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| Sand wins Wal-Mart FLW on Devils Lake |
SAND WINS WAL-MART FLW WALLEYE TOUR EVENT ON DEVILS LAKE
DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (June 10, 2006) - Local pro Troy Sand of Portland, N.D., a 30-year-old fishing his first Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event, caught five walleyes Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 3 ounces to give him a three-day total of 15 walleyes weighing 63 pounds, 8 ounces to win the Devils Lake event. Sand, who had never won more than $1,500 in a tournament, earned $60,000.
Competition was canceled Friday due to high winds and rough water. As a result, the top 10 pros and co-anglers following Thursday's second day of competition advanced to fish Saturdays final round. The wind was still strong Saturday, and the water was rough, resulting in the toughest fishing conditions of the week for most anglers. Sand, however, wanted nasty weather.
"The more wind and clouds, the better," Sand said. "I caught all my fish this morning when it was cloudy and windy. I was mostly casting No. 5 and No. 7 Shad Raps on small, wind-blown points that didn't hold a lot of fish, but the fish that were there were better quality. The best-colored baits were hot steel and blue chrome."
"Winning this event is one of the best feelings I've ever had," said Sand, who lives about 100 miles away from Devils Lake, but fishes the lake about 30 times per year.
Sand's final-day co-angler partner, Kevin Valerius of Crosby, Minn., won the Co-angler Division with a three-day weight of 63 pounds, 2 ounces. He earned $18,000, including contingency bonuses from G3 Boats and Yamaha.
"It was a great day, but it was windy," Valerius said. "There were times when the wind was so strong, that one of us cast and the other just controlled the boat."
Pete Harsh of Sauk Centre, Minn., finished second in the Pro Division with a three-day total of 13 walleyes weighing 59-13. He led day one but failed to catch his fifth keeper each of the final two days, and it ultimately cost him the win, although his weight shows the quality of fish he was catching each day. This is Harsh's third second-place finish. The veteran pro earned $22,000.
Rounding out the top five pros were Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., who is in running for the Angler of the Year title (15 walleyes, 59 pounds, $25,000); former FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., who is also near the top in the points standings (15 walleyes, 54 pounds, 1 ounce, $18,000); and Jerry Hein of Stillwater, Minn., a former winner on Devils Lake (15 walleyes, 53 pounds, 2 ounces, $13,000).
Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Adam Adler of Oconto Falls, Wis. (15 walleyes, 58-14, $5,000); Conrad Johnson of Fargo, N.D. (14 walleyes, 57-13, $3,500); Dewey Watson of Twin Falls, Idaho (14 walleyes, 53-13, $2,500); and Joshua Northagen of Grand Forks, N.D. (15 walleyes, 52-12, $2,200).
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 the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
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 angler standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the 2006 FLW Walleye Tour Championship.
The FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards for the entire field. A guaranteed cash award of $100,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $50,000 will go to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner for a total pro award of $150,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $11,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $11,000 for a total co-angler award of $22,000.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour opener on Devils Lake will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on July 30 as part of the FLW Outdoors television program. FLW Outdoors airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. FLW Outdoors is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as 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. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
The FLW Walleye Tour will visit Green Bay in Green Bay, Wis., July 12-15 for the season's final regular-season event.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about 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 an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the worlds leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com. |
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| Meleen Leads Day Two at Devils Lake |
DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (June 8, 2006) - Pro Paul Meleen of Isle, Minn., along with his co-angler partner, Conrad Johnson of Fargo, N.D., caught five walleyes Thursday weighing 23 pounds, 7 ounces. Meleen's two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 46 pounds, 8 ounces leads the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event on North Dakotas Devils Lake. Pros are competing for as much as $100,000 for first place.
The weather changed dramatically on day two. Wednesday was warm and sunny with a moderate wind, but a cold front pushed through Thursday bringing much cooler temperatures, rain and stiff winds. As a result, the total catch was slightly down, although weights were still strong.
Meleen is fishing slip bobbers in dense cover and has four productive areas. The water is relatively deep for standing timber and is clear.
"I got five by 12:30 p.m. from the spot I fished yesterday," he said. "But I had to move to my second spot later in the day to try to get some better fish. I got to my next spot and Pete Harsh was fishing in there by himself. I asked him if it was OK for me to fish the same general area, and he graciously welcomed me in. I made sure to give him plenty of a space. I didn't catch much there and moved to another spot and caught two 24-inchers at 2 p.m."
"I think I've got enough to win. A change in weather shouldn't hurt me. Today's weather, with an east wind, is as bad as it gets for my spots."
Harsh, from Sauk Centre, Minn., the leader from day one, only caught four walleyes Thursday, but they were quality fish. He is in second place in the Pro Division with nine walleyes weighing 45 pounds, 7 ounces.
Pro Scott Larson of West Fargo, N.D., discovered a solid pattern late in the day Wednesday, and he applied that pattern on day two when he weighed an impressive limit weighing 27 pounds, 8 ounces. His two-day total weighs 42-12 and puts him in third place. Larson is fishing slip bobbers in the trees with a live-bait hook and jighead. He's fishing about 8 feet deep. His key adjustment was moving to areas of deeper water and thicker trees.
Pro Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., has been consistent and remained near the top with a two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 41 pounds - good enough for fourth place.
Pro Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., a very good friend of Keenan's, moved up five places to finish day two in fifth place with 10 walleyes weighing 40 pounds, 10 ounces.
Jim Fetzik of Pengilly, Minn., continues to lead the Co-angler Division with 10 walleyes weighing 45 pounds, 8 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Conrad Johnson (10 walleyes, 43-7); Dale Todd of Anderson, Ind. (10 walleyes, 41-2); Dewey Watson of Twin Falls, Idaho (10 walleyes, 40-12); and Adam Adler of Oconto Falls, Wis. (10 walleyes, 48-8).
Devils Lake State Park on Grahams Island will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7. Thursday and Fridays weigh-ins will also be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturdays weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located in Devils Lake, beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
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 the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
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 angler standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the 2006 FLW Walleye Tour Championship.
The FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards for the entire field. A guaranteed cash award of $100,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $50,000 will go to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner for a total pro award of $150,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $11,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $11,000 for a total co-angler award of $22,000. |
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| Harsh Leads FLW Walleye Tour on Devils Lake |
DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (June 7, 2006) - Pro Pete Harsh of Sauk Centre, Minn., along with his co-angler partner, Jim Fretzik of Pengilly, Minn., caught five walleyes weighing 29 pounds, 5 ounces to lead day one of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event on North Dakota's Devils Lake, the third event of the 2006 FLW Walleye Tour season. A full field of 150 pros are competing for a first-place award equaling as much as $100,000 cash.
Most pros consider Devils Lake the world's most unique walleye fishery. The lake's walleye population is incredible. Many anglers are catching 50 or more fish per day, with most fish being 16 to 21 inches in length. Pro Jerry Hein of Stillwater, Minn., for example, a former Devils Lake tour winner who is in 14th place, caught 90 fish between 10 a.m. and noon. The lake also holds plenty of high-quality fish exceeding 24 inches, and several are necessary each day if an angler hopes to make the top-10 cut after day three.
During early summer, numerous techniques are effective. The lake is obviously known for its slip-bobber fishing in standing timber and crankbait casting along grass lines, but some anglers are also trolling offshore structure.
Harsh, who is using live bait and leading by more than 6 pounds, has caught huge limits on Devils Lake in previous pro events, but he has never put together a consistent event to make a run at the top spot. "I just had the right bites at the right times today," he said. "Our first fish was 4 pounds, and our second fish was 9 pounds. It took 10 minutes to get the big fish in the boat because he got wrapped up in trees several times.
I only caught seven good fish today and a few little ones, but I'm in a place where you get quality bites. Fishing where I am is a patience game, and it's easy to be patient when you have a 4- and 9-pounder in the boat. And I don't have many boats around me."
Pro Paul Meleen of Isle, Minn., and co-angler Jason Svir of Cando, N.D., are in second place with five walleyes weighing 23 pounds, 1 ounces. "I have four good spots, and I only fished one today," Meleen said. "My goal was to fish two spots today and two tomorrow, but I didn't have to move today. I'll go back tomorrow and keep fishing that spot until it is depleted."
Like Harsh, Meleen is fishing around trees and getting quality fish with fewer bites each day.
Pro Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., and co-angler Jack Ellenbecker of Pierre, S.D., are in third with five walleyes weighing 22 pounds, 9 ounces. "I casted crankbaits most of the day," Keenan said. "But late in the day I decided to go to the trees and try to get a big fish, and we caught a 25-incher in 4 minutes."
Pro Shannon Kehl of Menoken, N.D., and co-angler Joshua Northagen of Grand Forks, N.D., caught five walleyes weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces to finish day one in fourth place, and pro Ken Schoenecker of West Bend, Wis., and co-angler James Murphy of Fayetteville, Ark., are in fifth place with five walleyes weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces.
Devils Lake State Park on Grahams Island will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7. Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays weigh-ins will also be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located in Devils Lake, beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
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 the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
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 angler standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the 2006 FLW Walleye Tour Championship.
The FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards for the entire field. A guaranteed cash award of $100,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $50,000 will go to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner for a total pro award of $150,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $11,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $11,000 for a total co-angler award of $22,000.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour opener on Devils Lake will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on July 30 as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program. "FLW Outdoors" airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as 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. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
Following the Devils Lake tournament, the FLW Walleye Tour will visit Green Bay in Green Bay, Wis., July 12-15 for the seasons final regular-season event.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of Americas largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the worlds leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com. |
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| FLW To Visit Devils Lake |
 |  |  | Scott Fairbairn weighs in at Devils Lake 2005 |
DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (May 25, 2006) - The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour returns in 2006 for its sixth season, and Devils Lake, N.D., will host the tour's third stop June 7-10. With a $2.69 million total purse, including the no-entry-fee $675,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Oahe near Pierre, S.D., Oct. 4-7, and television coverage on FSN (Fox Sports Net), the FLW Walleye Tour is bigger and better than ever.
As many as 150 pros and 150 co-anglers will take on Devils Lake for their share of a $503,300 purse, including as much as $100,000 for the winning pro and $18,000 for the winning co-angler.
"Devils Lake is my favorite place for walleyes and a survey of walleye fishermen ranked it number one as well," said Ranger pro Scott Allar of Welch, Minn., who is currently leading the FLW Walleye Tour points race. "The lake has a lot of quality fish and they are very healthy."
Allar, who has six top-10 finishes in FLW Walleye Tour competition, believes the two main tactics on Devils Lake will be casting crankbaits and using slip bobbers.
"The fish will be in the trees," he said. "The key is to find breaklines near the trees with the wind blowing into them."
Weights should be good at the event, if the weather cooperates. If not, some will struggle, according to Allar.
"Typically it takes about 20 pounds a day to make the cut," he said. "If we get the wind for four straight days, I think you can expect about 90 pounds to win it."
Grahams Island State Park, located at 152 N. Duncan Road in Devils Lake, will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday's weigh-ins will also be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 210 Highway 2 W. in Devils Lake beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
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 the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
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 angler standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the 2006 FLW Walleye Tour Championship.
The FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards for the entire field. A guaranteed cash award of $100,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $50,000 will go to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner for a total pro award of $150,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $11,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $11,000 for a total co-angler award of $22,000.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour on Devils Lake will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on July 30 as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program. "FLW Outdoors" airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as 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. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
Following the Devils Lake tournament, the regular season will come to a close with an event presented by Evinrude July 12-15 on Green Bay in Green Bay, Wis.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about 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 an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com. |
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