Charlie Hartley is pacing in his boat "like a caged animal." I just walked down to the boat ramp at Chester Frost Park to visit with him. Hartley has engine problems and is waiting on ride to trailer him back to the boat yard in Dayton.
"I haven't made a cast," Hartley said. "There's no use in me catching one. I'd just have to throw it back."
There's no good time for a breakdown of this magnitude, but this tournament would rank as the top time to do it. There are no Angler of the Year points on the line. Each Elite Series angler who remains in Dayton until 2:15 Friday will earn 100 AOY points. No more, no less. Plus, as Hartley noted, "I'll get a second chance."
The 90 anglers who don't make the Top 50 two-day cut will compete Friday on Nickajack Lake for a chance to continue in the tournament. The top 10 from Nickajack will qualify to fish Saturday. And by making the top 60, each angler is guaranteed a $10,000 check.
So Hartley is down, but he's not out.