OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – After two hard-fought days of fishing, 40 remaining anglers of the first EverStart Series tournament of 2002 took off from Okee-Tantie Marina shortly after 7 a.m. With a bright sun and some of the warmest temperatures in weeks serving as backdrop, the field headed out to Lake Okeechobee with only one goal in mind – to qualify for tomorrow’s all-important finals.

However, unlike the first two days of competition, there is no margin for error. Not only are all of the anglers starting from scratch – weights from the first two days of competition have been erased – but the field will be whittled down to the 10 best performers in each division during this afternoon’s final cut.

Today’s semifinal weigh-in is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 2101 South Parrott Ave. in Okeechobee.

Vital statistics

Sunrise: 7:15 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 40 degrees
Expected high temperature: 75 degrees
Water temperature: 58 degrees
Wind: From the west at 2 mph
Relative humidity: 81 percent
Day’s outlook: Sunny

For a look at all of the day’s photos, click here.