Havasu Midday Update – Day 2
The leaderboard appears to be in turmoil and Uribe is cruising like usual
The weather for day two of the Costa FLW Series presented by Ranger is even better than it was on day one. Still and calm with a blazing sun to rapidly warm the crisp morning air, it has turned into a beauty of a day in the desert. Truly, it was a lovely morning to be out on Lake Havasu. All that said, some of the leaders are struggling mightily as of now.
Starting the day in first, Carl Limbrick Jr., boxed up a keeper smallmouth within minutes of takeoff. Since then, he hasn’t had another bite. Limbrick started out in a community area with perhaps seven other boats within 150 yards of him, so it seems likely that the pressure got to his fish in a major way.
Tied for second, Ted Stewner and Chris Kinley are off to dramatically different starts. Fishing up in the Colorado River, Kinley got things rolling with a trio of 3-pounders before 10 a.m. Kinley says he laid off his fish on day one and intends to catch as much as he can today. Fishing down the lake, south of Lake Havasu City, Stewner had one solid fish in the box and lost another around 11:00 a.m. as we watched. Though there is plenty of time left, he’s definitely a little off the pace he wants to set.
In fifth, Shaun Bailey didn’t get bit while we watched early this morning, but he’d already missed three and lost one when we arrived. At the very least, he’s getting bit, even if he has left a lot on the table this week. Starting the day in fourth, Cody Murray had one keeper around noon – he says his bite doesn’t really start until later in the afternoon.
One angler who is doing well is Joe Uribe Jr. The two-time Havasu champ had four for about 12 pounds around 11:00 a.m. and was headed toward the basin to look for a keeper smallmouth. You can probably count on another appearance in the top 10 for him. Also having a good day, Jon Strelic was fishing in the canal and had a limit with three good ones. Finally, Pete Marino was struggling with only one keeper around noon.
Weigh-in starts at 3:30 p.m. MT, and it ought to be a good one. There are at least some dandy fish to show off, and the battle to make the top-10 cut will be hotly contested. To take it in, either watch live on FLWFishing.com or head on down to the Lake Havasu State Park for the real thing.