The tough get tougher
After a difficult day one, All-American competitors gear up for another tough round on the Ohio River
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Day one of the $1 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American championship produced some of the smallest weights to lead a tournament in recent memory. For day two, hardly anyone expects the Ohio River to relinquish many more bass.
Texan Dicky Newberry of Houston caught one of only three limits yesterday and leads the Boater Division with only 6 pounds, 11 ounces. Calvin Davidson of Plainfield, Ind., sits 1 pound, 2 ounces behind him in fifth with some local knowledge of how the Ohio River works.
“This is fishing on the Ohio,” said Davidson of a scenario where only 64 of 108 competitors weighed in fish on day one. “It’s tough. When it’s a catchfest, it’s exciting, but when it’s like this, you never know who’s going to come out of the crowd and do well.”
He’s right. Even Newberry wasn’t certain he could duplicate his day-one success, which he says was something of a fluke when he realized he was not going to be able to lock through to the spots he found in practice.
As the 54-boat field lined up for day-two launch, most of them figured that today would in all likelihood be a repeat of yesterday in terms of numbers and weights caught – if not worse.
“It’ll be tougher because there will be more traffic,” Davidson said. “They’re not going to make the long run if they didn’t catch them yesterday.”
Many competitors crossed the weigh-in stage yesterday talking about long runs totaling close to 200 miles or, in come cases, even more than that. Yesterday’s strategy involved timing and fuel economy. Today’s strategy just might be scraping together whatever will keep an angler in the hunt.
Following today’s weigh-in, the field will be cut to the top 10 boaters and 10 co-anglers based on two-day weights. The top 10 will continue competition tomorrow, following which the boater and co-angler champions will be crowned. Today’s weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. EDT at the Kentucky Exposition Center located at 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville.
On the Web
For those unable to catch the All-American weigh-in action in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, an online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results, streaming video and audio.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:21 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 68 degrees
Expected high temperature: 89 degrees
Wind: SSW at 7 mph
Maximum humidity: 49 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny to partly cloudy