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| Chenier Wins FLW Walleye League Finals on BDN |
ESCANABA, Mich. (Sept. 9, 2006) - Boater Glenn Chenier of Gladstone, Mich., caught 15 walleyes weighing 62 pounds, 2 ounces during three days of competition in the $141,950 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals on Lake Michigan to secure a victory Saturday by 2 pounds, 3 ounces over his closest competitor. Chenier earned a $45,000 Ranger 621 powered by Evinrude for his victory.
"This feels wonderful," said Chenier, who finished second during his last FLW Walleye League Finals appearance in Escanaba in 2004. "I rolled the dice last time I was here, going after big fish, and I fell a little short. This year, I played it safe and concentrated on getting five fish in the boat before I went after size."
Local regulations restrict anglers to three walleyes under 23 inches and two walleyes over 23 inches.
On Thursday, Chenier caught five walleyes weighing 20 pounds, 13 ounces while fishing with co-angler Terry Barrette of River Falls, Wis. He added another five fish weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces to his total Friday while fishing with co-angler Mike Kordus of Menasha, Wis., then he capped off his win Saturday with another five-walleye limit weighing 21 pounds, 14 ounces while fishing with co-angler Randy Schultz of Fond Du Lac, Wis.
All of his walleyes Saturday came on crawler harnesses pulled along a reef in 9 to 30 feet of water approximately 14 miles from Escanaba. Throughout the week, Chenier fished five key areas.
Rounding out the top five boaters are John Schneider of Shawano, Wis. (14 walleyes, 59 pounds, 15 ounces, Polar Kraft V1910 Pro DC powered by Yamaha); David Kolb of Ada, Mich. (14 walleyes, 57 pounds, 9 ounces, $4,500); Mike Kamp of Fox Lake, Wis. (15 walleyes, 57 pounds, 2 ounces, $2,000); and Patrick Bertelsen of Jackson, Minn. (13 walleyes, 55 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,500).
Schultz won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of 13 walleyes weighing 60 pounds, 10 ounces. His outstanding effort earned him a G3 V185F powered by Yamaha.
"We were a little worried until about noon (Saturday), because we only had two small fish in the boat," said Schultz, who also won the Wisconsin Division Super Tournament on Green Bay earlier this season. "Then we doubled up and put two over 23 inches in the box in one pass. We knew we had a shot at that point."
On Thursday, Schultz caught five walleyes weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces while fishing with Kolb. He added another three walleyes weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces to his total Friday while fishing with boater Brian Deffner of Eland, Wis., then he capped off his win Saturday with five walleyes weighing 21 pounds, 14 ounces while fishing with Chenier.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mark Cloutier of Escanaba, Mich. (13 walleyes, 57 pounds, 13 ounces, $2,000); Greg Fischer of Appleton, Wis. (11 walleyes, 53 pounds, 9 ounces, $1,600); Mike Eiden of New Haven, Ind. (12 walleyes, 53 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,000); and Jamie Revermann of St. Joseph, Minn. (12 walleyes, 52 pounds, 15 ounces, $700).
A total of 59 walleyes weighing 242 pounds, 10 ounces were caught Saturday by the 15 teams who made the final-round cut. Nine teams caught five-fish limits.
Boaters and co-anglers who finished in the top 35 in final points standings in each FLW Walleye League division advanced to this no-entry-fee tournament.
FLW Walleye League boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired and fish for a combined boat weight, with boaters competing against other boaters and co-anglers competing against other co-anglers. The full field competed Thursday and Friday, with the top 15 boaters and 15 co-anglers advancing to Saturday.
The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League was created in 2003 to provide the grassroots walleye angler a chance to compete in professionally administered, close-to-home tournaments with lucrative cash awards.
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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| Tiemann, Ransom Lead FLW League Finals |
ESCANABA, Mich. - Boater Jim Tiemann of Marinette, Wis., and his co-angler partner, Don Ransom of Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., caught five walleyes weighing 24 pounds, 8 ounces to take a 1-pound, 12-ounce lead on opening day of the $141,950 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals on Lake Michigan. A field of 103 boaters representing the league's Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin divisions is competing for a $45,000 Ranger 621 powered by Evinrude, while co-anglers are competing for a top award of a G3 V185F powered by Yamaha.
"We couldn't make the long run that I wanted to make, so we went with my secondary spot," said Tiemann, who lead the 2004 FLW Walleye League Finals in Escanaba after two days of competition before zeroing on the final day and finishing sixth. "It turned out to be the best possible decision, too, because we caught a ton of the right sized fish."
Tiemann and Ransom caught their fish by trolling crankbaits near deep-water structure. The first three fish the pair caught fell just under the area's 23-inch size restriction. Then they boated two fish over 23-inches to fill out their hefty limit under rough conditions produced by 15 to 20 mph winds out of the southwest.
"We hooked up on nearly every pass," said Ransom, who finished 38th in the 2004 FLW Walleye League Finals. "This is what we came here to do, so it feels great to be on top right now."
Rounding out the top five boaters are Scott Hausauer of Appleton, Wis. (four walleyes, 22 pounds, 12 ounces); Glen Chenier of Gladstone, Mich. (five walleyes, 20 pounds, 13 ounces); Jesse Buechel of Fond Du Lac, Wis. (four walleyes, 20 pounds, 12 ounces); and John Schneider of Shawano, Wis. (five walleyes, 20 pounds).
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jason Sullivan of Chippewa Falls, Wis. (four walleyes, 22 pounds, 12 ounces); Terry Barrette of River Falls, Wis. (five walleyes, 20 pounds, 13 ounces); Chad Glaza of Gleason, Wis. (four walleyes, 20 pounds, 12 ounces); and John Sullivan of Lakeville, Minn. (five walleyes, 20 pounds).
A total of 213 walleyes weighing 765 pounds, 10 ounces were caught Thursday, as only 13 teams caught limits.
Boaters and co-anglers who finished in the top 35 in final points standings in each FLW Walleye League division advanced to this no-entry-fee tournament.
Anglers will take off from Escanaba Harbor at 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Friday's weigh-in will also be held at the marina, which is located at Loren W. Jenkins Memorial Drive in Escanaba, beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in moves to the Wal-Mart store located at 601 N. Lincoln in Escanaba beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend the free takeoff and weigh-in festivities.
FLW Walleye League boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired and fish for a combined boat weight, with boaters competing against other boaters and co-anglers competing against other co-anglers. The full field competes Thursday and Friday, with the top 15 boaters and 15 co-anglers advancing to Saturday. Winners will be determined by the heaviest three-day accumulated weight.
The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League was created in 2003 to provide the grassroots walleye angler a chance to compete in professionally administered, close-to-home tournaments with lucrative cash awards.
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, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. |
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| FLW League Finals Visits Bay de Noc |
ESCANABA, Mich. (Aug. 24, 2006) - The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League will stage its 2006 League Finals on the waters of Bays de Noc and Lake Michigan in Escanaba, Mich., Sept. 7-9. The FLW Walleye League Finals pits top weekend walleye anglers from three divisions - Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin - against each other, with Boater Division competitors casting for a top award of a Ranger 621 boat equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor, Lowrance electronics, EverStart batteries and powered by an Evinrude outboard valued at $45,000. The second place boater will receive a Polar Kraft V1910 Pro powered by Yamaha, and Co-angler Division competitors are hunting for a top award of a G3 V185F powered by Yamaha. One hundred and five anglers will compete in each division.
Anglers will take off from Escanaba Harbor at 7 each morning. Thursday's and Friday's weigh-ins will also be held at the marina, which is located at Loren W. Jenkins Memorial Drive in Escanaba beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in moves to the Wal-Mart store located at 601 North Lincoln in Escanaba beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend the free takeoff and weigh-in festivities.
Boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired each day of the event and fish for a combined boat weight that carries over from day to day in their respective divisions. Boaters compete against other boaters, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The winners are determined by the heaviest three-day accumulated weight, with only the top 15 boaters and co-anglers fishing on day three.
"Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League anglers represent the next generation of fishing superstars," said FLW Outdoors Director of Walleye Operations Sonny Reynolds. "Qualifying for the Finals is extremely difficult. The anglers competing in Escanaba represent some of the best in the sport in their own right and many are ready to step up to the Walleye FLW Tour."
Anglers qualified for the FLW Walleye League Finals by finishing in the top 35 in their respective divisions through three one-day tournaments and a two-day Super Tournament. Every angler who received weight credit earned points, with 100 points awarded to the winner, 99 for second, 98 for third, and so on in each qualifier, except for Super Tournaments, which awarded 150 points to the winner, 149 for second, 148 for third, and so on. These points determined angler standings.
The Bays de Noc Convention and Visitors Bureau is hosting the event. For more information, call 800.533.4386.
The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League was created to provide the grassroots walleye angler a chance to compete in professionally administered, close-to-home tournaments with lucrative cash awards.
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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