The first tournament of the season is on the horizon and Mother Nature is going to make her presence felt to kick the season off!
“Early spring tournaments the weather always plays a factor, but this one it looks like it’s going to be a major storyline,” said Nick Harrington, Owner of Lip Ripper Fishing. “When we pulled out of pre-fish Sunday we left in 30 degrees and snow, tournament day this Saturday is going to be in the 60s to 70s with rain and extremely gusty winds.”
The 23rd Annual Cedar Shore Resort Walleye Tournament takes place April 6-7 on Lake Francis Case out of Chamberlain, South Dakota. This is the first event of The Fishing Crew season and the first tournament for the Lip Ripper Fishing schedule as well.
“We’re a week away, but it’s important to pay attention to the forecast and know what to expect tournament day,” said Mason Propst, Owner of Mason Propst Fishing. “We’ve seen good bites wrecked by bad weather and that’s why we’re pre-fishing what we expect the forecast to be, not what we’re seeing that day on the water in pre-fish.”
While pre-fishing conditions saw damp and cold conditions, with temperatures in the 30s and low 40s with wind and snow, the tournament forecast is the exact opposite. Nick and Mason are preparing for temperatures in the 60s with high winds from the south and rain.
“It’s important to look at not just the tournament forecast itself, but the potential changes the environment might face leading up to it,” continued Harrington. “We’re wrapping up a rain and snow trend, but then it’s going to get warm, the winds are going to switch directions all in the span of a few days.”
Monitoring rain and snow is important on the Missouri River, as run-off has a major impact on the water clarity for the coming days and even weeks.
“Sun and warm, yeah it’s going to warm the water up maybe a couple degrees,” stated Propst. “The biggest thing though is that’s going to melt all the snow and that all dumps into the reservoir. A couple degrees, yeah it matters, but not near as much as what going from clear to dirty does.”
The tumultuous forecast has the boys expecting a difficult bite, which greatly impacts the strategy come take-off.
“Everyone loves a good homerun derby, when the fishing is awesome and everyone is filling limits and getting good fish, but tough conditions is what separates the best anglers from the rest of the pack,” continued Harrington. “The ‘grind it out’ mindset isn’t glamorous, but in a tough bite it’s key.”
The conditions mean getting a limit is going to be critical.
“Obviously you need to bring a limit if you want to even be in the conversation, but prioritizing the limit over the big ones becomes more important in tough bites,” stated Propst. “Focusing on getting five is priority one.”
The wind and wave conditions also plays an important factor in where to fish, and how far anglers might be willing to go.
“Early season Chamberlain tournaments a big run is always in play,” continued Propst. “It’s a gamble when the weather is favorable, but it’s an even bigger gamble when those waves are rolling.”
While limiting how far anglers might be able to run is important, how the wind and waves can impact a specific spot is also a key element to consider.
“We’ve had tournaments before we have a really good bite going, then that wind kicks up and you can’t fish those areas effectively,” explained Harrington. “When we approached pre-fish this year, we were looking only in areas we felt confident we would be able to effectively fish with the forecast we were working with.”
The changing weather conditions, and forecasted winds prior to the tournament, means that many anglers will have a limited pre-fish. This puts many anglers on the same playing field when take-off begins Saturday morning.
“You’re not going to see many, if any anglers, have a consistent program put together come tournament day,” elaborated Harrington. “This means having the right mindset, and making the right decisions, are even more paramount.”
When anglers do find the fish, they are in very good condition.
“Yeah, it might be a tough bite, but I think we’re still going to see some big weights,” concluded Propst. “The fish are in great condition, both the males and females, and you’re going to need to bring a big bag if you want to have a shot.”
The boys will be looking to fill a limit with quality slot fish, ideally 18-19 inch fish, and likely need one, if not two, of those coveted overs to have a shot at the win.
“The goal is to put ourselves in position, to be in position,” concluded Harrington. “If we stick to our strategy and execute, then it just comes down to if we get the right bite or two to make some noise.”
Complete information regarding the 23rd Annual Cedar Shore Resort Walleye Tournament can be found on TheFishingCrew.com. Stay up to date on the latest bites and pre-fishing by following Nick and Mason on Instagram and Lip Ripper Fishing on Facebook.
