Pro Kevin McQuoid of Isle, Minn., and co-angler Ron Lowry of Lakewood, Colo., brought in five walleyes weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces Thursday to lead day one of the FLW Walleye Tour Western Division tournament on Lake Oahe. The pair now holds a very narrow 4-ounce lead over their closest rivals in an event featuring 58 pros and 58 co-anglers representing 14 states from across the country competing for top awards of $35,000 in the Pro Division and $7,500 in the Co-angler Division.
“The high water levels have impacted the fishing somewhat, but we are still fishing in the same depths, about 8 – 20 feet,” said McQuoid. “We used live bait rigs with a 1 ounce bottom bouncer to catch all of our fish. I am pretty much holding the boat steady in my areas, going less than a mile an hour. I think the key to fishing today was the fact that I kept moving from spot to spot; I was chasing the fish not just waiting for them to come to us.
“There were a lot of fish caught today; this is a great place to be right now. I expect the fishing to be good the rest of the week and the difference is going to be the guys that get that one kicker fish. We got a 25-inch kicker that made the difference for us today.”
McQuoid noted that today’s wind made conditions a little difficult to hold the boat steady and his co-angler really made a difference in their success.
“This was just an incredible day,” said Lowry who is fishing his first year on the FLW Walleye Tour. “This was my first time on Oahe and to fish with Kevin was just awesome; all the pros on the Tour really know what they are doing and to be able to learn from these guys is just incredible.”
Rounding out the remainder of the top-10 pros and co-anglers after day one at Lake Oahe are:
| 2nd: | Darrell Peter | Slayton, Minn. | Todd Dankert | Anoka, Minn. | 5 walleyes | 15-1 |
| 3rd: | Eric Olson | Red Wing, Minn. | Ryan Kelly | Ortonville, Minn. | 5 walleyes | 14-13 |
| 4th: | Brian Brosdahl | Max, Minn. | Matt Hiller | Grand Rapids, Mich. | 5 walleyes | 14-12 |
| 5th: | Byron Peterson | Blair, Neb. | Robert Dube | Williston, N.D. | 5 walleyes | 14 |
| 6th: | Paul Steffen | Pierre, S.D. | Peggy Severson | Fort Pierre, S.D. | 5 walleyes | 13-15 |
| 7th: | Gary Maher | Menoken, N.D. | John Mickish | White Bear Lake, Minn. | 5 walleyes | 13-12 |
| 8th: | Jimmy Bell | Ham Lake, Minn. | Randahl Hanson | Crookston, Minn. | 5 walleyes | 13-6 |
| 8th: | Barry Walker | Big Springs, Neb. | , Ted Kaminski | Saint Anthony, Minn. | 5 walleyes | 13-6 |
| 10th: | Jason Przekurat | Stevens Point, Wis. | Kit Cline | Rapid City, S.D. | 5 walleyes | 13-4 |
Overall there were 240 walleyes weighing 599 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 58 boats Thursday. The catch included 35 five-walleye limits.
In FLW Walleye Tour competition, pros and cos are also competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2010 FLW Walleye Tour Championship held on Leech Lake in Walker, Minn., Sept. 23-25.
Anglers will take off from Spring Creek Resort & Deep Water Marina located at 28229 Spring Creek Place in Pierre at 7 each morning. Friday’s weigh-in will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Beck Chevrolet located at 500 South Grant in Pierre beginning at 4 p.m.
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.By: Julie Huber,
