Up in the air
Strong winds, cold temps and steady rains shuffle the deck for EverStart Series anglers during Potomac River finals
MARBURY, Md. – Well it’s not exactly the kind of day anglers were hoping for. As the top-10 EverStart Series finalists hit the open waters of the Potomac River shortly after 7 a.m., they were bundled in rain gear from head to toe as intermittent rains and frigid conditions dominated the early morning landscape. But in many respects, the steady rains and chilly temps were the least of their worries. What had anglers the most concerned was the wind – which largely had been a non factor until today.
With the National Weather Service calling for winds reaching into the low 20-mph range, finalists were all too aware that their carefully prepared game plans could go right out the window during the most crucial day of tournament action.
“The way the wind is blowing right now, the east side of the lake is going to be tough to fish today,” said pro finalist Mike McDonald. “I’m going to try to fish some spots out of the wind, but if I don’t have any luck there I’m going to have to fight the weather and go somewhere else.”
Cory Johnston, who is currently tied with McDonald for second place, believes today’s weather will play a significant role in determining the final outcome as well.
“The wind is going to affect me big time,” said Johnston. “Yesterday I caught all of my fish on topwaters and I’m probably not going to be able to throw that bait today unless I find some shelter. Most of my (good) areas are main-lake stuff so I’m probably going to have to rely on my jig. Hopefully I can get five good bites. But I’m honestly not really sure what’s going to happen out there today.”
Regardless of the less-than-stellar fishing conditions, anglers said they were looking forward to fishing for a tournament title.
“I feel really good, I really do,” said McDonald. “The fish are going to hunker down in the thick grass and hard cover, but they’ll bite. I still have some pretty good areas left and I’m on a good pattern. So I think I can still catch a decent sack.”
Johnston, who resides in Peterborough, Ontario, said that just making the finals is an accomplishment in and of itself.
“It’s cool to be fishing today,” he said. “It’s what everybody wants to do. It’s just a good feeling – especially since I had to drive 12 hours just to get down here.”
Currently, Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Md., leads all pros with a total catch of 32 pounds, 6 ounces. In the Co-angler Division, Terry Stevens has the overall lead with 27 pounds, 1 ounce.
Tourney format
The top-10 pros and top-10 co-anglers earned a berth into today’s final round of competition based on their accumulated weight over the course of the first two days of tournament action. During the finals, the angler from each division who records the heaviest accumulated weight from all three days of competition will be declared champion.
Pros will fish for a top award of $35,000 plus a 198VX Ranger boat with 200-horsepower outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger 177TR with 90-horsepower outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Walmart, located at 40 Drury Drive in La Plata, Md., at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The EverStart Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of four tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the Strike King Angler of the Year title along with $5,000 for the pro and $2,000 for the co-angler. The top 40 pros and co-anglers from each respective division will qualify for the EverStart Series Championship, slated for Kentucky Lake in Buchanan, Tenn., Oct. 27-30.
Bass-fishing fans take note
Want to watch the weigh in live but can’t make it in person? Then tune into FLW Live on FLWOutdoors.com shortly before 4 p.m. Eastern Time to watch live streaming video and audio of today’s opening-round weigh in.
Vital statistics:
Sunrise: 7:04 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 53 degrees
Expected high temperature: 61 degrees
Water temperature: 68-72 degrees
Wind: From the west-northwest at 10 to 20 mph
Humidity: 68 percent
Tides: (High) 10:23 a.m.; (Low) 4:51 p.m.
Day’s outlook: Showers