FLW Day 2 Tournament leader Brent Ehrler with two of the bass Table Rock Lake is famous for. (Photo by FLW Outdoors)

Day 2 of the 2010 FLW Tour series kick off on Table Rock Lake was more of Day 1 and then some, both in terms of weather and the tournament standings. From a weather standpoint it was warmer, the sky just as clear and blue as on Day 1 and the water was clear, but there was no wind. From a standings viewpoint the top three Professional Anglers from Day 1 are still the top three at the end of Day 2 with four new anglers in the top ten.

Brent Ehrler moved from third place on Day 1 to first place at the end of Day 2 with a bag of 5 bass weighing 22 pounds 2 ounces for a Day 1 and 2 total of 10 bass weighing 38 pounds 8 ounces. This gives him over a comfortable 8 pound lead over Mike Wurm in second place with 30 pounds 3 ounces.

Ehrler, who is obviously not too phased about the challenging fishing conditions on Table Rock said that he was excited and couldn’t wait to go fishing tomorrow.

Thompson, the owner of the Central Pro-Am Association, a leading regional bass fishing tournament association and himself a tournament bass fisherman said that the combination of clear water, blue skies and no wind during Day 2 certainly contributed to the poor bite. He still feels that as the temperatures rise the bite will improve, especially if there is some wind or cloud cover.

Paul Miller, General Manager, Branson Tourism Center, who assisted  the FLW staff with their Branson lodging arrangements and himself an avid bass fisherman, also added another factor that could be effecting the bite, the full moon which causes night feeding. “Even with the challenges,” he said, “this is an exciting tournament with the top three from Day 1 still the top three and four new anglers in the top ten the end of Day 2 including Missouri angler, Dion Hibdon.”

Thompson notes that the FLW  Tournament format is different this year. During 2009 the finals had 10 anglers based on the standings at the end of Day 2. This year there will only be five in the finals and it will be based on the totals at the end of  Day 3. The top  five Professional anglers at the end of Day 3, March 5, will be the only anglers fishing  the final on Day 4. Also new this year will be taking their first three day totals into the final with the tournament winner being the angler with the greatest four day total.

They will be competing for the difference between $18,000 for a fifth place finish and $100,000 for first place.. Thompson points out that the new rules requires consistency over the entire four day period and reduces the chances that someone can get into the final or win based on one big day.

The results for the end of each day of the tournament are as follows:

END OF DAY 2 RESULTS

Professional Anglers (Name, City, State, Total fish and weight through Day 2)

1.BRENT EHRLER, REDLANDS, CA, 10, 38-08
2 MIKE WURM, HOT SPRINGS, AR 10,  30-03
3 GREG PUGH, CULLMAN, AL, 9, 29-03
4 BRYAN THRIFT, SHELBY, NC, 10 29-00
5 DION HIBDON, STOVER, MO, 7, 25-10
6 SCOTT MARTIN, CLEWISTON, FL, 7, 25-08
7 ROBERT HARKNESS, ELIZABETH, WV, 10 25-07
8 MARK ROSE, MARION, AR, 10 25-00
9 JOE THOMAS, MILFORD, OH, 8 24-15
10 RON SHUFFIELD, BISMARCK, AR, 8, 24-11

Co-Anglers

1.SHANE MELTON, GREENTOWN, IN, 8, 20-08
2 BRAD ROBERTS, NANCY, KY, 5,16-09, 6,
3 TODD LEE, JASPER, AL, 4, 13-00
4 DARRELL MITCHELL, TANEYVILLE, MO, 4 12-10
5 MIKE FOREE, OSAGE BEACH, MO, 5, 11-10
6 CHAD PARKS, OLIVE BRANCH, MS, 5, 11-03
7 TEDDY BRADLEY, MISHAWAKA, IN, 5, 10-13
8 JASON LAW, WAYCROSS, GA, 2, 9-10
9 STEVEN MEADOR, BELLA VISTA, AR, 5, 9-05
10 SEAN STEPP, STAFFORD, VA, 2, 8-13
END OF DAY 1 RESULTS

Professional (Name,City,State, # fish, weight)

1 GREG PUGH, CULLMAN, AL, 5, 18-11
2 MIKE WURM, HOT SPRINGS, AR, 5, 16-14
3 BRENT EHRLER, REDLANDS, CA 5, 16-06
4 BRIAN TRAVIS, CONOVER, NC, 4, 16-04
5 JOE THOMAS, MILFORD, OH, 5, 15-07
6 BRYAN THRIFT, SHELBY, NC, 5, 14-13
7 DAVID WALKER, SEVIERVILLE, TN, 5, 14-12
8 WESLEY STRADER, SPRING CITY, TN, 4, 14-10
9 SCOTT MARTIN, CLEWISTON, FL, 5, 14-07
10 ADAM WAGNER, COOKEVILLE, TN, 5, 12

Co-Anglers (Name,City,State,  total fish & weight through Day 1)

1 SHANE MELTON, GREENTOWN, IN, 5, 13-09
2 DARRELL MITCHELL, TANEYVILLE, MO, 4, 12-10
3 TODD LEE, JASPER, AL, 3, 8-14
4 TEDDY BRADLEY, MISHAWAKA, IN, 4, 8-13
5 SEAN STEPP, STAFFORD, VA, 2, 8-13
6 CHAD PARKS, OLIVE BRANCH, MS, 4, 8-12
7 EUGENE ROBINETT, SPRINGFIELD, MO, 3, 8-02

The FLW Tour Table Rock Lake tournament will run through March 6 with the Takeoff at 7:00 a.m. at the Table Rock State Park Marina. The Weigh-in for Day 3, Friday March 5, will be at 3:00 p.m. at the Table Rock State Park Marina. The Day 4 Weigh-in will be at the Branson Convention Center at 4:00 p.m.

Miller reminds local residents and Branson visitors alike that a free FLW Family Fun Zone & Outdoor Expo will be held at the Branson Convention Center from 5 – 9 p.m. on Friday, March 5 and from 10:00 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday March 6. The first 300 kids, 14 and under, attending on Saturday will get a free rod and reel combo which can be picked up following Saturdays Weigh-in.