Syracuse.com - Bass Pro Shops Northern Open kicks off this morning on Oneida Lake under rainy skies

[HuntingNY-News]

The tournament director said by mid-morning there was a south breeze on the lake, "and a little chop" He added, "We had a flurry of catches reported this morning."

The Bass Pro Shops Northern Open started this morning with boaters taking off at 5:45 a.m. from the boat launch at Oneida Shores Park in Brewerton.

This year's competition features pro and co-angler teams from across the country, in addition to a number of anglers from Central New York. A total of 14 Elite Series pros are entered. Tournament director Chris Bowes said a total of 162 boats are entered.

"It was cloudy with a slight breeze at 5:45 a.m.," Bowes said. "At 9:45 a.m. it was spitting a little rain, not enough to put on a raincoat. At least not yet."

Bowes said by mid-morning there was a south breeze on the lake, "and a little chop."

"We had a flurry of catches reported this morning," he added.

Today's weigh-in is set for 2 p.m. at Oneida Shores. The entire field will fish the first two days, with only the top 12 pro and co-anglers advancing to Saturday's final.

The winning pro angler will get $6,400 plus a Skeeter boat and a Yamaha motor package, plus a trailer, worth more than $40,000. The winning co-angler will get a Nito boat, powered by a Mercury motor, along with a trailer.

For more on the tournament, including a blog featuring photos and comments from participating anglers, see bassmaster.com.

I'll provide an update later this afternoon following the weigh-in.

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