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| Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] Walleye Fishing -> General Discussion -> FLW National Guard Lake Erie Walleye Event: Day 1 |
THA4 |
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Member Posts: 34 | Optimism was high at the launch site on the first morning of the Lake Erie FLW Walleye Tournament, even though the weather threw a major curveball. A few hours before the anglers began launching their boats for the first day of competition a series of thunderstorms moved through Port Clinton accompanied by some moderate wind. Navionics Pro, Tommy Skarlis knows what this can do to the walleye bite. "I know when I am fishing the Mississippi River at home, lightning turns the rock bite off and makes for some pretty inconsistent fishing. I was going to start out the day by putting five fish in the boat by vertical jigging. Now I am thinking about seeing how the trolling bite is." With the weather a major concern later this afternoon, the overall feeling this morning was positive as many anglers had successful practice days. However, there was discussion that an estimated one third of the field might not weigh a fish today. Sporadic strong storms are forecasted for later this afternoon, which will have an impact on how many of the anglers approach their strategy. "I think to win this event, a bag weighing close to 40 lbs. on the first day will be essential," says Fishouflage Pro and host of The Next Bite TV show, Gary Parsons. "That makes it a dangerous tournament, but I also think there will be a lot of guys with empty bags at the end of the day, I just hope I'm not on the zero end of that." With a field of 131 boats, you can rest assured someone will be on the fish today. The weather and a post spawn pattern will end up being major factors. Today's weigh-in will take place in downtown Port Clinton at waterworks park at 3 PM. Watch for images, videos, and updates immediately following this afternoon's weigh-in. Coverage is brought to you by Lund Boats and The Reel Shot/JJ Keller Fishing Team ! Attachments ----------------  Boats along dock.jpg (98KB - 165 downloads) The ReelShot Boat.jpg (98KB - 182 downloads) Lund Take Off.jpg (90KB - 186 downloads) Skarlis Take off.jpg (81KB - 160 downloads) Takasaki Take Off.jpg (100KB - 163 downloads) Skarlis Tuning Bait.jpg (81KB - 158 downloads) Chase Parsons.jpg (102KB - 177 downloads) | ||
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| sworrall |
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Location: Rhinelander | |||
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| Shep |
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Member Posts: 3899 | |||
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| Sunshine |
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Member Posts: 2393 Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | |||
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| TJ DeVoe |
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| stacker |
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| Shep |
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Member Posts: 3899 | |||
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| THA4 |
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Member Posts: 34 | Day one certainly did not disappoint. There were a lot of 1-2-3 fish bags, but there were some real heavyweights brought to the FLW scales this afternoon. There were 5 lead changes, and 3 bags over 40 lbs. brought in. The weather actually calmed down and played to many of the anglers original strategies allowing them to fish the pattern they had intended. However, it was a tough bite for the majority of the 131-boat field. "Things started off pretty slow," Tommy Skarlis said. "I was able to fish my jigging spot, and managed a couple fish, but it was slow. So, decided to move and implement Plan B. I later realized that with the consistently warming water temps, the afternoon was the time to be on the best spots. We managed to catch two more keepers just before it was time to head to the scales. I know just what I'll be doing tomorrow." The Next Bite crew of Keith Kavajecz, Gary Parsons, and Chase Parsons did not disappoint. All three claimed Day 1 Top 10 spot with tremendous bags, Kavajecz sits in 5th with 38-8, G. Parsons holds down 2nd with 41-05, and C. Parsons is in 10th with 35-02. "Tomorrow is another day and its still anyone's ball game," Gary Parsons says. "I am on a good group of fish and know the winning limits are there, but with the threat of more severe weather, its going to be another grind of a day." The real story today is that of the angler currently holding down the number one spot. Dan Steffens of Oxford, WI and his Co-Angler, Brandon Finck of Jackson, MN brought in a whopping 42-15. "A few weeks ago, I was in an accident and was in the hospital for a while," explains Steffens. "I got out with enough time to begin pre-fishing for this event, but it was only due to the support of my fishing partner and my family. Taking the top spot today was an emotional high that I pray I can relive again tomorrow." Steffens refrained from sharing any information about tomorrow's game plan knowing he was on the winning fish. It will be exciting to see if he can manage another impressive bag as he did today. Tomorrow's take off is scheduled for 7 AM with weigh-in beginning at 3 PM that afternoon at Water Works Park in downtown Port Clinton. More pictures, video, and updates are sure to come. Stay tuned! Day One Top Ten 1st Dan Steffens 42-15 2nd Gary Parsons 41-05 3rd Jeff Graves 40-02 4th John Balla 38-15 5th Keith Kavajecz 38-08 6th Charles Robinson 36-08 7th Shawn Ritchie 36-07 8th Tom Keenan 35-07 9th David Kolb 35-06 10th Chase Parsons 35-02 Edited by THA4 5/12/2011 7:04 PM Attachments ---------------- Brian Keller.jpg (62KB - 158 downloads) Brumbaugh.jpg (68KB - 162 downloads) Crew waiting.jpg (92KB - 153 downloads) Fish going into bag.jpg (76KB - 162 downloads) Fish In box.jpg (56KB - 162 downloads) Steffens.jpg (78KB - 149 downloads) Tommy Fish.jpg (103KB - 146 downloads) | ||
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| iceman35 |
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 Member Posts: 650 | |||
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| Juls |
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