Status quo on Pickwick

Warm overnight temps mean conditions may not be better, but they probably won't be worse

FLORENCE, Ala. – Warm overnight conditions and an abundance of cloud cover Thursday could spell good news for Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition on Pickwick Lake. The trouble is, good news this week means conditions aren’t getting any worse.

Whether they made the long run to Guntersville or stayed close in Pickwick, competitors had it rough on day one. Bites were few and far between, and many anglers ended the day without any fish to weigh.

An exception to the rule was California’s Gabe Bolivar, who ended the day tied for third with a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces.

“The water temperature is so cold – it’s only like 42 degrees,” Bolivar said. “So there are not a lot of fish up on the bank. There are deep fish, and there are shallow fish.”

Last night’s warm temps coupled with today’s cloudy skies mean what few bank fish there are probably did not retreat, Bolivar said.

“The conditions are good,” he said. “The water doesn’t cool off when the nights are warm.”

Working in the anglers’ favor is the vast amount of water they have to fish in this river system. This week, crowding and excess fishing pressure shouldn’t be an issue.

“That’s the neat thing about Pickwick,” Bolivar said. “There’s so much water that it breaks it up. There aren’t a whole lot of guys on one area.”

Today’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Central at McFarland Park, located on James M. Spain Drive in Florence. For those who cannot attend, FLWOutdoors.com provides FLW Live, an interactive application that provides real-time audio, video and stats from the weigh-in.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:19 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 62 degrees

Expected high temperature: 67 degrees

Wind: WNW at 11 mph

Maximum humidity: 59 percent

Day’s outlook: mostly cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon