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| LAMPMAN WINS WAL-MART FLW WALLEYE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP |
MOLINE, Ill. (Oct. 1, 2005) - Pro Robert Lampman of DeSoto, Wis., caught five walleyes weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces in the two-day final round of the $650,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the Mississippi River in Moline to win $125,000 - the largest award in professional walleye fishing.
"I went to one spot this morning and worked it, worked it and worked it, but only caught one small fish by 10:30," said Lampman, who has fished six championships in as many years on the FLW Walleye Tour. "I thought man, this isn't going to work, so I decided to go to a trolling bite. When I got there, the weeds were so bad I knew it wouldn't work. I decided to go back to what got me here, and in 15 minutes, I put two nice fish in the boat."
Lampman caught two walleyes weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces Wednesday while fishing with co-angler Jackie Perry of Milaca, Minn., to finish opening day in 13th place. He then added two walleyes weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces to his total Thursday while fishing with co-angler Jerome Chwierut of Glenview, Ill., to advance to the final round of 10 pros as the No. 9 seed with a two-day total of four walleyes weighing 10 pounds, 10 ounces.
On Friday, Lampman and co-angler Matthew Hiller of Ada, Mich., caught two walleyes weighing 10 pounds, 8 ounces to give Hiller an $11,000 victory and send Lampman into the final day of competition with a 1-pound, 4-ounce lead over Shannon Kehl of Menoken, N.D., who caught four walleyes weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces while fishing with co-angler Keith Strauss of Syracuse, Ind. Lampman, who finished 18th at last year's championship in Moline, added three walleyes weighing 10 pounds, 14 ounces to his total Saturday to secure his first FLW Walleye Tour victory by 3 pounds, 10 ounces over Kehl who added two walleyes weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces to his catch to finish second and earn $55,000 with a two-day total of six walleyes weighing 17 pounds, 12 ounces.
Both Lampman and Kehl were fishing Pool 14 all week, but that is where the similarities in their techniques ended. While Lampman targeted wing dams with Lindy Rigs and willow cats, Kehl trolled with No. 5 Rapala Shad Raps in a new color called Hot Steel.
"I really thought I had the spot to win the tournament," said Kehl, who has earned five FLW Walleye Tour top 10s in four years on the tour. "Robert is a river rat though, and he really knows how to fish wing dams. And generally those are the fish that win on the Mississippi River. They did it again, here."
Rounding out the top five pros were Kevin Goligowski of Maplewood, Minn. (three walleyes, 6 pounds, 13 ounces, $20,000); Jarrad Fluekiger of Alma, Wis. (four walleyes, 6 pounds, 1 ounce, $17,500) and Carl Grunwaldt of Green Bay, Wis. (three walleyes, 4 pounds, 11 ounces, $20,000).
The original field of 50 pros and 50 co-anglers representing 18 states and Canada advanced to the championship following four FLW Walleye Tour qualifying tournaments. Weights were cleared for the final round, and final pro standings were determined by the heaviest two-day total catch.
Coverage of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour championship will air on FSN (Fox Sports Net) Midwest Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. Central time. Check local listings for air times.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and eight other national tournament circuits offering more than $32 million in purses through 230 events in 2006. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America's largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
For more information about the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship hosted by the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about the Quad Cities, go to Visitquadcities.com.
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| LAMPMAN LEADS WAL-MART FLW WALLEYE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP |
MOLINE, Ill. (Sept. 30, 2005) - Pro Robert Lampman of DeSoto, Wis., and co-angler Matthew Hiller of Ada, Mich., caught two walleyes weighing 10 pounds, 8 ounces Friday to give Hiller an $11,000 victory and send Lampman into the final day of competition with a 1-pound, 4-ounce lead in the $650,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the Mississippi River in Moline. A win is worth as much as $125,000 for the 10 remaining pros in the world's most lucrative walleye-fishing tournament.
"I fished this river last year and finished 18th," said Lampman, who is making his sixth championship appearance in as many years on the FLW Walleye Tour. "With the warm summer we've had and the relatively low oxygen levels, the fishing has been tough, but with the current picking up and the water cooling down, the fish are just ready to bust. Water temps are getting down to the perfect zone. That's a little scary because all these guys are great fishermen and they are going to be tough."
Lampman caught two walleyes weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces Wednesday while fishing with co-angler Jackie Perry of Milaca, Minn., to finish the opening day in 13th place. He then added two walleyes weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces to his total Thursday while fishing with co-angler Jerome Chwierut of Glenview, Ill., to advance to the finals as the No. 9 seed with a two-day total of four walleyes weighing 10 pounds, 10 ounces. The original field of 50 pros and 50 co-anglers representing 18 states and Canada was cut to the top 10 Thursday evening and opening-round weights were cleared for the final round. Friday's weights carry over to Saturday, however, and the winning pro will be determined by the heaviest two-day total catch.
Lampman has 10 spots that produced in practice, but all of his fish came from just one, until today. "When I go to the spot I was fishing in the opening round, I was fighting 3-foot waves," he said, "so I decided to go to calmer water."
Wing dams in Pool 14 have been Lampman's targets of choice using Lindy Rigs and live bait.
The pressure of competing against the best co-anglers in the world is now over for Hiller, and he is $11,000 richer for his efforts.
Hiller, a tour rookie, landed one walleye weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces Wednesday while fishing with pro Joe Whitten of Toledo, Ohio, to secure 29th place heading into day two. He then added five walleyes weighing 7 pounds, 10 ounces to his total Thursday while fishing with pro Carl Grunwaldt of Green Bay, Wis., to advance to the final day of co-angler competition as the No. 9 seed with a two-day total of six walleyes weighing 9 pounds, 7 ounces.
Pro Shannon Kehl of Menoken, N.D., secured second place heading into the final day and co-angler Keith Strauss of Syracuse, Ind., won $6,500 plus $9,000 in boat and engine bonuses with a four-walleye catch weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces.
Rounding out the top five pros are Kevin Goligowski of Maplewood, Minn. (three walleyes, 6 pounds, 13 ounces); Jarrad Fluekiger of Alma, Wis. (two walleyes, 3 pounds, 1 ounce) and Dan Stier of Pierre, S.D. (one walleye, 1 pound, 15 ounces).
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are John Hight of Pierre, S.D. (four walleyes, 7 pounds, $5,000 plus $2,500 bonus); Marty Barski of Crystal Lake, Ill. (three walleyes, 6 pounds, 13 ounces, $4,000 plus $2,500 bonus) and Jimmy Cox of Bono, Ark., (two walleyes, 3 pounds, 1 ounce, $3,000 plus $3,500 bonus).
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.
Sunset Park on 18th Ave. in Rock Island will host Saturday's final takeoff at 7 a.m. followed by the final weigh-in at the Wal-Mart store located at 3930 44th Ave. in Moline beginning at 5 p.m. The FLW Walleye Tour Family Fun Zone featuring interactive games, product samples and activities for the entire family opens in the Wal-Mart parking lot at 1 p.m. All activities are absolutely free.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and eight other national tournament circuits offering more than $32 million in purses through 230 events in 2006. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America's largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
For more information about the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship hosted by the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about the Quad Cities, go to Visitquadcities.com. |
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| Olson, Jandl Lead FLW Walleye Tour Championship |
MOLINE, Ill. (Sept. 29, 2005) - Pro Rick Olson of Mina, S.D., caught eight walleyes weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces in the two-day opening round of the $650,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the Mississippi River in Moline to lead the charge toward a potential $125,000 payday in the world's most lucrative walleye-fishing tournament.
"I was surprised the fishing was as good as it was after the cold front," said Olson, who has earned three FLW Walleye Tour top-10 finishes since 2001. "We have a spot where we get small fish and a spot where we get big fish. I only made two passes through the big fish spot, and I only fished the whole area for about an hour and a half today. There is nobody fishing there but me and my buddy Shannon (Kehl), so one of us is going to do okay. I have a good feeling about it."
On Wednesday, Olson caught one of only three five-walleye limits while fishing with co-angler Marty Barski of Crystal Lake, Ill. The catch weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce and put Olson in fourth place. He then added three walleyes weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces to his total Thursday while fishing with co-angler Peggy Severson of Fort Pierre, S.D., to secure a 4-pound, 11-ounce lead over his closest rival. Weights will be zeroed for the 10 final-round contenders, however, so Olson will have to continue catching quality fish to secure his first FLW Walleye Tour victory Saturday afternoon.
Olson and Shanon Kehl of Menoken, N.D., practice together and appear to be zeroing in on a winning pattern. The men accounted for two of six five-fish limits caught during the opening round, including the overall biggest walleye - 6 pounds, 10 ounces - and the second heaviest one-day catch - 13 pounds, 15 ounces. The men say they've caught all of their fish on Rapala Shad Raps while trolling in Pool 14. The key, according to Olson, is a newly introduced color, which he declined to describe just yet.
Olson and Severson earned $500 each from Snickers for the 6-pound, 10-ounce walleye they caught Thursday.
Advancing as the No. 2 seed in the Pro Division is Jarrad Fluekiger of Alma, Wis., with a total catch of six walleyes weighing 17 pounds, 11 ounces. Like Olson and Kehl, Fluekiger is fishing Pool 14.
"The River is coming up and pushing walleyes into areas of lesser current," Fluekiger said. "They are relating to structure more, so the bite should continue to improve."
Despite blanking on day two, opening-day leader Jeff Ryan of Lake View, Iowa, advanced as the No. 3 seed on the strength of Wednesday's five-walleye, 16-pound, 9-ounce catch - the heaviest limit of the tournament. Ryan is fishing Pool 16.
Dan Stier of Pierre, S.D. (eight walleyes, 16 pounds, 6 ounces) and Kehl (six walleyes, 14 pounds, 12 ounces) round out the top-five Pro Division finalists.
Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis., the defending champion and 2005 Angler of the Year, finished 27th with three walleyes weighing 4 pounds, 4 ounces.
Leading the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of six walleyes weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces is Jeff Jandl of Minnesota City, Minn. Jandl landed five walleyes weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces Wednesday while fishing with Ryan and added one walleye weighing 1 pound, 14 ounces to his total Thursday while fishing with Patrick Neu of Forestville, Wis. Like the pros, co-angler weights are zeroed for the final round. Co-angler competition ends Friday afternoon.
"I've walleye fished for about 10 years, but this is my first year fishing the FLW Walleye Tour," Jandl said.
"I've learned so much riding with these guys. I'm thrilled to be in this position. It hasn't really sunk in yet."
Co-angler Jimmy Cox of Bono, Ark., another FLW Walleye Tour rookie, caught five walleyes weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces to advance as the No. 2 seed. Interestingly, Cox is a veteran bass angler on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.
Severson, who has earned three top-10 finishes in the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League since 2003, jumped from last place to the No. 3 qualifying position thanks to three walleyes weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces.
John Solek of Indianapolis (seven walleyes, 12 pounds, 11 ounces) and Keith Strauss of Syracuse, Ind. (five walleyes, 12 pounds, 4 ounces) round out the top-five Co-angler Division finalists.
Sunset Park on 18th Ave. in Rock Island will host Friday and Saturday's takeoffs at 7 a.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. 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 1 p.m. Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone features interactive games, product samples and activities for the entire family. All activities are absolutely free.
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 of 50 pros and co-anglers representing 18 states and Canada fished Wednesday and Thursday for 10 final-round slots based on the heaviest two-day accumulated weights. Weights are cleared for the final round, with the winning pro determined by the heaviest total weight from Friday and Saturday. The co-angler champion will be crowned Friday based on the day's heaviest catch.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and eight other national tournament circuits offering more than $32 million in purses through 230 events in 2006. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America's largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
For more information about the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship hosted by the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about the Quad Cities, go to Visitquadcities.com. |
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| Ryan, Jandl Lead Wal Mart FLW Walleye Tour on Day One |
MOLINE, Ill. (Sept. 28, 2005) - Pro Jeff Ryan of Lake View, Iowa, and co-angler Jeff Jandl of Minnesota City, Minn., caught five walleyes weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces to lead 100 competitors representing 18 states and Canada in the $650,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the Mississippi River in Moline.
"I caught more fish today than I did in practice," said Ryan, who moved up to the Pro Division this season after fishing as a co-angler in 2004. "A lot of our fish came early, and we were able to cull three times."
Fishing as a co-angler, Ryan finished 12th at last year's FLW Walleye Tour Championship in Moline. With a $125,000 top award on the line in the lucrative four-day tournament, he was understandably reluctant to divulge too many specifics about his opening day success. However, he did say that wing dams and current played prominently into his pattern. He also indicated that the area he was fishing would replenish. If it doesn't, he has a backup spot that he did not touch Wednesday.
Mild weather and relatively warm waters along this stretch of the Mississippi made the walleye bite somewhat sluggish in the days leading up to the championship. A cold snap followed by rain Wednesday afternoon also made things tough, with an overall catch of 81 walleyes weighing 163 pounds, 7 ounces coming to the scale. All of the fish were weighed in alive and successfully released thanks to a new state-of-the-art water weigh-in system that minimizes potential stress factors on the fish by reducing the need to handle them and maximizing the amount of time they spend in oxygen enriched water.
"The water weigh-in is really a great deal," said Dan Stier of Pierre, S.D., who is tied for second in the Pro Division with Jarrad Fluekiger of Alma, Wis. "It really helps protect the fish, and I'm sure that it's going to be the way of the future."
Both Stier and Fluekiger caught 10 pounds, 15 ounces. Fluekiger caught four walleyes with co-angler John Hight of Pierre, S.D., however, while Stier landed one of only three five-fish limits with Keith Strauss of Syracuse, Ind.
Most of the field split their time between trolling and casting around wing dams. Pools 14 and 16 drew the largest contingents.
Rick Olson of Mina, S.D., and co-angler Marty Barski of Crystal Lake, Ill., finished fourth with five walleyes weighing 9 pounds, 1 ounce while Kevin Goligowski of Maplewood, Minn., and Jimmy Cox of Bono, Ark., rounded out the top five with two walleyes weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces.
As luck would have it, defending champion and 2005 Angler of the Year Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis., and Co-angler of the Year Larry Eaton of Blanchardville, Wis., were paired together for the opening day but came up empty.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources waived its 20-to 27-inch slot limit on walleyes for the tournament so that anglers could showcase the state's walleye fishery during televised coverage of the championship on Fox Sports Net. As a result, Iowa waters of the Mississippi River are off limits and walleyes and saugers 15 inches and longer are legal to weigh-in.
Sunset Park on 18th Ave. in Rock Island will host daily 7 a.m. takeoffs throughout the event. Weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 3930 44th Ave. in Moline beginning at 5 p.m. daily. 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 1 p.m. Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone features interactive games, product samples and activities for the entire family. All activities are absolutely free.
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 will continue competition Thursday for one of 10 final-round slots based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the final round, with the winning pro determined by the heaviest two-day total weight from Friday and Saturday. The co-angler champion will be crowned Friday based on the day's heaviest catch.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and eight other national tournament circuits offering more than $32 million in purses through 230 events in 2006. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America's largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
For more information about the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship hosted by the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about the Quad Cities, go to Visitquadcities.com. |
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| Michigan Anglers to Compete in FLW Walleye Championship |
MMOLINE, Ill. (Aug. 18, 2005) - Five walleye anglers from Michigan will descend upon the Mississippi River Sept. 28-Oct. 1 to compete in the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship, the most lucrative walleye tournament in the world. The event, hosted in the Quad Cities, caps the $2.6 million 2005 FLW Walleye Tour season. As much as $125,000 cash will go to the winning pro, and as much as $22,000 cash will go to the winning co-angler.
Dan Lindner of Jenison, Mich., will compete in the Pro Division as part of the field of 50 anglers who comprise the best walleye fishermen in the world.
Bert Blain of Hopkins, Mich., Dave Crawford of Maybee, Mich., Matthew Hiller of Ada, Mich., and Scott Koenigsfeld of Three Rivers, Mich., will compete among the field of 50 co-anglers.
The winning pro at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship is guaranteed a cash award of $75,000. If the winner is a registered owner of a Ranger boat, he will earn a $25,000 bonus, and if his boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he will receive another $25,000 for a total cash award of $125,000.
The winning co-angler is guaranteed $11,000 cash and is eligible for a $6,000 bonus from Ranger if he is a registered owner. The winning co-angler will also receive a $5,000 bonus if his boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard for a total cash award of $22,000.
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 10 final-round slots based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the final round, with the winning pro determined by the heaviest two-day total weight from days three and four. The co-angler winner is determined on day three based on the weight of that day's catch.
Television coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship will be provided by FSN (Fox Sports Net). Check local listings for times and availability.
Sunset Park on 18th Ave. in Rock Island will host daily 7 a.m. takeoffs throughout the event. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 3930 44th Ave. in Moline beginning at 5 p.m. 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 1 p.m. Saturday outside the weigh-in tent at Wal-Mart. The Family Fun Zone features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family. All activities are absolutely free.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and eight other national tournament circuits offering more than $30 million in purses through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America's largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.
For more information on Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about the Quad Cities, go to Visitquadcities.com. |
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| QUAD CITIES GEARING UP FOR WAL-MART FLW WALLEYE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP |
MOLINE, Ill. (Aug. 18, 2005) - The Quad Cities will host the world's most lucrative walleye tournament Sept. 28-Oct. 1, as the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship hits the Mississippi River. The tournament will feature the top 50 professional walleye anglers in the world paired with the top 50 co-anglers for four days of competition. As much as $125,000 cash will go to the winning pro, and as much as $22,000 cash will go to the winning co-angler in this $650,000 championship.
FLW Walleye Tour 2005 Angler of the Year Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis., winner of the 2004 championship on the Mississippi River, predicts anglers will bring in catches of up to 15 pounds per day and possibly a few bags over 20 pounds. "With low water, wing dams could play a big part in the patterns," Johnson said. "There will also be a lot of trolling with leadcore line."
Patrick Neu of Forestville, Wis., winner of the 2005 FLW Walleye Tour stop in Green Bay, Wis., also said water levels will be a big factor in how large the catches in the Quad Cities will be. "Last year wasn't a good indicator of the potential of that river," Neu said of the 2004 championship. "When the water is falling as it was last year, walleyes don't bite as well. But the odds of getting a high-water situation at that time of year are low.
"Trolling is the preferred method for catching them," he continued. "Numerous anglers will use leadcore and Fireline and cover a lot of water. But I'm guessing the biggest catches will come from the guys who target two or three wing dams with live-bait rigs and crankbaits."
Sunset Park on 18th Ave. in Rock Island will host daily 7 a.m. takeoffs throughout the event. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 3930 44th Ave. in Moline beginning at 5 p.m. 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 1 p.m. Saturday outside the weigh-in tent at Wal-Mart. The Family Fun Zone features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family. All activities are absolutely free.
The winning pro at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship is guaranteed a cash award of $75,000. If the winner is a registered owner of a Ranger boat, he will earn a $25,000 bonus, and if his boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he will receive another $25,000 for a total cash award of $125,000.
The winning co-angler is guaranteed $11,000 cash and is eligible for a $6,000 bonus from Ranger if he is a registered owner. The winning co-angler will also receive a $5,000 bonus if his boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard for a total cash award of $22,000.
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 10 final-round slots based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the final round, with the winning pro determined by the heaviest two-day total weight from days three and four. The co-angler winner is determined on day three based on the weight of that day's catch.
Television coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship will be provided by FSN (Fox Sports Net). Check local listings for times and availability.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and eight other national tournament circuits offering more than $30 million in purses through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America's largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.
For more information on Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
For more information about the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship hosted by the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about the Quad Cities, go to Visitquadcities.com. |
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| Minnesota Anglers to Compete in FLW Walleye Tour Championship |
MOLINE, Ill. (Aug. 18, 2005) - Twenty walleye anglers from Minnesota will descend upon the Mississippi River Sept. 28-Oct. 1 to compete in the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship, the most lucrative walleye tournament in the world. The event, hosted in the Quad Cities, caps the $2.6 million 2005 FLW Walleye Tour season. As much as $125,000 cash will go to the winning pro, and as much as $22,000 cash will go to the winning co-angler.
Minnesota pros include Scott Allar of Welch, Mark Courts of Harris, Steve Delain of Red Wing, Chris Gilman of Chisago City, Kevin Goligowski of Maplewood, Ross Grothe of Northfield, Jerry Hein of Stillwater, Aaron McQuoid of Isle, Kevin McQuoid of Isle, Eric Olson of Red Wing, Brad Powers of Princeton, Scott Steil of Richmond and Ted Takasaki of E. Gull Lake. All of them will compete in the Pro Division as part of the field of 50 anglers who comprise the best walleye fishermen in the world.
Minnesota co-anglers include Sandra Don of Shoreview, Dean Holden of Red Wing, Jeff Jandl of Minnesota City, Kelly Klemm of Wheaton, Jackie Perry of Milaca, Jeff Sather of Montevideo and Roger Strand of Mankato. All of them will compete among the field of 50 co-anglers.
The winning pro at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship is guaranteed a cash award of $75,000. If the winner is a registered owner of a Ranger boat, he will earn a $25,000 bonus, and if his boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he will receive another $25,000 for a total cash award of $125,000.
The winning co-angler is guaranteed $11,000 cash and is eligible for a $6,000 bonus from Ranger if he is a registered owner. The winning co-angler will also receive a $5,000 bonus if his boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard for a total cash award of $22,000.
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 10 final-round slots based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the final round, with the winning pro determined by the heaviest two-day total weight from days three and four. The co-angler winner is determined on day three based on the weight of that day's catch.
Television coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship will be provided by FSN (Fox Sports Net). Check local listings for times and availability.
Sunset Park on 18th Ave. in Rock Island will host daily 7 a.m. takeoffs throughout the event. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 3930 44th Ave. in Moline beginning at 5 p.m. 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 1 p.m. Saturday outside the weigh-in tent at Wal-Mart. The Family Fun Zone features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family. All activities are absolutely free.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and eight other national tournament circuits offering more than $30 million in purses through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America's largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.
For more information on Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about the Quad Cities, go to Visitquadcities.com. |
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