JASPER, Texas – It’s going to be hard to top the excitement provided by co-angler Jeary Wheeler’s 12-pound, 11-ounce largemouth Thursday, but the 40 pros and co-anglers fishing in Friday’s semifinal round of the EverStart Series Central Division contest at Sam Rayburn Reservoir are going to give their best shot. It’s do-or-die time for the semifinalists as they fish in a one-day shootout to determine who advances to the final round.
The weather in east Texas has managed to hold at a relatively miserable level, with overcast, breezy conditions and chilly temperatures. The rain has lightened slightly, and it remains to be seen whether that will force competitors to adjust to a changing bass bite.
“It’s pretty tough with these conditions. You’ve got to be disciplined to stick to it,” said pro Carl Svebek of Siloam Springs, Ark. Svebek, a former Rayburn local, only caught two bass worth 5 pounds, 6 ounces in Thursday’s competition but was buoyed into the semifinals by virtue of his five-bass, 19-14 performance Wednesday.
Friday’s weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 800 W. Gibson in Jasper. The top 20 pros and co-anglers restarted the day with zero weight and are fishing for one day to determine the top 10 anglers advancing to Saturday’s final round.
Today’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:04 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 37 degrees
Expected high temperature: 43 degrees
Wind: from the north at 14 mph
Relative humidity: 87 percent
Day’s outlook: cloudy
Day-three link: