Unseasonable semifinals
Cold front sends temps plummeting as anglers set out to qualify for finals
EUFAULA, Ala. – Every day the competition gets tougher and tougher. And every day the weather gets colder and colder. Welcome to day three of EverStart Eastern Division competition on Lake Eufaula. As the top 20 surviving anglers in each division took to the water shortly after 5:45 a.m., Wednesday’s opening round of competition must have seemed like light years away. Not only have the anglers seen 290 competitors come and go over the past two days, but they’ve also witnessed the balmy, 80-degree weather that comforted them in the opening round steadily plummet throughout the tournament.
In fact, by this morning’s takeoff, temperatures had dropped to near freezing conditions – 36 degrees, including a blustery 25-degree wind-chill factor. Facing a driving, 13-mph wind from the north, anglers came bundled from head to toe. However, as all of the remaining participants are keenly aware, the stiffest test during today’s action will likely come from the competition itself.
To be sure, there will be no room for error in today’s competition because, by the end of the day’s weigh-in, only the top 20 anglers – 10 pros and 10 co-anglers – will advance to the finals. The other 20 will go home … plain and simple.
EverStart action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, located at 1218 South Eufaula Avenue in Eufaula, Ala.
Vital statistics:
Sunrise: 5:43 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 36 degrees
Expected high temperature: 56 degrees
Water temperature: 61 degrees
Wind: From the north at 13 mph
Relative humidity: 63 percent
Day’s outlook: Mostly sunny
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