Welcome to Lake Hava-soup

EverStart Western season opens under desert downpour

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – While the famed London Bridge now resides in the desert resort of Lake Havasu City, EverStart Series anglers fishing near the structure Wednesday morning could just as well have been fishing in London, given the unusual amount of rain they were seeing.

The Lake Havasu area averages just under a mere 3 inches of rain per year. The anglers might see nearly that much precipitation fall on opening day alone as they begin the 2005 Western Division season in the soggy desert of the American Southwest.

Well, maybe not 3 inches in one day, but the Havasu area has been unusually wet in recent weeks. Already, around 12 inches of rain has fallen this season, which is good news for the desert’s spring flowers, rabbits and coyotes, but spells dismay for snowbirds and anglers alike.

Unlike last March’s fruitful spawning-season tournament here, anglers are reporting a tough winter bite this time around at Havasu, some of it stemming from the rain and some stemming from lower water levels. The lake is roughly 5 feet below normal pool, which is unusual for the spring break destination.

“Five feet here is like 25 feet everywhere else,” said local pro Mike Goodwin, last year’s EverStart Lake Havasu champion. “I’ve got a few spots with fish, but they’re biting on just about everything.”

To combat the finicky winter bite, anglers reported throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the fish in practice. Jigs, finesse baits, action baits: There seemed to be no consensus on a magic bullet this week. One pro fishing near London Bridge early Wednesday morning, Kevin Wiggins of Las Vegas, was even fly-casting.

“Whatever it takes,” he said.

What it will take to contend this week and make the cut remains to be seen. Rest assured, a few anglers will come in with some nice fish despite the dock talk and the rain. A local tournament held here several weeks ago was won with about 15 pounds, which is close to Goodwin’s leading daily weights from last year’s EverStart.

Day-one weigh-in festivities begin at 3 p.m. Mountain time at Windsor Park located at 699 London Bridge Road in Lake Havasu City. All four days’ weigh-ins will be held at the same location with Friday and Saturday weigh-ins beginning at 4 p.m.

A total of 165 boats – 330 pros and co-anglers combined – are competing this week. Anglers will compete for two days to determine the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers who advance to the final round based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the final round, and anglers compete for two more days to determine the winner. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

Wednesday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 7:39 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 55 degrees

Expected high temperature: 63 degrees

Wind: from NNW at 3 mph

Maximum humidity: 69 percent

Day’s outlook: rain