Drizzly dessert

Sampler’s platter of weather ends in rain at Guntersville

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Anglers fishing the Stren Series event on Lake Guntersville have endured a sampler’s platter of weather this week.

Day one was the picture perfect fishing day: sunny with highs in the low 80s and no wind.

As a cold front marched across the country on day two, high southwest winds howled trough North Alabama. Then right after weigh-in concluded yesterday afternoon a ravaging line of severe storms blew in.

This morning, as the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers prepared for the final day of competition, a steady rain was falling over the takeoff ceremonies.

Pros have had an obstacle course of weather conditions this week and whoever wins the event will have adapted to them all.

Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., is currently in the lead with a two-day total of 45 pounds, 7 ounces, nearly a 5-pound lead over second place. Lane has been frogging and flipping a Gambler KO skirt on an Ugly Otter or B.B. Cricket to mats this week. But he thinks thing will be much different today.

“A lot of mats will be gone this morning,” Lane predicted. “Between all that wind yesterday, the storms and the rain, complete mats have been removed. So things are going to look completely different today.”

The day-three weigh-in of the Stren Series event on Lake Guntersville begins Saturday at 4 p.m. at Walmart Supercenter in Guntersville, Ala.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:47 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 72 degrees

Expected high temperature: 67 degrees

Water temperature: 70-75 degrees

Wind: N at 5 to 10 mph

Day’s outlook: drizzly and cool