Drizzly times call for desperate measures
EverStart anglers head into another day of drizzle
ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. – At times like these, professional anglers undoubtedly question their existence. The boats are still soaked from yesterday, everything is still wet, the air temperature is about 43 degrees, the morning dawns with more rain, and the mission is to go out and catch bass.
Of course if you are local angler Ted Caldwell of Alexander City, Ala. – leading the tournament with 20 pounds, 6 ounces – you probably love the weather.
Or if you are co-angler leader Shane Patterson, also of Alexander City, Ala., and you know you have got brushpiles that are holding chunky spotted bass, you probably have a sunny outlook.
But for the other pros and co-anglers trying to hold onto their top-20 spots or claw their way to a money finish, another day of cold drizzle just makes the challenge that much more daunting.
This morning, just after takeoff, 10 boats could be seen within sight of Wind Creek State Park Campground using the “retread” pattern – essentially catching release fish.
A legal bass must be 12-inches long. There is nothing in the rules about how many holes it already has in its mouth. Consequently, tournament anglers peruse the waters just outside of the off-limits release sight in search of released fish that they can catch again.
A desperate measure? Well, considering that nearly 1,000 fish were released at Wind Creek yesterday, not to mention the fish from previous tournaments this spring, the strategy makes sense. But if getting a bass to bite the first time is hard, it would seem that getting one to bite again the next day would be doubly difficult.
Today’s weigh-in will be held at Wind Creek State Park starting at 3 p.m.
Vital statistics
Sunrise: 6:15 a.m.
Temperature: 43 degrees
Water temperature: 50 degrees
Forecasted wind: from the south-southwest at 5 to 10 mph
Relative humidity: 100 percent
Day’s outlook: rain ending, mostly cloudy
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