Columbia River on cruise control
National Guard Western Division anglers forced to battle fast-moving water, tough field as FLW Series competition gets under way in Oregon
UMATILLA, Ore. – For the first time in FLW Outdoors history, Walmart FLW Series competitors have dropped in on the Beaver State in a bid to be crowned champion of the Columbia River. However, it won’t be easy. Unlike many of the other traditional Western Division tournament venues, the great Columbia River will pose a variety of unique challenges for anglers not used to fishing such a high-speed aquatic thoroughfare.
For starters, the Columbia River is, well, a river. And that means anglers will not only have to deal with fast currents, but a variety of other novel obstacles not usually found in a typical lake setting.
“This river is really going to fish differently than a lot of places we usually go to,” said FLW Series and Pringles pro Gabe Bolivar. “The flood gates are open, so there is really a lot of fast-moving current right now, more so than usual. And because it’s a river and the current is so fast, there’s a whole lot of stuff under the water you just can’t see. The water is also pretty stained right now, so it’s definitely going to be interesting.”
Adding to the intrigue at this event is a DNR regulation that allows anglers a maximum of one largemouth bass in their boat come weigh-in time.
“We’re only allowed to have one largemouth bass as part of our five-fish stringer, and it has to be a minimum of 17 inches,” said Bolivar. “So anglers are going to have to make some decisions out there: Do I spend a bunch of hours trying to get that kicker largemouth, or do I just concentrate on smallmouth bass? Personally, I’m just going to focus on catching smallmouths.”
Covering more than 260,000 square miles, from its headwaters in British Columbia, Canada, to its mouth at Astoria, Ore., the Columbia River also appears to be offering up bass in the postspawn phase. This means that total catch weights for this week’s competition could be somewhat lower than usual.
“It’s a tricky time of the year here,” said Bolivar. “Right now we’re pretty much in the postspawn, so those fish are pretty beat up and skinny right now. Because of that, I think 10 pounds a day is going to be a nice stringer. If you can land 30 pounds over three days (leading up to the top-10 cut), I think that’s going to be pretty darn good.”
Tourney format
The entire field is scheduled to compete during the first three days of the Columbia River event. The co-angler who brings in the most accumulated over the course of three days will be crowned champion on Friday. The top-10 pros who survive Friday’s cut will then continue on to Saturday’s final day of competition. The pro winner will be determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
Anglers not only will be gunning for the tournament title but also their share of the lucrative $900,000 total purse. Throughout the week, pros will be battling for a top award upwards of $125,000 while co-anglers will be angling for a first-place prize of $25,000.
In addition to the Columbia River purse, all anglers will be competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at advancing to the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup in 2010, where the winning pro will earn as much as $1 million – the sport’s biggest award.
Bass-fishing fans take note
During FLW Series competition, anglers will take off from Umatilla Marina, located at 1710 Quincy Avenue in Umatilla, Ore., at 6:30 each morning. For the first three days of tourney action, weigh-ins will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 1350 N 1st St. in Hermiston, Ore., beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Walmart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games.
All activities are free and open to the public.
Want to watch the weigh in live but can’t make it in person? Then tune into FLW Live on FLWOutdoors.com shortly before 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time to watch live streaming video and audio of today’s opening-round weigh in.
FLW Series action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time at Umatilla Marina, located at 1710 Quincy Avenue in Umatilla, Ore.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 5:08 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 52 degrees
Expected high temperature: 93 degrees
Wind: SW at 10-20 mph
Maximum humidity: 25 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly sunny