Quick Bites: FLW Tour, Lake Toho, Day 1

Wal-Mart FLW Tour

Lake Toho, Kissimmee, Fla.

Opening round, Thursday

Russell fishes against cancer … Jim Russell of Statham, Ga., is giving fishing fans a cause to rally behind. Before the year began, Russell made the decision to give all his tournament earnings in 2008 to Camp Sunshine – an Atlanta-based charitable organization that helps children with cancer enjoy outdoor activities. Its Web site officially states: “Camp Sunshine is a celebration of life that helps renew the spirit of young children with cancer and their families. The children and families who attend Camp Sunshine programs realize they are not alone in their struggle with cancer.” “Last year they helped out 700 families,” said Russell. “These kids get an opportunity to go fishing, camping, swimming, etc. If I can just bring a little more awareness to the organization, then maybe they can help with even more families. Russell said that Randy Hopper of Ranger Boats also pitched in by putting a Camp Sunshine logo on his boat. “This is my rookie year as a boater, and I just wanted to make a difference.” Just imagine if he won the first-place purse of $1 million at the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup. For more information, visit www.mycampsunshine.com.

Fantasy Fishing has become a reality … Since the announcement in New York City last December, fishing and fantasy sports fans have been eagerly awaiting the start of the FLW Fantasy Fishing season. As of 5:41 p.m., the waiting is officially over and it’s time to check the top of the leaderboard. Did you pick Brett Hite? How about Shad Schenck? If your picks match the current standings, you could be in line for some serious cash. FLW Fantasy Fishing will pay a guaranteed top award of $100,000 at Lake Toho. But remember, FLW Tour qualifiers are four-day tournaments, and the field is trimmed to the top 10 pros after day two. And with Toho’s big-fish potential, as in 11-9 big, nobody is in or out of the game just yet. Think your picks are good, but aren’t good enough to take the top prize? The FLW Fantasy Fishing payouts extend all the way to 585th place, where participants win a $10 BP gas card. Be sure to visit FantasyFishing.com for all the details. And remember, in order to win the $1 million guaranteed first-place prize at the end of the season, your best chance is to submit a roster for each of the six FLW Tour qualifiers and the Forrest Wood Cup.

Darn cold front … According to several locals, this has been a very warm and pleasant winter in central Florida. Want to change that? Hold a major bass-fishing tournament, and Mother Nature will surely cooperate with the coldest weather of the season. True to form, the weather during practice was warm and sunny. The day before the tournament began, a nasty cold front, complete with 25-mph winds and low temperatures in the upper 30s, announced its arrival. Officially, Feb. 28 is the latest season-opener for an FLW Tour event in company history – but it still didn’t matter. Although it was chilly on day one, the wind diminished throughout the day and there were few clouds. Pro O.T. Fears said it best, “We could come here in August, and we’d have a cold front.” The good news is that this is Florida, and warmer weather is always just around the corner. The expected high temperature for tomorrow is 75 degrees and Saturday could touch 80.

Newborns abound … Folgers pro Anthony Gagliardi and his wife Kristin welcomed their first child to the world 10 days ago. Laken Gagliardi was born at 12:03 p.m. and weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces. Prilosec pro Chad Grigsby and his wife Bridget had their first baby just a day later. Isabelle Kathleen Grigsby was welcomed into the world Feb. 19 at 3:57 p.m. Coincidentally, she, too, weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces. “I’m ready to get back,” said Gagliardi, the 2006 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year. “I really miss her, and I bet the girls back home have their hands full.” Typically, having a baby on the way or recently having a newborn has a tremendously positive effect on a fisherman. In this case, both are in check range – Gagliardi in 45th and Grigsby in 71st.

Father and son in the top 10 … PTSI pro Ron Shuffield and his son Spencer are off to a fast start this season. After day one, both anglers are in the top 10 in their respective divisions – Ron is sixth with 17-7 and Spencer is third among co-anglers with 10-14. Ron might have been one of the few fishermen who enjoyed today’s colder weather. On Tuesday afternoon, the last day of a warm practice, Shuffield told FLWOutdoors.com he would be happy with 7 or 8 pounds. The Bismarck, Ark., native also took third at the Bassmaster Classic in 2006 on Lake Toho. So was he sandbagging, or did the cold weather help him? “Most people don’t want to fish this slow,” said a grinning Shuffield.

Quick numbers

15: Number of keepers caught by Shuffield in a single hour this morning.

13: Number of degrees the water temperature dropped from the final day of practice to the day-one takeoff.

11-9: Weight, in pounds and ounces, of the heaviest bass caught today by pro Randy Hadden.

5: Number of degrees the water temperature rose in the last hour of Thursday’s competition – a likely reason the later flights had better weights.

100: Percentage of fish released alive by both the pro and co-angler field.

8-8: Current $10,000-check weight, in pounds and ounces.

Sound bites

“Two days ago I went out there wearing flip-flops, T-shirt and shorts, and today I was bundled up in my Yamaha rain gear and stocking cap.” – Chevy pro Luke Clausen, who made the best of the cold front and caught 14-7.

“I hope everyone in Ohio picked me on their fantasy team.” – Pringles Select pro Vic Vatalaro, who kicked off the season with a limit weighing 12-8.

“I think somebody forgot to set the alarm because my fish didn’t wake up.” – Castrol co-angler Mark Phillips.

Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. Eastern time from Kissimmee Lakefront Park located at 101 Lake Shore Blvd. in Kissimmee.