Foggy notion
Low visibility delays takeoff for anglers in search of top-10 cut at Beaver Lake
ROGERS, Ark. – It wasn’t deja vu that hit FLW Tour anglers early Thursday morning during the Wal-Mart Open; it was a dose of memory and an opaque blanket of fog.
Just like last year’s day-two takeoff at the Wal-Mart Open on Beaver Lake, today’s start time was delayed due to fog. The field of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers faced a 40-minute fishing deficit, taking off from Prairie Creek Marina at 7:40 a.m. today.
With today constituting the final day of the 2004 Wal-Mart Open’s opening round, at least some anglers considered the fog delay a setback along the road toward the semifinals. The 200 teams are vying for Thursday’s all-important top-10 cut – to be determined after weigh-in – and a chance at the $1.25 million in prize money available. The top award in the Pro Division is $200,000 and co-anglers are competing for a first-place prize of $40,000.
The formula typically used at tournaments to estimate the top-10 cut weight is this: double the first day’s cutoff and subtract a pound, or about 23 pounds for this year’s FLW Tour event on Beaver Lake. However, pro Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville, Ill., said today the fog delay could skew that theory.
“It might fall a bit a little bit today because of the fog. I’m guessing it will be about 21 [pounds],” Morgenthaler, who entered day two in 78th place, said. He added with a laugh, “I’d just as soon it was about 12, but …”
His co-angler partner, James Green of Lincoln, Ala., said he would guess the co-angler top-10 cut will hover around a dozen pounds.
The full field will be cut to the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers at day’s end, based on two-day accumulated weight in the opening round. Weights will be cleared for day three, and co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in. The 10 pros continue competition Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest two-day weight.
Land O’Lakes pro Karen Savik of St. Louis Park, Minn., said current weather conditions in northwestern Arkansas favor a late afternoon bass bite. Temperatures on Beaver Lake have warmed up a little late this week after the sun has come out in full force. Whereas anglers frequently want to be in an early flight for an early return to weigh-in, that’s not necessarily the case this week, especially on a day beginning with a fog delay.
“I think yesterday’s last flight, because they had more time and it got warmer later – it helped the fishing a lot,” Savik said. “In other words, you’re wishing you’re in the last flight today.”
Thursday’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Central at Prairie Creek Marina outside of Rogers.
For bass-fishing fans unable to attend the festivities in person, you can catch all the weigh-in action live at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live. Show time starts at 3 p.m. Central.
Thursday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 6:02 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 37 degrees
Expected high temperature: 64 degrees
Water temperature: 55 degrees
Wind: from the east-southeast at 5 mph
Humidity: 100 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly sunny