Falling on hard times
Autumn climate makes for stingy bite on Pickwick Lake
FLORENCE, Ala. – Fog delayed competition again Thursday morning at the EverStart Series Championship on Pickwick Lake, with day two getting started about a half-hour late. Around the dock, conversation centered on just what exactly is making the bite so tough – and what, if anything, can be done about it.
Pickwick – along with surrounding lakes Wilson and Wheeler – is typically a big-fish factory, evidenced by the 6-plus-pounder that took big bass on a pretty tough day one. But the fall climate makes fishing here a challenge, according to Massachusetts pro Al Gagliarducci.
“It’s the time of year,” Gagliarducci said. “The water temperature needs to get a little cooler so you can pattern the fish better. If you aren’t from around here and know a thousand spots, it’s tough.”
Indeed, pretournament speculation looked for the locals to do well at this tournament, though as anyone who follows competitive fishing knows, local knowledge can either be a blessing or a curse.
“Being a local can work as an advantage or disadvantage,” said pro Jonathan Newton of nearby Rogersville. “If I don’t catch them today, it’s because I know too many spots.”
Newton is currently the highest ranking of the local pros, ending day one in fourth place with 12 pounds, 1 ounce. With the bite as tough as it is, Newton likely won’t have to catch very much today to make the top 10, but he’ll certainly be trying.
“It’s hard to fish in the present,” he said of the so-called local advantage. “You want to fish in the past, and you can’t do that. It’s a lot of mental strain to keep those thoughts of running around out of your head. I was beat last night.”
Currently, Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., leads the Pro Division with a four-bass catch that weighed 16 pounds, 7 ounces, and Mark Guin of Crossett, Ark., leads the co-anglers with 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Following today’s weigh-in, the field will be cut to the top 10 in each division.
Today’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Central at McFarland Park, located on James M. Spain Drive in Florence.
Thursday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 6:13 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 45 degrees
Expected high temperature: 78 degrees
Wind: S at 10 mph
Maximum humidity: 43 percent
Day’s outlook: abundant sunshine