Last hurrah on Lake Havasu
National Guard FLW Series Western Division pro title to be awarded after today’s competition
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – As the top-10 FLW Series pros departed Lake Havasu State Park marina shortly after 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning, they had one thought on their minds – a tournament title.
With 101 of their fellow pro competitors already sent packing, the top-10 pros still remaining in the event undoubtedly have earned their place in the finals. Battling gusting winds, high seas and rough conditions for the better part of the week, the finalists have also outlasted some of the top bass anglers in the nation.
However, it doesn’t get any easier from here on out. With only 3 pounds separating the top-five pros on the leaderboard, this tournament – as well as the top prize of $125,000 – is truly up for grabs.
That being said, current leader Mike Folkestad of Orange, Calif., definitely has the upper hand. With years of veteran tournament angling experience under his belt, Folkestad knows what it takes to win. But his slim 1-pound, 8-ounce lead over fellow California native Zack Thompson won’t provide too much comfort either. Throw in the fact that the wind still could be a considerable factor and it’s clear that nobody is taking anything for granted in today’s finals.
“Basically I’m just going to go fishing and let the wind dictate what I do,” said Folkestad, who boasts a three-day total of 45 pounds, 7 ounces. “You just have to make the right decisions – that’s what wins you tournaments.”
While the wind has caused considerable problems for anglers over the past two days, clocking in at 20- to 30-mph, it should taper off somewhat during the finals. However, even winds in the 10- to 15-mph range are enough to disrupt carefully laid out strategies and cause some unwanted additional pressure with so much on the line.
As such, Folkestad plans to keep one eye on his livewell and the other on the changing conditions.
“I’m going to start off fishing the same areas I did yesterday and if the fish are biting, I’ll keep going,” he said. “But if the wind dies down and the water slicks off, I’ll have some more areas I can fish. I’m going to fish kind of conservatively at first and then I’ll do a little gambling. It just depends what I have in my livewell at noon because I don’t want to go from first place to 10th.”
As the wind dies down, anglers might be able to go back to their sight-fishing bite which was so prevalent on the first day of competition.
“Yesterday I didn’t sight-fish at all but if the water slicks off I’ll start looking for fish on the beds again,” said Folkestad. “But I’m not going to run the banks all day because a lot of the bed fish have already been picked off.”
With a tournament title on the line, Folkestad said that it feels great to finally be back to fishing in crunch time.
“I’ve been in kind of a slump lately,” he said. “I haven’t been able to put together more than one good day in the last six tournaments. But this week I’ve been catching fish every day. Overall, I feel pretty good.”
Tournament format
Today’s tournament title will be awarded to the pro angler who records the heaviest four-day cumulative catch over the course of the event. In addition to the title, all anglers will be competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup, where the winning pro will earn as much as $1 million – the sport’s biggest award.
Bass-fishing fans take note
Today’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 5695 Highway 95 N. in Lake Havasu City 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 Walmart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games.
All activities are free and open to the public.
Want to watch the weigh in live but can’t make it in person? Then tune into FLW Live on FLWOutdoors.com shortly before 4 p.m. Pacific Time to watch live streaming video and audio of Saturday’s final weigh in.
Vital statistics:
Sunrise: 6:29 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 48 degrees
Expected high temperature: 87 degrees
Wind: From the north at 11 mph
Maximum humidity: 11 percent
Day’s outlook: Sunny