CLEWISTON, Fla. – With 380 FLW competitors sent packing after yesterday’s competition, the remaining top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers departed Roland Martin’s Marina Friday morning with two very important goals in mind. For the co-anglers, today represents the final day of tournament action as a winner will be crowned at this evening’s 5 p.m. weigh-in. For the pros, Friday signifies the first part of a two-day showdown where the top 10 pros will attempt to catch as much weight as possible to position themselves for the finals.
With the pressure mounting, anglers hit the open waters of Lake Okeechobee shortly after 8 a.m. under bright sunny skies and relatively cool conditions. However, it wasn’t the nip in the air that had the anglers concerned. It was the wind.
“The wind is going to be the biggest factor today,” said FLW Tour pro and 2003 FLW Tour Champion David Dudley of Manteo, N.C. “A lot of the guys are sight-fishing, and it’s going to be a lot harder to do with these 10 to 15 mph winds. But the guys who aren’t sight-fishing shouldn’t be affected that much.”
To be sure, there is a lot on the line. The top-10 co-angler who catches the most weight in today’s competition will take home a $15,000 first-place prize. As for the pros, the carrot hanging over their boats is a first-place check for $100,000, which will be awarded to the top-10 pro who records the heaviest stringer over the next two days of competition.
Currently, Chris McCall of Jasper, Texas, holds the top qualifying position in the Pro Division after landing a staggering 46-pound, 6-ounce stringer over the first two days of competition. Meanwhile, Robert Kimbrough of Vero Beach, Fla., used a two-day, 28-pound, 8-ounce stringer to lead all co-anglers into today’s action.
FLW action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. EST at the Wal-Mart store located at 1005 W. Sugarland Highway in Clewiston. The Family Fun Zone will be open to the general public beginning at 3 p.m. today at the Wal-Mart parking lot. The event is free.
Friday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 7:13 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 51 degrees
Expected high temperature: 66 degrees
Water temperature: 58-62 degrees
Wind: from the north at 12 mph
Relative humidity: 74 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny