Day three begins, co-angler champion to be crowned Friday
FLORENCE, Ala. – Both fields have been cut to 20 anglers apiece for Friday’s Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition at Lake Wheeler. For the co-anglers, the top prize of $15,000 will be decided following today’s one-day shootout. The pros are fishing to make the top-10 cut into Saturday’s finals in order to have a shot at $110,000.
Alton Jones of Waco, Texas, leads the charge in the Pro Division. He caught the heaviest five-bass stringer on both days of the opening round and notched a two-day weight of 35 pounds, 13 ounces. He and co-angler Armil Morgan combined for a hefty 35-3 caught by one boat Thursday, and they’re fishing together again today.
But Jones’ hefty weight over the first two days won’t matter today as everyone restarted the semifinal round today on even ground at zero.
The weather has warmed up considerably today, which could increase bass activity in the shallows and give the rest of the field a better chance to keep up with Jones. The Lake Wheeler bass are itching to spawn, and the increased temperatures could send a few big females into shallower water.
The other variable affecting fish movement will be the Tennessee Valley Authority and whether or not it decides to pull even more water out of the Tennessee River impoundment Friday. If that happens, a few competitors who focused on shallow-water fish to make it this far might have to scramble to relocate their quarry as water levels drop.
Weigh-in Friday begins at 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 3100 Hough Road in Florence. A Family Fun Zone in the Wal-Mart parking lot will feature free children’s games and product samples from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Vital statistics
Sunrise: 6:36 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 40 degrees
Expected high temperature: 61 degrees
Water temperature: 48 degrees
Wind: Variable at 5 mph
Relative humidity: 49 percent
Day’s outlook: Cloudy with a few showers
Day-three links: