Lake Erie will host the top tour anglers in FLW championship

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Lake Erie will host the top tour anglers in FLW championship

Saturday, September 22, 2007
D'Arcy Egan
Plain Dealer Columnist

Gary Zart wasted no time getting fishing rods and lures ready as Greg Yar brough throttled down near Vermilion, exactly 30.9 miles from Voinovich Bicentennial Park in Cleveland.

There is no time to waste when you're on a mission to find the right pod of Lake Erie walleye.

For both anglers, catching walleye is more than a casual pursuit. Members of Team Starcraft, they're in the business of employing fast boats, sparkling lures and trolling tricks to glean the longest, fattest walleye from the lake.

Yarbrough will tackle the toughest field of walleye fishermen in the country when the $675,850 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship blasts off from Voinovich Bicentennial Park in Cleveland on Thursday through Sunday.

Zart, of Hinckley, was looking for an edge this past Thursday as he prepared to battle the region's best today in the annual Hawg Fest walleye tournament in Vermilion.

"Yarby [Yarbrough] is already a star," said Zart, as he attached lures and put out the fishing lines. "I want to be one of those guys. I'm working to be a full-time walleye pro and compete in the big national tournaments."

Tournament fishing is a part of Yarbrough's job description as a regional sales manager for Starcraft boats. The Catawba Island sportsman manages the boat company's walleye pro staff and is a top competitor on the FLW and MWC tournament circuits, qualifying for the championship on both trails.

In 2006, Yarbrough and partner Jeff Manz of Vanderbilt, Mich., were the MWC Team of the Year.

Zart has been grooming his new partner for team tournaments. His son, Nicholas, 10, can efficiently rig tackle, put out the lines and battle big walleye to the boat.

"Nicholas still gets a little nervous with really big walleye," said Zart. "On the water, he's as good as any of the guys."

The anglers are always cognizant of the business side. They fish from boats wrapped in bright Starcraft blue and white to attract an angler's attention, wear shirts that would make NASCAR drivers proud and promote fishing - and boats and tackle - at shows and seminars all over the land.

"The top pros can earn $500,000 and more a year from sponsors," said Zart.

Paying the bills now is FIGZ, Zart's floor-installation company. With dedication and the support of his wife, Julie, Zart wants to be just like his tournament heroes: Gary Parsons, Tommy Skarlis and Yarbrough.

Yarbrough has been around a little longer. He emulated the veteran stars, Michigan's Mark Martin and Gary Roach of Minnesota.

"I grew up a super fan of Al Lindner of the 'In-Fisherman' TV show," said Yarbrough. "I'd watch his show with two ice-fishing rods, dunking jigs in 5-gallon buckets of water filled with sticks and stones. Just like Al, I wanted to get a feel for different bottom structure."

Keeping eyes glued to the sonar and mapping units, the men probed open-water areas a few miles offshore. The walleye hit with regularity, and the anglers took turns with a granny-style retrieve to keep the fish hooked. Losing one walleye can make a big difference in a tournament, said Yarbrough.

It was another day at the office. The performance reviews will soon be measured in pounds.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

degan@plaind.com, 216-999-5158

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9/27/07 - 9/30/07 -- Lake Erie
Voinovich Bicentennial Park, Cleveland, OH


Olson continues streak at Bays de Noc

24.Sep.2007

Welcome to the final installment of the 2007 walleye version of Pundits’ Picks. After a long season of prognostication, it all comes down to this: three qualifying pundits competing in a winner-take-all championship in the walleye-rich waters of Lake Erie. Here’s a quick recap of how we got here.

For the fourth consecutive tournament in a row, the Staff Division took yet another beating, this time in Escanaba, Mich. What kind of a curse does the Pro Division have over the Staff Division? The positive news is that the “good guys” had one survivor, Mark Dorn, who will carry us through the championship round and rightfully bring home the pundit trophy. Dorn upset previously unbeaten pundit Pete Harsh, who will not be advancing to the championship round. Ironically, he will be competing in the no-entry-fee Walleye Tour Championship as the second-to-last pro to qualify. Likewise, Eric Olson and Rick LaCourse, two veteran walleye anglers, advanced to the championship in the punditry world but failed to qualify for the on-the-water competition. But a pundit title has to be more important than a shot at a $150,000-payday in Cleveland. Right guys?

The high score in Escanaba went to Olson, the No. 1 overall seed, with 615 points. What’s Olson’s secret to pundit success? His name is Przekurat, and in case you haven’t heard of him, he’s a decent fisherman. By picking the BP pro at each event, Olson has essentially guaranteed himself of at least 140 points. Likewise, yours truly hasn’t picked Przekurat at a single tournament all season. How do you not pick the hottest walleye angler in the world once all year? Well, I guess that’s why I’m not invited to the pundit championship. At least I bested Reynolds, who still insists each of her picks all season were excellent.

Here were the playoff results:

No. 3 pro Rick LaCourse def. No. 1 staff Brett Carlson 584-420
No. 1 pro Eric Olson def. No. 3 staff Sharon Reynolds 615-382
No. 2 staff Mark Dorn def. No. 2 pro Pete Harsh 450-579

Remember, the picks from Harsh, Reynolds and Carlson are purely for your viewing pleasure. Only Dorn, LaCourse and Olson are competing for the title of most prophetic walleye pundit. The Pundits’ Picks championship is a no-holds-bar shootout, where the pundit with the highest point total takes the coveted title.

Last thing, the disclaimer: The picks in this column in no way represent any sort of favoritism on the part of FLW Outdoors staff or its pro anglers. These are merely guesses – only arguably educated – as to who we think might do well at any given tournament. With that in mind, here are the picks.

- Brett Carlson

Tournament site

Lake Erie, the host of the final event on the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, could prove to be the perfect venue for a lucrative year-end championship. Although this isn’t exactly the western basin, finding hungry walleyes in Lake Erie isn’t usually a problem. The predicament could be the wind. If it blows, there isn’t much, if any protection in Cleveland. When launching out of Trenton, Mich., anglers always have the option of staying in the river if the waves are too rough. Likewise, the Fox River is a good backup plan on the open waters of Green Bay. Unfortunately, there are no backup plans in this one. And with that, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of the four tournament days cancelled due to unsafe waters. But if Mother Nature cooperates, both anglers and fans alike could be in for an epic fall slugfest. Another thing to remember is that unlike the four qualifying events, weights will be cleared after day two. Walleye Tour anglers seemingly will have to manage their fish in order to capture the $150,000 first-place purse.

Eric Olson
FLW Walleye Tour pro
Red Wing, Minn.

Record: 4-0
Points: 2369 Eric
1) JOE WHITTEN. A Great Lakes trolling maven, Joe’s constant drive to learn more and more about different presentations, locations and techniques have consistently put him in this elite field of 50. Joe considers Lake Erie home and wants nothing more than to notch a top ten – no matter where he has to go or what he has to do to find the right fish. Joe is also looking for payback from last year’s 11th-place finish at the championship.
2) JASON PRZEKURAT. One of the best all-around anglers on tour year after year, Jason is on a roll and there is no reason for it to stop now. Having honed his open-water trolling skills on Green Bay, he is no newbie to the techniques and patterns needed on a system like Erie. The thing I particularly like is his decision making ability, he’s been making the right calls all year and has no problem taking chances to get a win. Look for the BP pro to rock in the home of rock and roll.
3) GREGORY YARBROUGH. Greg is an Erie homebody, confident on this body of water with several high finishes and wins. Knowing what the weather and waves can do to a great pattern come tournament day, Yarbrough will have back-up spots that will keep him in the hunt if Mother Nature decides to get ugly. Look for Greg to be on the water come day four in Cleveland.
4) CHRIS GILMAN. Hungry is the best word to describe Chris’ state of mind. Having just missed Angler of the Year, he wants a win in Cleveland more than ever and that drive will be keeping him working hard to find the right fish. Look for another strong performance from the Chisago City, Minn., pro on big water.
5) BILL ORTIZ. Bill is no newcomer to this body of water, having done very well here in other circuits. In Cleveland, he’ll be relying on both past experience and his general knowledge of open-water patterns to dial in the right fish. Expect Bill to pull out all the stops and make sweet music on the last two days of this event.


Rick LaCourse
FLW Walleye Tour pro
Port Clinton, Ohio

Record: 3-1
Points: 2214 Rick
1) GREGORY YARBROUGH. This local angler is one of the best open-water fishermen on the Walleye Tour. Greg has won other local events on Lake Erie this time of year, so look for him to be at the top in this one.
2) JEFF SEYKA. This Michigan angler has a ton of experience on the big lake. The one thing Jeff will be keying in on is staying with the ever-roaming schools of fish this time of year.
3) RICK FRANKLIN. Rick is having a great year and I look for this to continue in Cleveland. He has always done well fishing the Great Lakes tournaments and seems to have all the tricks to put big fish in the boat when needed.
4) TOM KEENAN. What can you say about the Chevy pro? Whenever there is a trolling bite, Tom is always at the top of the leaderboard. He understands the deep-water patterns that it will take to win this championship.
5) STEVE VANDEMARK. Here is another Michigan angler that shines on big water. Fresh off his win in Escanaba, Vande Mark is hot. I look for this trend to continue in Cleveland.


Mark Dorn
Director of Operations
FLW Outdoors

Record: 1-3
Points: 2060 Mr. Operations, Mark Dorn
1) BILL ORTIZ. I’ve never spent so much time pouring over statistics, nuances, walleye pro eating habits in September, Great Lakes angler superstitions and Cleveland urban legends to arrive at these picks. My first is Bill Ortiz, a Great Lakes deep-water specialist. Downriggers, side planer boards, Dipsy Divers and leadcore trolling are all solid presentations in the Ortiz arsenal. Bill is my main man in this one.
2) DAVID KOLB. Bounty pro Dave Kolb has a great track record on the Great Lakes. He won a Walleye Tour event a few years back and seldom misses the bite on big water. Dave has also mastered the art of boat control in rough water, which definitely could play into his favor if the wind blows.
3) DENNIS (DENNY) LANTZY. Lantzy is another fisherman with a history of performing well on deep-water walleyes. I expect the Folgers pro to be there when the field cuts to 10 on Friday night.
4) GREGORY YARBROUGH. Greg is my homer pick for this one. This former Michigan resident now bases out of Port Clinton, Ohio, and knows the Erie routine. Yarbrough is versatile in all of the presentations that are likely to emerge in this big-fish shootout. I look for him to be around at cut time.
5) JASON PRZEKURAT. Nobody is hotter than BP pro and Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year Jason Przekurat. To leave him off any pick list wouldn’t make sense at all. Enough said.


Not eligible to win Pundit Championship

Pete Harsh
FLW Walleye Tour pro
Sauk Centre, Minn.

Record: 3-1
Points: 2189 Pete
1) GREGORY YARBROUGH. Greg is due for a big win and Lake Erie is familiar water for this veteran angler. Look for Yarbrough to make the top-10 cut and be fishing day four if the winds stay down.
2) NATE PROVOST. Nate is another veteran Great Lakes angler. My hunch is that Nate will put the pattern, presentation and location together and also be fishing for the $150,000 on day four.
3) GERRICK MCCOMSEY. Fishing a long way from his hometown of Fort Pierre, S.D., watch for good things from this fierce veteran competitor. Gerrick is long over due for his second FLW Walleye Tour win. Why not have it happen in Cleveland at the big show?
4) DENNIS (DENNY) LANTZY. This veteran angler has been knocking on the door for some time. Home to the Great Lakes, Lantzy’s depth of experience may give him the winning edge needed to adapt to Lake Erie’s changing conditions.
5) TED TAKASAKI. No stranger to Great Lakes trolling, Teddy could be the dark horse in this one. Famous for some huge walleye weights while Great Lakes trolling and a former championship winner on another circuit, Takasaki knows what it takes to win.


Brett Carlson
Editor
FLWOutdoors.com

Record: 1-3
Points: 2002 Yours truly, Brett Carlson
1) JASON PRZEKURAT. I feel obligated to pick Przekurat in Cleveland. I didn’t pick him once during the regular season and that’s why I didn’t advance to the pundit championship round. You see, Przekurat’s worst tournament of the season was a 12th-place finish on the Detroit River. For most pros, 12th would be their best event of the season. But not for the BP pro, who is fishing out of his mind right now.
2) JONATHAN SHOEMAKER. There aren’t very many locals in this one, but Shoemaker is about as close to a local as it gets. He lives about 30 miles west of Cleveland in Elyria, Ohio, so I imagine he’s in tune with what the walleyes do east of the western basin. He’s fished well this season, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t continue that trend.
3) SCOTT BANKS. I’m pretty sure this is Banks’ first time qualifying for the championship. It was an up-and-down year for the Cannon Falls, Minn., river rat, who led the opening day of the first event of the season. Banks has a knack for finding big fish, yet hasn’t really been able to demonstrate consistency. I say the rollercoaster ride ends on a high note.
4) GREGORY YARBROUGH. I thought about picking Tommy “Big-Fish Brunz” again, but after his dismal performance on Bays de Noc I’ve decided to pass. Just watch, now that I don’t pick Brunzy, he’ll pull out another 47-pound Lake Erie stringer. The safe pick is Yarbrough, a Port Clinton, Ohio, resident and Lake Erie veteran. But can his tin boat hold up in some presumably nasty autumn weather?
5) JOE WHITTEN. Speaking of owing me one, I thought Whitten was about to set the walleye world on fire at the season-opening event in Detroit. He had one of the best practices of his career on Lake Erie, and then the wind blew and turned his water into chocolate milk. Here’s a chance for the Toledo, Ohio, pro to the set record straight and get some Lake Erie revenge.


Sharon Reynolds
Tournament administrator
FLW Outdoors

Record: 0-4
Points: 1762 The lovely Sharon Reynolds
1) JASON PRZEKURAT. I knew right away that I was going with Jason to win. He is on a roll and I would be a fool not to pick him for the win.
2) GREGORY YARBROUGH. Greg knows Lake Erie better than anyone, he will be there for sure. I have a lot of confidence in Greg for this year’s championship. He will definitely make a statement at the last tournament of the year.
3) CHRIS GILMAN. I think Chris will do great in this one. He has to make up for the last tournament where he lost the points title to Jason. Chris is a good troller who is looking at another big payday.
4) TOMMY SKARLIS. Mr. Sunshine himself will definitely be making an announcement in Cleveland - you can bet on that. Tommy is a great fisherman too, especially on open-water trolling bites. Too bad this tournament isn’t in April.
5) GLENN CHENIER. Glenn had a bad tournament at his home waters of Bays de Noc. But I think he will use that tournament to his advantage. He’s a good troller and now he’s motivated. Glenn will be my sleeper.


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All ’eyes on Cleveland
Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship commences on Lake Erie

By Patrick Baker - 27.Sep.2007

CLEVELAND – Heavy rains washed the streets of Cleveland on the eve of the 2007 Walleye Tour Championship, as the world’s best marble-eye mavens prepared to get their hands dirty on day one. The rain let up in time for Thursday morning’s kickoff, allowing 53 boatfuls of championship contenders to take off from downtown onto the expanse of Lake Erie.

FLW Walleye Tour Tournament Director Sonny Reynolds said the prefishing has been good and that championship anglers will likely make use of as much water as possible on the southernmost of the Great Lakes.

Walleye Tour Tournament Director Sonny Reynolds addresses anglers on day one of the 2007 championship.“They’re fishing all over,” Reynolds said. “There are guys sticking close, guys running east, guys running west.”

With Cleveland serving as a transitional location between the western and central basins of Lake Erie – and some of the world’s best walleye fishing to the west – many were predicting long runs for the 53 pros and as many co-anglers competing in this season-ending event. But that may not necessarily be the case based on prefishing reports. Though some will undoubtedly still go far in search of championship-size bags of walleyes, there are fish to be hooked not terribly far from downtown, which will be of considerable benefit should the wind kick up treacherous waves at any point this week.

Mark Dorn, director of operations for the Walleye Tour, confirmed the existence of a relatively close bite: “There are some schools nearby. I know some of the guys have found them within 20 to 30 miles, which they can get to in about any weather.”

Despite a brisk breeze at this morning’s 7:30 takeoff, forecasts call for westerly winds of only about 5 mph for most of the day, which should allow the voyagers to make their runs – regardless of distance – and set the stage for a fish-filled weigh-in this afternoon. Before the anglers take the stage, however, they will likely see rain again and possibly thunderstorms.

Richmond, Minn., pro Scott Steil has been here for a week and said the prefishing has been good, though the fish he’s on have started to move from the bottom to different points higher up in the water column.

“The bite, I think, is fading a little – over the last couple of days,” he said. “I’m still just trying to cover the whole water column (to find them).”

Steil is fishing about 30 to 40 miles west of the takeoff site in water about 45 feet deep, though he has caught them as high up as 10 feet from the surface recently. He is one of the pros determined to make his run, even come high water.

“I’m going to have to … no matter what. This is the championship.”

Steil confirmed that the Walleye Tour Championship will primarily be a A Yamaha-wrapped boat enters Lake Erie on day one of the 2007 Walleye Tour Championship.trollfest, and he is pulling crankbaits including Reef Runners and Berkley stickbaits. He said he believes anybody who can weigh in 25 pounds a day over the two-day opening round will have a good shot of fishing past the top-10 cut Friday into the weekend finals.

With a potential $150,000 top prize for the pro winner and as much as $22,000 going to the co-angler champion, there’s little doubt that the full field of 106 anglers will be gunning hard for a winning weight this week in Cleveland.

What’s happening

Voinovich Bicentennial Park, located at 800 E. Ninth St. in Cleveland, will host daily takeoffs at 7:30 a.m. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the Cleveland Convention Center, located at 500 Lakeside Ave. E., beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend takeoffs and weigh-ins as well as the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday and Sunday. Friday is Solar Bat Sunglasses day, where the first 100 children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone receive a free pair of Solar Bat Sunglasses similar to those that many of the pros wear. Saturday is free fishing rod day at the Fun Zone, where the first 200 children 14 and under receive a free fishing rod, and Sunday is free fishing reel day, where the first 200 children 14 and under receive a free fishing reel.

The winning pro at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship is guaranteed a cash award of $100,000. If the winner is a qualifying Ranger or G3 boat owner, he will earn a $25,000 bonus, and if the boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he will receive another $25,000 bonus for a total cash award of $150,000.

The winning co-angler is guaranteed $11,000 cash and is eligible for a $6,000 bonus from Ranger or G3 if he is a registered owner. The winning co-angler will also receive a $5,000 bonus from Evinrude or Yamaha if his boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard.

The Greater Cleveland Sport Fishing Commission is hosting the 2007 FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Erie. For more information, call (216) 780-1424.

Tournament rules

The start boat signals the beginning of the 2007 Walleye Tour Championship with Cleveland Browns Stadium rising high in the background.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 for two days and then is cut to the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers for day three. Anglers in both divisions start from zero on day three, and co-angler competition concludes with the winner determined by the day’s heaviest catch. Pros carry their weights over to day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

On TV

Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Erie will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on Dec. 2 as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” airs Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. Eastern.

On the Web

For walleye-fishing fans unable to attend the festivities in person, you can catch all the weigh-in action live at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live. Show time starts at 4 p.m. Eastern today.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:18 a.m. EDT
Temperature at takeoff: 68 degrees
Expected high temperature: lower 70s
Water temperature at the ramp: 74 degrees
Wind: SW at 14 mph
Maximum humidity: 83 percent
Day’s outlook: cloudy with scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms; west winds around 5 mph; chance of rain 50 percent



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#30943, "RE: Way to go David Kolb!"
In response to Reply # 0


| Day 1 |
| Headline Story |

Bounty pro cleans up
Ada, Mich., native leads day one with 37 pounds, 5 ounces

By Brett Carlson - 27.Sep.2007

CLEVELAND — For most of the day, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship qualifiers received a rare reprieve from Mother Nature. Atypical for late September, the big pond was relatively calm on day one. Of course, relatively calm on Lake Erie means 4- and 5-foot waves.

As expected, the 3- and 4-pound walleyes were everywhere, but the trademark Erie monsters were mostly absent. Bounty pro David Kolb caught three fish in the 9-pound class, one of which weighed 10 pounds even. His five-walleye total registered 37 pounds, 5 ounces.

Kolb won the 2003 Walleye Tour event on Lake Erie, but qualified for this year’s championship through the Michigan Division of the Walleye League. That tournament was held out of Port Clinton, Ohio, to the west, but Kolb is having no problem adjusting to Cleveland’s offering.

“We ran really hard to get to our spot,” said the pro leader. “We were boat No. 51 this morning and we almost caught boat No. 2.”

David Kolb and Joseph Fallaw celebrate their 37-pound, 5-ounce day-one stringer. Kolb said his speedy driving and close location enabled him to keep his baits in the water longer than his fellow competitors. It takes him only an hour to get his spot, which is located approximately 30 miles to the west. Kolb said he fished one area all day, catching somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 fish. He had a productive practice, but day one turned out better than expected.

“I was surprised to get them that big. I thought I would get 25 to 30 pounds. They were low in the water column to start, then later in the day they started coming up and became more active.”

Kolb caught seven fish in his first pass this morning. Then the bite slowed significantly for the next few hours. When the fish came up in the water column later in the day, the Ada, Mich., native knew it was feed time.

“I watch the graph. Whatever the graph tells me, that is what I’m going to do.”

Kolb wasn’t willing to reveal what specific bait he’s trolling with. All he would allow is that he’s using planer boards, not Dipsy Divers, and the area he’s fishing is about 40 feet deep.

“I think I’ll be able to get 20 pounds tomorrow for sure. I can’t predict the big fish though.”

With a 6-pound lead, 20 pounds on day two would definitely place Kolb in the top 10. Weights are cleared after day two as the top 10 pros start day three from zero.

Gillman second

John Gillman holds up his two biggest fish from day one at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship.John Gillman, another renowned open-water troller, sits in second place with five Lake Erie pigs that weighed 31 pounds, 5 ounces. The Freeland, Mich., native is running the opposite direction as Kolb and is fishing in much deep water.

“It was an awesome start,” he said. “We only lost one fish all day.”

Gillman is sharing a stretch of water 60 miles to the east with his practice partner Tom Keenan and Elyria, Ohio, native Jonathan Shoemaker. The area is clearly producing as Keenan is ninth and Shoemaker is 13th. The water there is about 70 feet deep however, making it very difficult to keep fish alive. Shoemaker took a 2 1/2 pound penalty as he was unable to keep any of his fish alive.

Gillman admitted that he was pulling spinners with night crawlers. He caught only eight fish total, but they were the right size. Most of his strikes came in the 60-foot range. To get his baits that far down in the water column, he’s using bottom bouncers, in-line weights and snap weights.

“It took us and hour and half to get there and three hours to get back. I think we could have done even better if we would have had more time.”

Grothe thirdPro Ross Grothe and co-angler Richard Ness hold up their day-one catch from Lake Erie.

In third place after opening day was Northfield, Minn., pro Ross Grothe. Fishing 35 miles to the west, Grothe caught five walleyes that weighed 30 pounds, 6 ounces. Included in that catch was a single fish that weighed 10 pounds, 8 ounces – worth $1,000 as the Snickers Big Walleye.

“I think I’m on the right fish,” Grothe said. “I’m just hoping they don’t move.”

Grothe won the 2006 qualifier on the Detroit River by jigging. In Cleveland, he’s fishing water 55 feet deep with crawler harnesses.

“I lost two big fish that could have really helped me. Hopefully, we’ll have another good day tomorrow and it won’t matter.”

Courts fourth, Vereeke fifth

Walleye Tour pro Mark Courts (left) and co-angler Mike Zawistowski sit in fourth place after day one.Harris, Minn., pro Mark Courts ended the day in fifth place with five burly walleyes that weighed 29 pounds, 2 ounces while Grand Rapids, Mich., native Jeff Vereeke finished out the top five with a stringer weighing 28-11.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros on day one on Lake Erie:

6th: Scott Fairbairn of Hager City, Wis., five walleyes, 28-8
7th: Dennis Lantzy of Warren, Mich., five walleyes, 26-11
8th: Dustin Kjelden of Brookings, S.D., five walleyes, 25-11
9th: Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., five walleyes, 25-8
10th: Glenn Chenier of Gladstone, Mich., five walleyes, 24-4

Fallaw takes fourth Lake Erie lead

For whatever reason, day one on Lake Erie has always been good to co-angler Joseph Fallaw. In his last four Lake Erie events, Fallaw has led the Co-angler Division after the opening day. In 2005, he won the Walleye Tour qualifier held out of Port Clinton, Ohio.

This time around the Wonder Lake, Ill., native is on top of the food chain at the richest no-entry-fee championship in the history of professional walleye fishing. Fishing with Kolb Thursday, Fallaw caught 37 pounds, 5 ounces.

Kolb said Fallaw was extremely valuable in his boat. For one, Fallaw is a strong young man, which allowed Kolb to drive significantly faster than most pros. Secondly, he’s experienced on open-water bites, which meant Kolb and Fallaw could take turns reeling and netting fish.

His partner for day two is Vereeke, the current fifth-place pro, so things are looking good for the co-angler leader. Even so, Fallaw had the humble look of a veteran prepared for a four-day slugfest.

“You can’t win it on day one but you sure can lose it,” he said.

Second place on the co-angler side went to Gary Sessions of Rapid City, S.D. Sessions caught five walleyes on day one that weighed 31 pounds, 5 ounces while fishing with Gillman.

“Gary caught the 10-pounder and I caught the second-biggest fish,” Gillman said.

That 10-pounder was the biggest walleye Sessions has caught in his entire life.

“I think I’m the only co-angler who never cashed a check all year but still made the championship,” said Sessions, who finished 49th in the points race. “I came out here to get that check.”

Co-angler of the Year Richard Ness of Ruthton, Minn., and Mike Zawistowski of Wonder Lake, Ill., finished Thursday in third and fourth place with 30-6 and 29-2. Both fishermen caught five-walleye limits with their pro partners.

Nineteen-year-old Ryan Kelly of Ortonville, Minn., finished day one in fifth with five walleyes that weighed 28 pounds, 11 ounces.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers on day one on Lake Erie:

6th: Dennis Gullickson of Fergus Falls, Minn., five walleyes, 28-8
7th: Sally Blain of Hopkins, Mich., five walleyes, 26-11
8th: Sam Christoff of Clarkston, Mich., five walleyes, 25-11
9th: Keith Keivens of Toledo, Ohio, five walleyes, 25-8
10th: Patrick Bertelsen of Jackson, Minn., five walleyes, 24-4

Day two of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Erie begins as the field of 53 boats takes off from Voinovich Bicentennial Park, located at 800 E. Ninth St. in Cleveland, at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time Thursday for the final day of the opening round.



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da old fart,
Bebob da I-Bobray

[Stinky]

Fella do in the tourney? I was up near the Islands two weeks ago man You talk about limits of jumbo eyes. One six pack was all 10 + lbs (my guess) lots of big fish in the 4 man limit. Personally I like to keep the 18 to 24 inchers but the big ones are exciting. My biggest was off a pier in MI. a 34.5 inch fat mama full of eggs that weighed in at 12.2 lbs. We took a photo and released it.
Good luck all and have a Great Day!!