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Early reports from the water trend toward slow fishing. I believe that to be an indicator of two key factors.
First, fishing pressure is coming into play. Oneida Lake is an amazingly healthy and prolific smallmouth fishery. Yet when the numbers of fish that got caught on Day 1 come off prime areas it takes time for those spots to replenish. And more anglers are honing in on those prime areas. There is less shared water. That makes the strike zone shrink for a given angler and location. Not as much water to go around is the clue.
Second, is my prediction we will not see the high numbers and weights caught yesterday spread so wide up and down the scoreboard. Only 2.5 pounds separated the top of the leaderboard from 40th place. I see that tightening up some today. Here are the reasons.
The most skilled anglers are dialed in on something unique, a detail overlooked by the masses. That could be a subtle difference in lure presentation, boat positioning or just understanding the nit picky details of a given area, such as a sweet spot. Those intricate details will be closely guarded secrets.
What else is coming are two rounds of heavy rain. You can see those on this screen shot of the latest radar. The anglers have fished in those conditions all week. The heavy rain will make mental focus, boat handling and control, and lure mechanics more challenging.
Again, the anglers who can master the changing stages of the weather, along with all of the above, will be the movers on the scoreboard.