LAKE WALES, Fla. — The fat lady hasn't begun to sing when it comes to the bed-fishing bite that defined Day One of the Citrus Slam.
But she seems to be warming up. The prevalent sight-fish bite that marked Day One slowed considerably. But it didn't stop.
Kelly Jordon showed on Day Two just how strong it can be. He's jumped way out in front by almost 8 pounds. And from the outside looking in, it would be an easy assumption to think he's on track to run away with this event.
The fat lady, though, might be clearing her throat in the form of clouds and strong winds predicted on Day Three.
The prevailing thoughts of days ago that bed-fishing won't win this event are strarting to stir once again. Windy, cloudy days aren't exactly the perfect conditions for pinpointing bedding fish. They do, however, suit the needs of anglers targeting schools of fish moving to post-spawn haunts very well.
Judging purely on historical evidence and fickle Florida fishing — can you say Brian Snowden? — it seems, if anything, this event is just getting more interesting.
Almost anywhere else on the planet, an 8-pound lead would seem like a good bet going into the final two days. But I'd bet even more that Jordon wishes it were more. He's certainly hoping that just like most places on the planet, the weatherman doesn't really have a locked-in clue.
If the wind starts to blow as predicted, then there are several names sitting behind Jordon that that would scare the hell out of any lead. Guys like Kevin VanDam (9 pounds behind), who just seems to ride the wind into top finish after top finish.
Then you have Terry Scroggins (almost 10 pounds back), who knows the crazy whims of these particular fish better than anyone. Add to that list Mark Davis, who was adament going into this event that post-spawn fish would rule the day.
And when you mix all that up with the pitfalls of Byron Velvick and even Scroggins, who concentrated on beds for a big part of the day, it would seem things are changing. Which just makes it even more worthy of watching. Because even if this event isn't won off the beds, anything can happen at this point.
"The majority of these fish are definitely post-spawn,'' said Denny Brauer. "That means they are moving to new areas. You can find them one day and they are gone the next."
Which makes predicting the weather a little easier than figuring our how this one will play out.
Visit Bassmaster.com for full coverage of the Elite Series Citrus Slam on the Kissimmee Chain, from Lake Wales, Fla., March 13th–16th, 2008. Daily weigh-ins with live streaming video and real-time leaderboards start at 4 p.m. ET. "Hooked Up" will air Sunday at 10 a.m., noon and 3:30 p.m. ET.