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| Trolling was the Key, but Jigs a Factor in Christensen's PWT Win |
Port Clinton, Ohio.....Daryl Christensen, with the assistance of a walleye jigged from a reef, won the opening tournament of the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT). Fishing Lake Erie at Port Clinton, Ohio, the veteran pro from Montello, Wisconsin, captured his second PWT victory.
The Frenzy Eastern Pro-Am Artificial Challenge ran two days instead of the normal PWT 3-day schedule. Northeast gale-force winds caused cancellation of day two. These conditions also impacted the post-spawn walleyes. Pro anglers crossing the stage on Friday, April 18, blamed a later-than-usual spring (two weeks late), cold water (38 to 45 degrees) and extremely dirty water (described as peanut butter to chocolate) as reasons the fish shut down.
Christensen's winning weight, 57.18 pounds, paid $63,000. This was his 13th top 10 finish. He nabbed first place at the 1998 Walleye Super Pro. He won that event jigging, and Lake Erie was a trolling bite, which resulted in his top position after day one. After three hours of no action on the final day, he retreated to a reef near South Bass Island, and his amateur partner, Larry Eaton, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, hooked a 4-plus pounder. They later nailed a fish trolling to weigh 11.55 pounds. "The jigging fish guaranteed the victory," Christensen said. "This really feels good."
Winning the amateur top trophy and a Lund boat rigged with a Mercury outboard on an Eagle trailer valued at $15,000 was Kevin McCullough, Greencastle, Indiana. He fished with pros from opposite ends of the United States, Todd Frank, Pulaski, New York, and Bobby Crow, Paterson, Washington.
Second place pro was Dave Kraft, Bismarck, North Dakota, with 49.92 pounds, for a $20,000 payday. This was his seventh top 10 PWT finish. He was a winner on Lake Winnebago in 1996. Third place, with his highest PWT finish ever, went to Brad Davis, Jackson, Wisconsin. He won $13,000 for 49.53 pounds. His best finish to date was a seventh on Lake Erie in 2001.
Fishing a full field of 143 professional anglers and 143 amateurs, six rookie pros finished in the money, including Ken Van Oss, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 7th, Jack Neuman, Naperville, Illinois, 15th, Kevin Schweder, Janesville, Wisconsin, 20th, Mike Hiser, Pickerinton, Ohio, 23rd, Pete Petros, Dekalb, Illinois, 28th, and Marc Hudson, Fremont, Ohio, 32nd.
Anglers discovered deep-diving crankbaits with "wide-wobbles" performed best. They ran these lures in the top 10 feet of the water column for best results. Water that was "in-between" proved best. Too clear or too muddy and the fish did not cooperate.
Special awards from Coleman went to amateur Rich Sidor, Clarendon Hills, Illinois, who advanced 61 places. He won $600. Pro Shannon Kehl, Menoken, North Dakota, moved up 53 places and won $1,000. The Gander Mountain Heavyweight awards went to Christensen, $500, and his amateur partner, Bob Mongan, Casper, Wyoming, $300, for their one-day 45.63 pounds.
Miller High Life big fish awards went to Dale Kuklinski, Adell, Wisconsin, and amateur partner David Albright, West Des Moines, Iowa. They each won $1,500 for a 12.76 pound walleye. Bill St. Peter, Bay City, Michigan and amateur Don Parsons, Wadsworth, Ohio, landed a 11.98 pounder and split $1,000.
The PWT will return to Lake Erie July 9-11, fishing Dunkirk, New York. The Pro-Am format allows amateurs to learn secrets from the pros and have fun doing it. Amateur openings still exist in this event. The tour stops next at Lake of the Woods in Baudette, Minnesota, May 21-23. Information, photos, news and entry blanks are on the PWT web site, www.professionalwalleyetrail.com. Also, the Mercury Real-Time Score Board with immediate scores is watched by hundreds of thousands of walleye fans each weigh-in day.
The tournament was hosted by the community of Port Clinton and the Ottawa County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Duane Myers and Phil Witt earned PWT Key Awards for their exemplary service during the planning and operational phases of the tournament. The PWT announced plans to return next April.
The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network
headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America's leading producer of targeted media. PWT sponsors include: Mercury Marine, Lund, Berkley Gulp!, Trilene, PowerBait, Realtree, Miller High-Life, Frenzy, Lowrance, MinnKota, Optima batteries, Gander Mountain, Blue Fox, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, Coleman, Storm, Yamaha ATV, Eagle Trailers, Raymarine, Rapala, Matzuo, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Drift Control, DeeZee, Cotton Cordell, Seal Skinz, Lund International, Aqua-Vu, IMCO, Plano, KeepAlive, Stowmaster.net and Quantum Performance Tuned rods & reels.
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| Daryl Christensen Trolls to the Head of the PWT Pack on Erie |
Port Clinton, Ohio....Known throughout the walleye world as the "Jigmeister," Daryl Christensen, Montello, Wisconsin, proved he has also mastered the art of trolling. With 45.63 pounds, he leads the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) tournament being held on Lake Erie.
Christensen's five fish limit was one of only 37 limits on day one of the Frenzy Eastern Pro-Am. At noon, the wind switched from southwest to northeast in about two minutes. Seas increased from almost calm conditions to three feet, and forced anglers to switch tactics. Some pro anglers said the fish dropped down; others kept catching fish. Christensen's amateur partner Bob Mongan, Casper, Wyoming, holds first place in the amateur division.
Dave Kraft, Bismarck, North Dakota, landed fish all day (with some adjustments) to weigh 41.89 pounds. Jim Carroll, Minot, North Dakota, caught his fifth fish in front of the In-Fisherman TV cameras about 10 a.m., then only landed a few more the rest of the day. His total for third place was 41.51 pounds. A total of nearly $300,000 in cash and merchandise will be paid to the top 40 pro and amateur anglers.
Big fish for the day, 12.76 pounds, came to net for pro Dale Kuklinski, Adell, Wisconsin. If it holds, he could win $3,000 from Miller High Life. About a dozen walleyes in excess of 10 pounds were weighed. In 2002, the PWT anglers brought 346 walleyes to the scales that weighed more than 10 pounds.
Many records were broken last year, but the season is approximately two weeks late due to an unusually cold spring. Prior to arriving, a strong northeast wind blew for about a week, roiling the water. Anglers faced water temperatures of 37 degrees at the start of practice, but moved to the mid-40's by day one. The front that moved across the middle of the country was blowing to 25 mph by the end of the day.
PWT tournament director Charlie Moore has been in close contact with the Coast Guard, and said, "Safety of every single person is my number one priority, and a role I take very seriously." If conditions warrant a postponed start, or even a daily cancellation, the PWT will make that call at the appropriate time.
Day two and day three weigh-in festivities will take place at Waterworks Park in downtown Port Clinton, beginning about 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, April 17 and 18.
The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America's leading producer of targeted media. PWT sponsors include: Mercury Marine, Lund, Berkley Gulp!, Trilene, PowerBait, Realtree, Miller High-Life, Frenzy, Lowrance, MinnKota, Optima batteries, Gander Mountain, Blue Fox, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, Coleman, Storm, Yamaha ATV, Eagle Trailers, Raymarine, Rapala, Matzuo, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Drift Control, DeeZee, Cotton Cordell, SealSkinz, Lund International, Aqua-Vu, IMCO, Plano, KeepAlive, Stowmaster.net and Quantum Performance Tuned rods & reels.
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