Go west young man

Most of Venice Kingfish Tour fleet headed in the same direction

VENICE, La. – Louisiana’s Mississippi Delta region enjoys a world-renowned reputation for tremendous fishing, however, even this angling paradise is subject to the forces of nature and that’s why nearly every FLW Kingfish Tour boat turned right out of Venice Marina at the morning checkout.

Northern flooding earlier in the year has sent huge amounts of silty water flowing downstream through the Mississippi River. Once that murky water reached the delta, it squirted into the Gulf of Mexico like a big mud pie. Tides and tropical weather have dispersed some of the dirty water, but the East Delta region – at times, a viable bet for big kings – remains noticeably marred.

Mark Kennedy of Mobile, Ala., who won the 2007 FLW Kingfish Series Championship out of Orange Beach said that dirty water to the east will keep most teams in the West Delta. Studded with oil and natural gas drilling rigs and abounding with baitfish, the West Delta has historically proven most prolific for cranking out giant kingfish. Therefore, Kennedy expects to see plenty of boats running through Tiger Pass and fanning out toward the various rigs.

Kennedy won last year’s Series Championship with a 77-pound, 1-ounce total that included two kings weighing 51-11 and 25-6. He said he’ll need the all that and a good bit more to win at Venice.

“If you get a mid-50 plus something in the mid-40s, I think you’ll have a pretty good shot at it,” Kennedy said. “I think (a total weight) in the 95-pound range will do it.”

Complicating the existing water clarity issue, three days of stormy weather earlier in the week further roiled the Gulf and limited practice time. Yesterday’s final round of practice began calm, but pretty skies gave way to more of the rough stuff. Nevertheless, teams paired their experience from past visits with current networking details and most will attack day one with a solid game plan.

Bart Wetherington and his Team Duracell crew will spend all their time in western waters. “We had a couple of rough days (of practice), but it’s settled down and we’re going to have a blast out there today. We have a few spots that we’re going to look at and see what happens.”

Also committed to the westward strategy is Jay Robertson of Team Coppertone. Having zeroed during a practice day on the east side, Robertson said he felt confident that he had eliminated a lot of water because of murky conditions.

“We’re going to make a long run about 80 miles to the west and hopefully come back with a good fish,” he said. “We’re going to move around a little bit, but we have a pretty good idea where the fish are. We found out after we came in (from practice).”

Teams will slow troll 4- to 6-line spreads of live blue runners (known locally as “hardtails”) and dead ribbonfish. The latter’s long shiny form presents a highly visible target that works well on downriggers. East coast anglers typically catch, brine and freeze their own ribbons before heading to the Gulf, while locals obtain theirs through bait retailers or East coast connections.

Additionally, a few indigenous Gulf forage fish offer other bait options. Wetherington said his team found the kingfish favorable to a particular baitfish during practice. Team Duracell will depend mostly on blue runners and ribbonfish, but they will mix the mystery bait into their spread to determine the kings’ preference.

Notably, the morning checkout saw a handful of boats turning left out of the marina. Most would probably head for South Pass and continue offshore if they had located productive rigs during practice. Some may hit particular rigs for live bait and then head west to fish. The other slim possibility is that someone may have found big kings far to the east. If so, heading upriver and exiting through Baptiste Collete Pass would be the likely course.

Teams will enjoy the navigational benefits of light winds and calm seas. Scattered thunderstorms will keep everyone on their toes, but there should be plenty of opportunity to hook quality fish. The afternoon weigh-ins at Venice Marina should see a parade of smoker kings. Look for several fish in the high 40’s and a handful in the 50-pound class.

Logistics

Teams will take off from Venice Marina located at 237 Sports Marina Road in Venice at 7:00 each morning. Scales open at 4 p.m. and all teams must check-in by 5 p.m. The morning start and weigh-in are free and open to the public. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at Venice Marina beginning at 5 p.m.

The full field will compete Friday and Saturday then be cut to the top five teams for Sunday. Winners are determined based upon the heaviest kingfish from Friday or Saturday plus the heaviest kingfish from Sunday.

Teams will fish for a top award of up to $100,000 cash. The teams will also be vying for valuable points that could earn them a berth into the no-entry-fee Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship in Biloxi, Miss., Nov. 14-16 for a shot at winning as much as $150,000.

Friday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 6:27 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 80 degrees

Expected high temperature: 86 degrees

Water temperature: 85-87 degrees

Wind: from the south at 4-7 mph

Humidity: 70 percent

Day’s outlook: Partly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms