| |
| Johnson Wins 2004 Walmart RCL Championship |
MOLINE, Ill. (Oct. 2, 2004) - Ranger pro Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis., caught four walleyes weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River near Moline. Johnson, who qualified for the championship as the 10th ranked angler on the 2004 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, took home $300,000 - the largest first-place award in walleye tournament fishing.
RCL anglers experienced tough fishing conditions throughout the week. Fluctuating weather and water conditions resulted in scattered walleyes and saugers. Along with the tough bite, local regulations prevented anglers from weighing heavier catches. Legal walleyes must be a minimum of 15 inches but cannot fall within a 20- to 27-inch slot. Only two walleyes over the slot were weighed during the event. Some pros reported catching a dozen or more fish in the slot each day and could have potentially weighed 25-30 pounds without the restriction. There is no slot limit on saugers.
"This is really overwhelming," said Johnson, whose previous best finish on the RCL Walleye Tour in 2004 was a 10th-place finish on Devils Lake.
"I was fishing about two miles above Lock 14," Johnson said. "I was using a really simple three-way rig with a floater and 6-foot lead. Fire tiger was the best color.
"I learned how to fish back home on Pool 4, and the river basically fishes the same here."
Johnson has been the most consistent pro throughout the event. He opened the tournament in second place on day one and never dropped below third place.
Rounding out the top six pros were Russell McDonald of Dryden, Ontario (three fish, 5 pounds, 6 ounces); John Hertensteiner of Victoria, Minn. (three fish, 4 pounds, 12 ounces); Richard LaCourse of Port Clinton, Ohio (three fish, 4 pounds, 1 ounce); Brad Knoll of Menasha, Wis. (one fish, 1 pounds, 9 ounces); and Dan Plautz of Muskego, Wis. (one fish, 1 pounds, 4 ounces).
Plautz also won the Shop-Vac Clean Sweep Award, which goes to the pro angler that had the heaviest first-round weight. Plautz caught 10 fish in the first round weighing 18 pounds, 13 ounces and takes home four Shop-Vac products. McDonald won the Energizer Keeps on Going Award, which goes to the pro angler that comes from the farthest behind on day one to qualify for the final round. McDonald, who caught two fish that weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce on day one, won a $500 Wal-Mart gift card.
Chris Froelich of Maple Lake, Minn., a rookie on the RCL Tour, won the Co-angler Division Friday and earned $75,000 plus a $45,000 bonus for being a registered Lund owner and $30,000 for being a registered Yamaha owner.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship field was comprised of anglers who qualified for the event via the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League and other sanctioned tournament organizations. Pros and co-anglers were randomly paired each day and fished for a combined boat weight. Pros supplied the boat and tackle and controlled boat movement.
The top 12 pros and 12 co-anglers advanced to Friday's semifinal round based on their two-day, opening round weight. Weights were cleared for the semifinal round, and were cleared again for the top six pros that competed Saturday.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship is administered by FLW Outdoors and 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.
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com. |
Back To Top
|
| Four little walleyes and Johnson is the RCL Champ |
 |  |  | Dave Landahl Photo Nick Johnson used a multi-pool approach for the win |
Ranger pro Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis., woke up this morning with a premonition about his chances at winning the 2004 Wal-Mart RCL Championship. He did not feel totally confident. His confidence was not bolstered by the less-than-stellar bag of fish he had to bring back to the weigh-in. With only four small walleyes, Johnson's chances seemed slim.
He kicked off the weigh-in with one of his four small fish to take temporary control of first place. Then as the field weighed in round-robin fashion, Dan Plautz was the first to drop off. Then Brad Knoll and Rick LaCourse then John Hertensteiner.
Finally, the Canadian sensation Russell McDonald of Ontario, Canada was the second to last man standing. He only needed to weigh slightly more than a pound to take the title.
As McDonald approached the scales with his black fish bag, Johnson could hardly keep back the emotions. McDonald went for his fish, but it was empty. McDonald only had three fish weighing 5.38 pounds while Johnson weighed in four fish totaling 6.56 pounds to take home the RCL Championship and a check for $300,000.
"I can't believe that four little fish can win $300,000," said Johnson. "I am really surprised that this is all it took to win. The bite was tough and I did what I had to do to win."
Johnson was using a surprisingly simple approach to hooking walleyes this week. Johnson used a three-way rig with a 6-foot leader, firetiger floater, 1 1/2 -ounce weight and a big nightcrawler.
Instead of rigging the crawler straight on his hook he rigged it so it would spin coming through the water.
|  | | Dave Landahl Photo Johnson used pool four similaries to his advantage to take home $300,000 |
"I used an approach I use on my home waters of Pool 4 on the Mississippi," said Johnson. "This same three-way rig is what I will often use to catch walleyes up north. A lot of the approaches I use at home worked here."
Johnson caught most of his fish in Pool 14, but happenstance played a part in his victory today.
"While I was waiting to lock through from Pool 15 to Pool 14 I had about 15 minutes until the lock opened," said Johnson. "I started casting a florescent orange and black Wally Diver near the dam. I had a hit pretty quick, but it was a white bass. I kept casting and a couple of casts later another hit and I knew it was the right kind, a nice 17 �-inch keeper just before I locked into Pool 14."
Lund pro Russell McDonald came up short today, but managed to catch enough weight to take home a check for $65,000. McDonald used a classic walleye fishing technique to bag his fish on the Mighty Mississippi.
"I was pitching a 1/8-ounce jig with a big crawler on the back," said McDonald. "I was fishing a current break near a bridge piling in three feet of water. I would pitch the jig and the current would suck it into the hole where the fish were holding."
(Look for a more detailed rundown on the tactics used by some of the top finishers at the 2004 RCL Championship later this week on Walleye FIRST) |
Back To Top
|
| Canadian McDonald is in the lead, eh? |
|  | | Dave Landahl Photo Russ McDonald loaded up on fish late but struck early at the RCL semi-final weigh-in |
MOLINE, Ill. - Flip-flopping is more prevalent on the RCL Championship leaderboard than with Presidential candidates. The new leader and the third of the tournament after the semi-final round is Russell McDonald a Lund pro from Alberta, Canada. McDonald weighed a 5-fish limit good for 10 pounds and 5 ounces.
The FLW tent was packed with walleye fishing fans today and McDonald lead off the show taking the lead and never letting go.
McDonald's day had a slow start. The Canuck struck out on early opportunities but capitalized on his P.M. bite.
"You never know on this water what will happen," said McDonald. "One day you can be great and bad the next."
"Today started slowly for me. I missed my first three or four fish until it came together for me in the afternoon."
McDonald did not let slip what he is doing to hook his 'eyes, but he is only using two rods. He plans on sticking with the same program tomorrow.
Taking the runner-up spot going into the final is Ranger pro Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis. Johnson weighed 8 pounds and 9 ounces today and feels he is on the right fish to take home the big moolah.
"I only weighed four fish today," said Johnson. "I am on the fish that can win the whole tournament. As long as I get four or five quality bites tomorrow, I can win."
Johnson is in line to walk away with $300,000 if he is victorious.
|  | | Dave Landahl Photo LaCourse weighs a walleye enroute to the RCL Championship finale |
Sitting in the three hole with a limit of fish weighing 8 pounds and 7 ounces is veteran Ranger pro Rick LaCourse of Port Clinton, Ohio. LaCourse is no stranger to the championship stage. He finished in the top 12 of the RCL Championship in 2002 and won the PWT Championship in 1997.
LaCourse takes whatever comes to him when it comes to the Mighty Mississippi.
"I took what the river gave me today," said LaCourse. "It was a tough bite today."
LaCourse also recognizes the importance of the co-angler on the RCL Tour.
"We could not have this kind of success without having good co-anglers," said LaCourse. "This really is a team effort and you end up learning a lot from each other every time out. Today my co-angler really pushed hard to catch the fish."
2004 RCL Co-Angler Champ crowned
|  | | Dave Landahl Photo No excuses in Chris Froelich's $150,000 amateur division win |
"I bought a new Lund prior to the Championship," said Chris Froelich of Maple Lake, Minn. "My excuse to my wife was that I would win an extra $75,000 if I owned the right boat. Who knew that it would turn out to be the truth?"
For his efforts Froelich took home a check for $150,000.
Take-off tomorrow is a 7:00 A.M. at Sunset Park in Rock Island. Look for the massive cold front expected tomorrow to make fishing tough for some. Temperatures are expected to be in the thirties overnight and in the mid-fifties during the day, which is a twenty degree drop. The final weigh-in will start at 4:00 p.m. Central Time. |
Back To Top
|
| McDonald leads pros into final round of Walmart RCL Walleye Championship on Mississippi River |
MOLINE, Ill. (Oct. 1, 2004) - Pro Russell McDonald of Dryden, Ontario, and co-angler Chris Froelich of Maple Lake, Minn., caught a five-walleye limit weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces Friday to make McDonald the No. 1 seed heading into the final round of the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship Saturday on the Mississippi River. The catch also gave Froelich the co-angler title and an impressive $150,000 award.
RCL anglers experienced a major change in the weather Friday making tough fishing conditions even tougher. After days of pleasant weather, a strong cold front pushed through the Quad Cities area bringing thundershowers and chilly northwest winds. A combination of factors has prevented anglers from weighing heavier catches. The primary obstacles include scattered fish that are in limbo between a summer and fall pattern and a restrictive 20- to 27-inch slot limit on walleyes. Anglers have reported catching many walleyes in the slot. Had these fish been weighed in, leading weights would have been in the 25- to 30-pound range each day.
"It was quite a day," McDonald said. "It started out slow, and I lost my first four or five fish. But it all came together in the afternoon. On this water, you never know how you'll do tomorrow, so I'm not sure if I can do it again."
Rounding out the top six pros are Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis. (four fish, 8 pounds, 9 ounces); Richard LaCourse of Port Clinton, Ohio (five fish, 8 pounds, 7 ounces); Brad Knoll of Menasha, Wis. (three fish, 7 pounds); John Hertensteiner of Victoria, Minn. (three fish, 4 pounds, 7 ounces); and Dan Plautz of Muskego, Wis. (two fish, 4 pounds, 2 ounces).
Froelich, a rookie on the RCL Tour, earned $75,000 for his victory plus a $45,000 bonus for being a registered Lund owner and $30,000 for being a registered Yamaha owner.
"This means I'm having a good steak dinner tonight with my new best friend, Russell (McDonald)," Froelich said. "This is just incredible. It's been a learning experience the entire tournament. Russell did a great job today, and all my partners did a great job this week."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Eric Fenstermacher of Bayfield, Co. (four fish, 8 pounds, 9 ounces); Kent King of Clintonville, Wis. (five fish, 8 pounds, 7 ounces); Tony Gronski of Freeland, Mich. (three fish, 7 pounds); and Guy Ryan of Salina, Kan. (three fish, 4 pounds, 7 ounces).
Ranger pro Tommy Skarlis of Walker, Minn., who finished the event in 54th place, won the 2004 RCL Walleye Tour Ranger Cup Award and a Ranger 620 VS walleye boat.
Sunset Park in Rock Island will host the final takeoff at 7 a.m. Saturday. Weigh-in on Saturday will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 3930 44th Ave. in Moline beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend the takeoff and weigh-in as well as the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 11 a.m. Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship field is comprised of anglers who qualified for the event via the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League and other sanctioned tournament organizations. Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros supply the boat and tackle and control boat movement.
The top 12 pros and 12 co-anglers advanced to Friday's semifinal round based on their two-day, opening round weights. Weights were cleared for the semifinal round, and will be cleared again for the top six pros competing Saturday.
The winning pro is guaranteed $150,000 cash. Qualified Ranger, Crestliner and Lund owners are eligible for a $150,000 bonus, and if the winner's boat is equipped with an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he will receive another $100,000 for a top pro award of $400,000 cash.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship is administered by FLW Outdoors and 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.
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com.
|
Back To Top
|
| Plautz front-runner into semi-finals |
|  | | Dave Landahl Photo Dan Plautz is keying in on sauger in his quest for the crown |
First it was Scott Glorvigen who wins the 2004 PWT Championship to make walleye angling history by being the first angler to win both of the sports premier championships, RCL and PWT. Now the 2003 PWT Champion and previous winner on the RCL Tour Crestliner pro Dan Plautz of Muskego, Wis., is poised to be the first back-to-back championship winner, PWT and RCL, after weighing an impressive 11 pound 5 ounce limit today to lead the 12-man field into the semi-final round of the RCL Championship.
Plautz is working a pattern different from the rest of the field. The veteran pro has been very secretive with his tactics, but is confident in his approach to carry through enough weight to succeed in his championship efforts.
"I am not fishing for walleyes like the other guys, I am fishing for saugers," said Plautz. "In fact, I have only caught one walleye over the last few days. There were a lot of boats where I was fishing today, so tomorrow there will be less company."
Plautz' move is very logical considering the tough 20-to27-inch slot limit imposed on the walleyes in this system. Anglers targeting saugers can keep fish in the 20-to 27-inch range. By doing this, Plautz can weigh a class of fish the other anglers need to release.
Ranger pro Rick LaCourse of Port Clinton, Ohio, made it into the semi-finals with a two-day total of 14 pounds 11 ounces. LaCourse feels his attention to detail will help him through the semi-finals and earn a berth to fish on Saturday.
"I am fishing a relatively small area of the river," said LaCourse. "I am fishing a hundred yard stretch over a series of humps. I am concentrating on the tips of the wing dams. My attention to the small details in my presentation allowed me to get into the semi-finals."
|  | | Dave Landahl Photo Pro and veteran river angler Rick Nascak of Winona, Minn. fought floating weeds to make the cut |
Evinrude pro Rick Nascak of Winona, Minn., felt the amount of grass impacted his fishing ability today.
"The thing that changed for me today was that there was less grass interfering with what I was doing today," said Nascak. "I did not do anything different today and will probably continue to the same thing tomorrow. A lot of how I fish will depend on the grass."
Nascak finished in the 8 spot after the qualifying rounds with 14 pounds and 13 ounces of walleyes.
Ranger pro Pat Cavins of Green Bay, Wis., was the odd man out today. Cavins weighed 13 pounds and 6 ounces of walleyes, over two days, missing the cut by three ounces and finishing in the number 13 position.
"Today was tough for me," said Cavins. "I could not get the boat over 32 mph. Thanks to that, I missed getting through the locks on time. I begged and pleaded with the lockmasters, but as I approached the lock gates I just watched them slowly close in front of me. I was a little upset."
The weather may be the deciding factor for the outcome of the RCL Championship of the next two days. It looks like morning showers tomorrow with thunderstorms in the afternoon followed by Saturday temperatures in the fifties, which is almost 20 degrees cooler than what the anglers have been experiencing.
Nothing like Maw Nature throwing a wrench in the works.
Weigh-in will start tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. at the Wal-Mart off 44th Avenue in Moline, Ill. |
Back To Top
|
| Plautz, Sather Lead First Round of RCL Walleye Championship on Mississippi River |
MOLINE, Ill. (Sept. 30, 2004) - Pro Dan Plautz of Muskego, Wis., caught a two-day total of ten fish - mostly saugers - weighing 18 pounds, 13 ounces to lead the first round of the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River near Moline. Plautz jumped from 15th place to first with the day's heaviest weight - 11 pounds, 5 ounces. The top twelve pros and co-anglers advance to fish Friday in the quest to win the largest awards in walleye tournament fishing - a potential $400,000 for the winning pro angler and $150,000 for the victorious co-angler.
The weather has been gorgeous all week, but that has not translated into good fishing conditions. Walleyes and saugers are in a transitional phase, and the bite is tough. Only 29 pros managed to catch a two-day total exceeding 10 pounds. The top 12 pros and co-anglers will be tested further Friday as a stout cold front pushes through the Quad Cities bringing rain, wind and cooler weather.
"I'm very pleased today (with 11 pounds, 15 ounces)" Plautz said. Plautz fished with co-angler Tom Petska of Wonder Lake, who barely missed the cut finishing in 13th place.
"I'm on a real good sauger bite," Plautz said. "I've only caught one walleye in the last four days. I've got a place where I feel I can catch a couple 19- to 21-inch saugers each day. There were a lot of boats in the area today, but it didn't look like they were catching much."
Plautz is trolling in Pool 16.
Rounding out the top five pros are Jamie Friebel of Roberts, Wis. (seven fish, 16 pounds, 3 ounces); Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis. (eight fish, 15 pounds, 12 ounces); John Hertensteiner of Victoria, Minn. (10 fish, 15 pounds, 11 ounces); and Scott Allar of Welch, Minn. (seven fish, 15 pounds, 9 ounces).
Jeff Sather is leading the Co-angler Division thanks to a two-day total of seven fish weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces. Sather fished with Johnson on day one and Ranger pro Tommy Skarlis of Walker, Minn., on day two.
"I actually did the same thing today as I did yesterday," Sather said, "and that was using live bait around wing dams."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jim Cheadle of Beloit, Wis. (eight fish, 15 pounds); Eric Fenstermacher of Bayfield, Co. (seven fish, 14 pounds, 15 ounces); Guy Ryan of Salina, Kan. (seven fish, 14 pounds, 7 ounces); and Duane Haviland of Black Creek, Wis. (nine fish, 14 pounds, 6 ounces).
Ranger pro Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., and co-angler Stan Ryan of Madison, Wis., earned the Snickers Big Walleye Award of $500 each, which goes to the pair that catches the largest walleye or sauger during the first round. The winning walleye weighed 8 pounds and was caught on Wednesday.
According to state regulations, walleye must fall between 15 inches and 20 inches long to be kept. Walleye measuring 20 to 27 inches must be returned immediately to the water. Only two walleyes longer than 27 inches may be kept. Saugers must measure at least 15 inches.
Sunset Park in Rock Island will host takeoffs at 8 a.m. on Friday and 7 a.m. on Saturday. Weigh-ins Friday and Saturday will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 3930 44th Ave. in Moline beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday. The community is invited to attend takeoffs and weigh-ins as well as the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 3 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship field is comprised of anglers who qualified for the event via the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League and other sanctioned tournament organizations. Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros supply the boat and tackle and control boat movement. |
Back To Top
|
| It's Deja Vu all over again for Keenan |
|  | | Dave Landahl Photo Tom Keenan and Co angler Stan Ryan with a Day One walleye "just over" the slot |
MOLINE, Ill. - RCL fans may be a bit confused when they look at the official standings after Day One of the 2004 Wal-Mart RCL Tour Championship held on the Mississippi River out of Moline, Ill. Why you may ask? Well, because the 2003 RCL Champ, Ranger pro Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., is firmly holding the number one spot with 13 pounds and 6 ounces of walleyes. Like Yogi Berra once said, "It's deja vu all over again!"
According to RCL Tour Tournament Director Sonny Reynolds over one hundred boats locked upriver into Pools 14 and 13 while about a dozen boats or so headed downriver to Pool 17. Keenan maximized his time by staying in Pool 16.
"I trolled the entire time in Pool 16," said Keenan. "I fished a couple of spots today, but once I caught the fish I stayed in the same area to catch my keepers."
Even though Keenan is leading by over a pound, he only weighed in four walleyes out of a potential five-fish limit.
No weeds equaled more fish for Keenan.
"The spot I was fishing today had no weeds," said Keenan. "That was a key to my success. By not having to pick off junk all day, it made it easier to fish."
Although many anglers have been fishing these pools for weeks in an attempt to locate fish, Keenan approached today like he was pre-fishing. He finally located the type of area he has been looking for over the last three days.
"This location is ideal for what I am trying to do," said Keenan. "It is a current break that forces the weeds out. Not many anglers are fishing close to me, so as long as I do not have a lot of company I think the area can hold up."
Garmin pro Pat Cavins of Green Bay, Wis. used multiple approaches to finish in the top five after Day One.
"I was handlining, longlining and using leadcore," said Cavins. "I fish them all and fished in both Pools 14 and 16."
Cavins had the luck of the draw as a co-angler today, Crestliner pro Doug Hartle of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Cavins' partner used his skills and a lucky crankbait today, according to Cavins.
"I gave him a crankbait to use today that really caught the fish," said Cavins. "We were so nervous at the end we took the lure off so I could have it for tomorrow."
Cavins caught two walleyes in Pool 14 and three fish in Pool 16 in the last hour.
"I am not sure I need to make the run to Pool 14 tomorrow," said Cavins. "I caught good fish here in Pool 16 and if I stay put, I will have more fishing time tomorrow. I just hope I draw another good partner."
If you have the time, plan on attending the Day 2 weigh-in starting tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. Central time. You can meet and mingle with many of the top RCL pros and have a chance to check out some of the new 2005 fishing boats. Food, drink and apparel concessions are available.
|
Back To Top
|
| Defending Champion Leads $1.4 Million Walmart RCL Walleye Championship on Mississippi river |
MOLINE, Ill. (Sept. 29, 2004) - Ranger pro Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis. and Stan Ryan of Madison, Wis., caught four walleyes weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces to lead day one of the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River near Moline. Keenan - the defending RCL Walleye champion - and Ryan did not catch a limit but caught the biggest walleye of the day, an 8-pounder. Two hundred and nineteen pros are competing for as much as $400,000 cash, the richest first-place award in walleye-fishing history. An equal number of co-anglers are in the hunt for a top award of $150,000 cash.
The weather has been clear and mild in the Quad Cities for several days, and despite an approaching cold front, should remain pleasant throughout a majority of the four-day event. Mild weather, however, is not exactly what walleye anglers prefer in late September. Water temperatures are unseasonably warm and the walleye bite was tough during practice. In addition to the warm weather, heavy rains fell upstream last week causing high, murky water conditions. As a result, many pros caught very few fish in practice, and while the river is back to its normal level, they were not overly confident in their patterns and locations. Sixty-nine boats zeroed, and only nine boats caught weights over 8 pounds on a tough opening day.
"I was kind of prefishing today," Keenan said. "I caught my fish in one place. I had been looking for a place like that for three days. There is no (debris) in the water. There are no weeds. It's a current break with an eddy, and I was pretty much by myself. I think I can catch enough to make the cut tomorrow. I will probably only need a couple of fish."
Keenan, although not specific on his location or lures, said he was trolling in Pool 16.
Keenan followed up his 2003 RCL Walleye Championship victory with a third place finish in the 2004 RCL Tour points standings - only 13 points behind 2004 angler of the year Dennis Jeffrey of Garrison, N.D.
Rounding out the top five teams after day one are pro Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis., and co-angler Jeff Sather of Montevideo, Minn. (five fish, 11 pounds, 13 ounces); pro Scott Allar of Welch, Minn., and co-angler Richard Ness of Ruthon, Minn. (five fish, 11 pounds, 15 ounces); pro Dennis Lantzy of Warren, Mich., and co-angler Dale Hein of Spring Lake Park, Minn. (five fish, 10 pounds, 11 ounces); and pro Pat Cavins of Green Bay, Wis., and co-angler Doug Hartle of Calgary, Alberta (five fish, 10 pounds, 6 ounces).
According to state regulations, walleye must fall between 15 inches and 20 inches long to be kept. Walleye measuring 20 to 27 inches must be returned immediately to the water. Only two walleyes longer than 27 inches may be kept. On day one of the event, only two walleyes measuring longer than 27 inches were weighed. Saugers must measure at least 15 inches.
Sunset Park in Rock Island will host daily 7 a.m. takeoffs throughout the event except for Friday, when takeoff is at 8 a.m. Thursday's weigh-in will be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Weigh-ins Friday and Saturday will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 3930 44th Ave. in Moline beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday. The community is invited to attend takeoffs and weigh-ins as well as the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 3 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship field is comprised of anglers who qualified for the event via the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League and other sanctioned tournament organizations. Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros supply the boat and tackle and control boat movement.
The full field will compete again Thursday, after which the top 12 pros and 12 co-anglers advance to Friday's semifinal round based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the semifinal round, and pros compete for one of six final-round slots. Co-angler competition concludes Friday based on their one-day weight.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship is administered by FLW Outdoors and 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. |
Back To Top
|
|
|
