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| Grunwaldt, Vogel Win Walmart RCL Tour Event on Lake Erie |
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (May 1, 2004) - Pro Carl Grunwaldt of Green Bay, Wis., reeled in $90,000 in cash and prizes, including a Ranger boat powered by Evinrude, Saturday after catching five walleyes weighing 30 pounds while fishing with co-angler Charles Dahl of Burlington, Wis., on the final day of the $401,750 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour event presented by Yamaha on Lake Erie.
Friday's catch boosted Grunwaldt's two-day, final-round total to 10 walleyes weighing 63 pounds, 8 ounces to give him a 6-pound, 2-ounce margin of victory over runner up Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., who landed five walleyes weighing 32 pounds, 2 ounces while fishing with co-angler Matthew McAlpin of Findlay, Ohio, in the final round. Przekurat earned $25,000 for finishing second with a two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 57 pounds, 6 ounces.
"This feels great," said Grunwaldt, an RCL Tour veteran who earned two top-10 finishes last season. "I'm stunned. It's really overwhelming at this point. I've been close several times, so it's good to finally break through. I'm still a little shocked."
Grunwaldt advanced to Friday's semifinal round of 20 anglers in ninth place with five walleyes weighing 30 pounds, 13 ounces after 35 mph winds and a U.S. Coast Guard Small Craft Advisory forced the cancellation of Thursday's competition. He then moved into the final round of 10 anglers as the No. 1 seed after catching five walleyes weighing 33 pounds, 8 ounces Friday with co-angler William Vogel of Lafayette, Ind.
Grunwaldt caught solid limits each day of competition by trolling three-way rigs off the north side of Kelleys Island, an area that was a popular target for most of the top competitors. One key to his presentation, Grunwaldt says, was using a deep-diving crankbait on the bottom of the rig with a crawler harness and spinner on top. All of his fish were suspended at depths of 20 to 30 feet over 40 to 50 feet of water. He and his partner had seven bites Saturday but landed only five fish.
"The wind switched at noon and our fish moved," Grunwaldt said. "We couldn't relocate them, and we didn't catch another fish all day. It was a tense few hours at that point.
Rounding out the top five pros are Dennis Jeffrey of Garrison, N.D. (10 walleyes, 52 pounds, 11 ounces, $20,000); Scott Allar of Welch, Minn. (10 walleyes, 48 pounds, 8 ounces, $15,000); and Bill Leonard of Estherville, Iowa (10 walleyes, 46 pounds, 14 ounces, $12,500).
Grunwaldt also earned a $1,000 bonus from Garmin for using only Garmin electronics.
Vogel won the Co-angler Division and $15,000 with a two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 57 pounds, 12 ounces. He caught five walleyes weighing 33 pounds, 8 ounces Friday while fishing with Grunwaldt then added five walleyes weighing 24 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday while fishing Allar. Vogel qualified for the semifinal round in ninth place with five walleyes weighing 30 pounds, 13 ounces. He entered the final round as the No. 1 seed with five walleyes weighing 33 pounds, 8 ounces
Vogel and Allar were using planer boards to pull spinner rigs along the north side of Kelleys Island.
"We got the job done, but the fish were real, real skittish," said Vogel, who finished 11th at last season's Lake Erie stop. "The thing about this lake is that it's possible for anyone to bring in 50 pounds of fish, so you never think you have it won."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Dahl (10 walleyes, 55 pounds, 3 ounces, $7,500); Thomas Bower of Macedonia, Ohio (10 walleyes, 53 pounds, 10 ounces, $6,000); Ken Engel of Waterford, Wis. (10 walleyes, 50 pounds, 6 ounces, $5,000) and Keith Keivens of Toledo, Ohio (10 walleyes, 50 pounds, 1 ounce, $4,000).
In RCL Tour competition, pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight and are randomly paired each day. Cash awards are presented to the top 60 anglers in each division.
Three hundred and forty-eight anglers representing 22 states and Canada participated in the tournament, which ranks as the state's most lucrative walleye tournament to date.
Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour anglers compete in four regular-season tournaments in their quest to qualify for the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River in Moline, Ill., Sept. 29-Oct. 2 where the world's top pros will fish for as much as $400,000 cash and co-anglers will chase as much as $150,000 cash. The total purse for the 2004 RCL Tour is $3.19 million.
This was the second stop on the RCL Walleye Tour. Anglers will visit Devils Lake in Spirit Lake, N.D., May 26-29 and Lake Oahe in Pierre, S.D., June 16-19 for the final qualifying event.
FLW Outdoors administers the RCL Tour, which is named after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund. FLW Outdoors, the world's leading marketer of competitive fishing, is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League for weekend anglers; the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world's most lucrative bass-tournament series; the EverStart Series, designed as a pathway to the FLW Tour; the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League for weekend anglers; and the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail.
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997.
For more information about the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000 |
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| Grunwaldt, Vogel Lead Walmart RCL Walleye Tour Finalists |
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (April 30, 2004) - Pro Carl Grunwaldt of Green Bay, Wis., and co-angler William Vogel of Lafayette, Ind., jumped to the head of the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour pack with a five-walleye limit weighing 33 pounds, 8 ounces when fishing resumed Friday at the $401,750 tournament presented by Yamaha on Lake Erie. The duo leads 10 pros and 10 co-anglers into Saturday's final round after 35 mph winds and a U.S. Coast Guard Small Craft Advisory forced the cancellation of Thursday's competition.
This is the second of five RCL Tour events featuring the world's top walleye pros and the sport's largest payouts. The winning pro earns $90,000, including a Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha, and the winning co-angler pockets $15,000 based on the heaviest two-day catch weight.
Grunwaldt and Vogle caught seven fish and lost two Friday while trolling spinner rigs off the north side of Kelleys Island, an area that was a popular target on opening day as well. Grunwaldt estimates that 15 of the 20 boats competing Friday were also in the area.
"We had two big fish right away and then a couple of small fish," said Grunwaldt, an RCL Tour veteran who earned two top-10 finishes last season. "After that we went a few long hours without a bite. We are doing something a little different than the rest of the guys, but I'm not going to play it safe."
Grunwaldt and Vogle entered Friday's semifinal round as the No. 9 seeds after catching five walleyes weighing 30 pounds, 13 ounces on opening day.
"It was a pretty tough day, so this feels good," said Vogle, who finished 11th at last season's Lake Erie stop. "We need all of the cushion that we can get."
Rounding out the top five final-round qualifiers are pro Dennis Jeffrey of Garrison, N.D., and co-angler Thomas Bower of Macedonia, Ohio (five walleyes, 27 pounds, 14 ounces); pro Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., and co-angler Keith Keivens of Toledo, Ohio (five walleyes, 25 pounds, 4 ounces); pro Thomas Nordyke of Newport, Mich., and co-angler Charles Dahl of Burlington, Wis. (five walleyes, 25 pounds, 3 ounces); and pro Scott Allar of Welch, Minn., and co-angler Chester Jones of Michigan City, Ind. (five walleyes, 24 pounds, 4 ounces).
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired, and cash awards are presented to the top 60 anglers in each division. A total of 348 anglers representing 22 states and Canada participated in the tournament.
The final takeoff starts at 7 Saturday morning from Catawba Island State Park in Port Clinton, and the final weigh-in starts at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 4070 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton.
Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour anglers compete in four regular-season tournaments in their quest to qualify for the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River in Moline, Ill., Sept. 29-Oct. 2 where the world's top pros will fish for as much as $400,000 cash and co-anglers will chase as much as $150,000 cash. The total purse for the 2004 RCL Tour is $3.19 million.
FLW Outdoors administers the RCL Tour, which is named after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund. FLW Outdoors, the world's leading marketer of competitive fishing, is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League for weekend anglers; the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world's most lucrative bass-tournament series; the EverStart Series, designed as a pathway to the FLW Tour; the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League for weekend anglers; and the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail.
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. |
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| High Winds on Lake Erie Force Cancellation of Day Two at Walmart RCL Walleye Tour Stop |
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (April 29, 2004) - Sustained southwest winds of 15 to 20 mph Thursday morning coupled with a U.S. Coast Guard Small Craft Advisory and a forecast calling for 35 mph winds by noon forced officials at the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour stop on Lake Erie to cancel day two of the four-day, $401,750 tournament presented by Yamaha.
Competition will resume Friday with the top 20 pros and co-anglers from opening day taking off from Catawba Island State Park at 7 a.m. These anglers will start from zero and compete for 10 spots in Saturday's final round where the winners are determined by the heaviest two-day weight. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins start at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 4070 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton. The community is encouraged to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins.
Pro Mark Christianson of Walker, Minn., and co-angler Kurt Turner of Kasson, Minn., caught five walleyes weighing 36 pounds, 1 ounce Wednesday to lead the tournament, which features 348 anglers representing 22 states and Canada. Anglers in the Pro Division are fishing for a top award of $90,000, including a Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha, and co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $15,000. Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight and are randomly paired each day.
Rounding out the top five teams from opening day are Thomas Nordyke of Newport, Mich., and co-angler Charles Dahl of Burlington, Wis. (five walleyes, 34 pounds, 8 ounces); Mark Meravy of Shorewood, Ill., and co-angler Terry Fowler of Minot, N.D. (five walleyes, 34 pounds, 3 ounces); and Bill Leonard of Estherville, Iowa, and co-angler Will Taege of Rhinelander, Wis. (five walleyes, 32 pounds).
Named after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund, the RCL Tour is the world's most lucrative professional walleye-fishing series. This is the second of four regular-season stops en route to the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River in Moline, Ill., Sept. 29 - Oct. 2 where pros will fish for as much as $400,000 cash and co-anglers will chase as much as $150,000.
The RCL Tour is administered by FLW Outdoors, the world's leading marketer of competitive fishing. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League for weekend anglers; the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world's most lucrative bass-tournament series; the EverStart Series, designed as a pathway to the FLW Tour; the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League for weekend anglers; and the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail. FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. |
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| Christianson, Turner Lead Wal Mart RCL Walleye Tour Stop on Lake Erie |
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (April 28, 2004) - Pro Mark Christianson of Walker, Minn., and co-angler Kurt Turner of Kasson, Minn., caught five walleyes weighing 36 pounds, 1 ounce Wednesday to start the four-day Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour event on Lake Erie in Port Clinton. The $401,750 tournament presented by Yamaha features 174 pros casting for a top award of $90,000, including a Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha, and 174 co-anglers fishing for a top award of $15,000.
"We only caught five fish and lost one that would have probably gone 10 pounds," said Christianson, who has fished 13 RCL events since 2000 and earned two top-10 finishes. "It was really slow, but we were lucky enough to get the right bites."
Christianson and Turner caught their fish trolling in 40 feet of water amidst a pack of approximately 100 tournament boats working a 2-to 3-square-mile area off Kelleys Island. The pair holds a slim 13-ounce advantage over Dan Lindner of Jenison, Mich., and co-angler Mike Zawistowski of Wonder Lake, Ill., who caught five walleyes weighing 35 pounds, 4 ounces.
Looking further down the list, less than 9 pounds separate the top 20 boats, which is not much considering Lake Erie's penchant for producing 10-pound walleye.
"There are a lot of anglers within 10 pounds of us, and out here anything can happen," Christianson said. "It's possible for a guy to go out and catch five fish weighing 50 pounds. Someone can really make a giant move up the leaderboard if they get on the right fish at the right time."
Despite winds gusting to 25 mph Wednesday afternoon, 160 boats weighed in fish, including 61 five-walleye limits. Overall, 562 walleyes weighing 2,903 pounds, 9 ounces where caught by anglers representing 22 states and Canada.
"The bite has been tough and the fish seem a little lethargic, but the wind didn't affect us too much," said Turner, who finished 11th in the 2003 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League finals.
Rounding out the top five teams are Thomas Nordyke of Newport, Mich., and co-angler Charles Dahl of Burlington, Wis. (five walleyes, 34 pounds, 8 ounces); Mark Meravy of Shorewood, Ill., and co-angler Terry Fowler of Minot, N.D. (five walleyes, 34 pounds, 3 ounces); and Bill Leonard of Estherville, Iowa, and co-angler Will Taege of Rhinelander, Wis. (five walleyes, 32 pounds).
Anglers take off each morning at 7 from Catawba Island State Park in Port Clinton. Thursday's weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. at the park. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins start at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 4070 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton. The community is encouraged to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins.
Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight and are randomly paired each day. The top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers advance to the one-day semifinal round Friday based on their two-day opening-round catch. Weights are cleared Friday, and only the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers advance to Saturday's final round where the winners are determined by the heaviest two-day weight. Cash awards are presented to the top 60 anglers in each division.
Named after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund, the RCL Tour is the world's most lucrative professional walleye-fishing series. This is the second of four regular-season stops en route to the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River in Moline, Ill., Sept. 29 - Oct. 2 where pros will fish for as much as $400,000 cash and co-anglers will chase as much as $150,000.
The RCL Tour is administered by FLW Outdoors, the world's leading marketer of competitive fishing. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League for weekend anglers; the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world's most lucrative bass-tournament series; the EverStart Series, designed as a pathway to the FLW Tour; the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League for weekend anglers; and the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail. FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997.
For more information about the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. |
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| $3.19 Million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour Headed to Lake Erie |
Catching walleyes won't be a problem on Lake Erie, says 2003 RCL Tour Angler of the Year Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis. Most anglers will catch numbers of fish, but it's the competitor who finds the quality bites that will take home the crown. "I'm guessing it�ll take 65 to 70 pounds to make it into the finals and 40-plus pounds to win it," Przekurat said.
Community holes around Pelee and Bass islands are likely to attract plenty of traffic, but Przekurat doesn't believe the tournament will be won at either spot. In his opinion, the angler who wins it will be the one who finds those little out-of-the-way places that are holding the heavier fish. Przekurat named trolling crawler harnesses over 30 feet of water as the pattern likely to produce the most solid fish, adding that shallow- and deep-diving crankbaits will also fill out several limits.
Catawba Island State Park will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7, and Wednesday and Thursday's weigh-ins will also be held there beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 4070 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton beginning at 4 p.m. The community is encouraged to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins.
The winning pro will earn $50,000 cash plus a fully rigged Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha for a top award worth $90,000. The winning co-angler will receive $15,000 cash. One hundred and sixty boaters and 160 co-anglers comprise a full field. 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 two-day opening round for one of 20 semifinal-round slots based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for day three, and the top 10 pros and co-anglers following Friday�s competition advance to the final round. Final-round anglers continue, with the winner determined by the heaviest two-day weight.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 to second, 198 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings. The top 120 pros and 120 co-anglers based on year-end points standings qualify for the 2004 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship, where a pro can earn as much as $400,000 cash for a win. Another 20 boaters and 20 co-anglers from the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League and 60 pros and 60 co-anglers who compete in RCL-sanctioned events will comprise a championship field of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards through 100th place. Including sponsor bonuses, cash awards are available through 200th place. A guaranteed cash award of $150,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $250,000 will go to the RCL Championship winner for a total pro award of $400,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $75,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $75,000 for a co-angler award of $150,000.
Devils Lake near Spirit Lake, N.D., will host the third regular-season event May 26-29, and the regular season will come to a close June 16-19 on Lake Oahe near Pierre, S.D.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour is administered by FLW Outdoors. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League for weekend anglers; the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world's most lucrative bass-tournament series; the EverStart Series, designed as a pathway to the FLW Tour; the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League for weekend anglers; and the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail.
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For more information about the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour and the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League are named after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund. FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood. |
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