at Stony Point Resort, which is located just off Highway 2 in Cass Lake. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2025 Paul Bunyan Drive N.W. in Bemidji, Minn., beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 5:21 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 52 degrees
Expected high temperature: 63 degrees
Water temperature: 58-62 degrees
Wind: WSW at 25 mph
Maximum humidity: 60 percent
Day’s outlook: showers and windy