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Member
Posts: 34
| Despite inclimate weather moving in, including a 30 degree drop in temperature, the overall attitude among the anglers was very positive. It is not a matter of catching the fish, but catching the right fish as the Great Leech Lake is a slot lake. With an 18-26 slot currently in place, the anglers are faced with the challenge of putting the right "over" in the box as there is a no cull rule with the larger fish. The shorts however can be replaced.
"There is a lot of strategy that goes into what fish you keep on this lake," explains Navionics Pro, Tommy Skarlis. "The quality fish are here and these are some of the finest walleye anglers in the world, someone will find the fish. I think due to the restriction of the slot limit, we might see a 15 pound bag, but to stay in the hunt for the Top 10 cut off on day three, guys are going to have to average 10-12 pounds on this first day."
The bite has been very good on Leech Lake and surrounding lakes, and even though the weather took a turn for the worse, the fish should still be eating well. During practice, many anglers were seeing skinny fish eluding to the likelihood that most of the fish have spawned out and are beginning to disperse into their early summer patterns.
"We typically expect tough weather conditions," says Chase Parsons, The Next Bite team member. "No matter what Mother Nature throws at us, there will be guys on the fish and we should expect to see some quality bags this afternoon.
It will be an exciting afternoon as there are sure to be some nice walleyes brought into the scales. Weigh in will commence this afternoon at 3 PM at Walker City Park, which is right along Highway 371 in Walker, Minnesota. Be sure to check back this afternoon for an evening report, images, and video.
Tournament coverage brought to you by: Lund Boats and The Reel Shot/JJ Keller Fishing Team, and Mercury Marine.
Edited by THA4 6/9/2011 8:42 AM
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 Flag.jpg (32KB - 159 downloads)
Main Lake.jpg (19KB - 158 downloads)
NG Boat.jpg (35KB - 144 downloads)
Rounding Up.jpg (24KB - 164 downloads)
Prep.jpg (40KB - 157 downloads)
The Reel Shot.jpg (34KB - 165 downloads)
Talking.jpg (36KB - 157 downloads)
Taking Off.jpg (23KB - 162 downloads)
Second Flight.jpg (26KB - 136 downloads)
Before Blast Off.jpg (22KB - 148 downloads)
Chevy Boat.jpg (35KB - 144 downloads)
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Member
Posts: 34
| Day one did not disappoint! The weather was as expected remaining in the post frontal conditions. Although nearly a quarter of the field did not weigh a fish today, the creme rose to the top. We were able to see some of the veteran tournament anglers produce some quality bags, but a few with surprises.
Tom Keenan claimed a solid top 10 spot with 11-4. He felt the pattern would hold into day two, but he would still have to remain on the move to stay on top of the fish. He said that Leech Lake walleyes are known for moving around a lot and the angler who has numerous spots lined up will fare the best when weigh in time comes.
"Our plan didn't work out as well as I had hoped," says J.J. Keller/The Reel Shot Pro, John Schneider. "We had the fish in our spots, but either they weren't eating or we were missing our shots by pulling the hooks out of their mouths before they got to the boat. We know the winning fish are there, we just have to get them into the boat, so we are planning to return the same area in hopes of doing better than today."
With the weather forecasted to change again, much of the field tomorrow will be searching for a better bite to get back on top of todays shortcomings. The stable patterns that were fished during practice are still producing, but its hard to say how long they will last. Day two will be interesting.
"We were on a good bite and it felt good to bring in the best bag of the day," says National Guard Pro, Mark Courts. "We consistently found them in the places they should have been and I am confident they will remain on the same pattern for tomorrow as well."
Take off will be at the Walker City Park at seven AM and weigh in will be in the same place at 3:30 PM. Tomorrow is cut off, so the anglers expecting to fish Saturday must make the top 10. Tournament coverage brought to you by: Lund Boats and The Reel Shot/JJ Keller Fishing Team, and Mercury Marine.
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Courts pulling out.jpg (45KB - 155 downloads)
Kavajecz.jpg (36KB - 148 downloads)
Fish in box.jpg (39KB - 156 downloads)
Lindner talking.jpg (35KB - 152 downloads)
Keenan.jpg (39KB - 145 downloads)
Big One.jpg (32KB - 153 downloads)
Al Lindner.jpg (43KB - 141 downloads)
Courts catch.jpg (45KB - 148 downloads)
Walking up.jpg (39KB - 138 downloads)
Waiting 1.jpg (45KB - 126 downloads)
Reel Shot Boat.jpg (43KB - 145 downloads)
PUlling out.jpg (32KB - 121 downloads)
Courts Fist Pump.jpg (34KB - 119 downloads)
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Member
Posts: 650
| Some great pics. will get home and watch today after work. | |
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