Green, green, green

Full throttle ahead for FLW Tour in North Carolina

CONCORD, N.C. – Wal-Mart FLW Tour anglers were seeing green Thursday morning as they fired up their outboards for the National Guard Open on Lake Norman, stop No. 3 for the tour in 2007.

And although Lake Norman is situated deep in the heart of NASCAR country, the greenish hues these anglers are focused on are not those of a green flag waving above the start-finish line, but rather the color of largemouth and spotted bass in Lake Norman.

“You’re going to see a lot of green this week – bags and bags of it,” said BP pro Tracy Adams of nearby Wilkesboro, N.C., who is currently in fourth place in the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year standings. “This place is a fish factory, and there are going to be a bunch of limits in the 9- to 11-pound range weighed in.”

Though Norman is chock full of bass, the lake does not produce a lot of big bass in the 6-pound-plus class. Because of that, Adams believes anglers who end up in the top-10 cut after two days will have refined their patterns enough to target slightly bigger bass than the rest of the field.

“Guys who can get three or four bass closer to the 3-pound class to round out their limits each day are going to be the ones on top of the heap after two days,” he added.

Lake Norman is roughly 33,000 acres in size, but its vast array of shoreline cover – including docks, riprap, private boat ramps and brush – makes the lake seem much larger than that.

“In terms of patterns and areas, this lake is wide open,” noted Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C. “You can fish just about any way you want, anywhere you want, and catch fish.”

With water temperatures hovering around the 70-degree mark, Norman’s plentiful bass population is currently in a spawn to postspawn pattern across the lake.

Some bass are still on beds, but some pros think a majority of the spawn is over judging by the number of bass that are guarding fry in the shallows, especially around docks.

One look at Norman’s plentiful docks and it’s immediately evident why so many great jig fishermen come from this part of the country.

The hundreds of docks that line the shallow banks are perfect targets for jig-skipping.

“This is mostly a shallow-water fishery, and docks play a big role in that,” noted pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C., who learned a lot of his jig-fishing expertise on Norman. “Running and gunning docks is what this place is all about.”

Thrift and Montgomery predict the top-10 cut weight on the pro side after two days will be about 26 pounds.

“When people say `a better-quality fish,’ they usually mean a 6- or 7-pounder,” Montgomery added. “But here, a better-quality fish is a 3-pounder, and you’re going to need a few of those better-quality fish to get to 13 pounds per day.”

Logistics

This week anglers are vying for a total purse of $1.5 million, with a top prize of $200,000 going to the winning pro and $40,000 going to the winning co-angler.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. Eastern time each day from Blythe Landing located at 15901 NC Highway 73 in Huntersville, N.C.

Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at Blythe Landing beginning at 3 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center located at 4751 Highway 49 N. in Concord, N.C., beginning at 4 p.m.

Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, FLW Outdoors will host a free Family Fun Zone and outdoor show at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center from noon to 4 p.m. each day.

The Family Fun Zone is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers and review the latest products from Berkley, Lowrance, Ranger, Evinrude, Yamaha and other manufacturers while children are treated to fishing-themed games and rides like the Ranger boat simulator.

The first 300 children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone Saturday will also receive a free FLW Outdoors hat. On Sunday, the first 300 children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone will receive a free rod and reel combo. The drawing for a free vacation getaway to Hot Springs will be held immediately following Sunday’s 4 p.m. weigh-in. Participants must be present to win.

For those who can’t make the weigh-in, FLWOutdoors.com will be carrying the weigh-in through FLW Live starting at 3 p.m. Eastern time.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:38 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 63 degrees

Expected high temperature: 84 degrees

Water temperature: 70-72 degrees

Forecasted winds: SSW at 10 to 20 mph

Day’s outlook: warm and breezy