RED WING, Minn. (May 6, 2009) - Pro Rich Zachowski of Milwaukee, Wis., and co-angler Steve Berg of Hudson, Wis., brought in five walleyes weighing 40 pounds even to lead the Walmart FLW Walleye Tour presented by Berkley on the Mississippi River in Red Wing, Minn. The pair now holds a lead of 8 pounds, 6 ounces over their closest rivals in the nationally televised tournament that features anglers from 19 states and Canada fishing for top awards of $66,667 in the Pro Division and $13,331 in the Co-angler Division. |  | Rich Zachowski with his massive Day 1 catch at Red Wing, MN (Photo Courtesy of WalleyeFIRST) |
"It feels great to start with a bucket like this," said Zachowski. "I knew the fish were there and we just bided our time and keyed in on the bites that we did get, took our time and didn't give up. I could have stayed out there longer, but with my smallest one at 26 � inches, I didn't think I could upgrade that much more."
Zachowski, fishing in a small area in Pool 4, would not divulge his technique, but did say he was not using crankbaits or willow cats.
"There is more than one way to catch fish here and if you are adept at different ways of catching fish, you can make things happen. With having a 40 pound bag to start with on Day 1, I don't need a lot of weight to make the top 10."
Rounding out the top 10 pros and co-anglers are Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis. and Chad Niemann of Rochester, Minn. (five walleyes, 31-10); Scott Fairbairn of Hager City, Wis. and James Murphy of Fayetteville, Ark. (five walleyes, 26-8); Randy Stevens of Hager City, Wis.. and David Hosek of White Bear Lake, Minn. (five walleyes, 26-0); Jim Preissner of Hastings, Minn. and Rick Norris of Hudson, Wis. (five walleyes, 25-12); Roy Vivian of Madison, Wis. And Terry Seidl of Appleton, Wis. (five walleyes, 23-5); Robert Blosser of Poynette, Wis. and Edward Piekutowski of Moorhead, Minn. (five walleyes, 22-3); Perry Good of Brainerd, Minn. and Jerry Miller of Lowell, Ind. (five walleyes, 21-10); Ted Takasaki of East Gull Lake, Minn. and Larry Oleson of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (five walleyes, 21-10); and Steve Vandemark of Linwood, Mich. and Robert Brunz of Madison Lake, Minn. (five walleyes, 20-4).
Overall there were 409 walleyes weighing 1,257 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 100 boats Wednesday. The catch included 62 five-walleye limits.
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with winners determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
Bayport Marina, located at 1429 Levee Rd. in Red Wing, will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7 a.m. Thursday's and Friday's weigh-ins will be held at Bayport Marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 295 Tyler Rd. South in Red Wing beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 150 points awarded to the winner, 149 to second, 148 for third, and so on. These points determine Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers in the standings will advance to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 30-Oct. 3 for a shot at top awards of $150,000 and $20,000, respectively. The prestigious championship, hosted by the Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau, will also feature boater and co-angler points champions from each of four Walmart FLW Walleye League divisions. The no-entry-fee FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with cash awards for the entire field.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour, hosted by the Red Wing Business Community, will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated "FLW Outdoors," will air Aug. 9 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. "FLW Outdoors," hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player's Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.
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