Records fall as top walleye pros compete for $100,000 first-place purse
Tune in Sunday, June 24, to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for complete coverage of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event held on the Mississippi River in Red Wing, Minn. The second tournament of the $2.71 million season, which included a full field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers, concludes with the winning pro claiming a cash prize of $100,000. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.
With giant female walleyes in constant flux, records will fall and history will be made as a four-day slugfest unfolds in southeastern Minnesota. Leading the charge after three days of competition is BP pro Jason Przekurat. After catching only three walleyes on day two, Przekurat returned to form on day three, catching a mind-blowing 30-pound, 1-ounce five-fish limit. Not only did he regain his lead, he blew open a tight leaderboard. The 2003 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year will start the final day with a 7-pound, 7-ounce lead.
Przekurat, a native of Stevens Point, Wis., is fishing an area just outside of a backwater lake in Pool 4. The fish were spawning in that lake, and are now filtering through after completing the spawn. His primary method is jigging, although he is dead-sticking three-way rigs with willow cats on two of his rods.
One specific jig caught the lion’s share of the fish on day three, so Przekurat’s really optimistic about the final round. As it stands right now, he has an opening-round total of 62 pounds, 12 ounces. Although he’s undoubtedly one of the top walleye pros in the world, a win at this event would be the first of his Walleye Tour career.
In second place is Walleye Tour rookie Larry Snow, who had yet another successful day and moved from fourth place to second place with a five-walleye limit weighing 19 pounds, 9 ounces. His most recent limit pushed his total weight to 55 pounds, 5 ounces. Anchoring that limit was a 30-inch walleye and a 28-inch walleye. The Kenora, Ontario, pro is running two distinct patterns. One consists of trolling crankbaits with leadcore line, a common Mississippi River tactic. The other consists of rigging half a night crawler. He splits the crawler in two so it secretes more scent. On day four his goal is 25 to 30 pounds, which he thinks is realistic.
FSN also follows legendary river rat Nick Johnson of Elmwood, Wis. Johnson is dangerous, especially on Pools 3, 4 and 5 of the Mississippi. In 2004 he won the FLW Walleye Tour Championship just downstream near the Quad Cities. Last year, he finished the Red Wing event in fifth place. Leading this event after day two, Johnson stumbled a bit and was only able to boat four walleyes that weighed 12 pounds, 2 ounces on day three. His opening-round total was 51-5. The 2005 Angler of the Year had a very similar setback on day three last year, but he rallied back on day four with a huge limit. It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him adjust to his home water and claim his third Walleye Tour win.
FSN is the industry leader in providing the most up-to-date technology in TV production. FSN puts viewers in the boats with the pros, shadowing them from sunrise until the final weigh-in using innovative camera work that gives fishing fans the most intimate viewing experience available.
FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon ET. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes on “FLW Outdoors.”
FSN is broadcast to more than 81 million homes through its network of 20 regional sports channels. Established in 1996, FSN is the only cable network that supplies national, regional and local sports programming. FSN serves as the cable TV home to 62 of the 82 MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States, and produces more than 4,500 live events each year. FSN has an extensive catalog of original national programs, including “Best Damn Sports Show Period” and “Beyond the Glory” documentary series, along with national packages of collegiate sports. Based in Los Angeles, FSN is part of the vast FOX Sports television family.
“FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast internationally to more than 429 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 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
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, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, 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 of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
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 FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, call (270) 252-1000.
By: Dave Washburn, vp comm, FLW Outdoors
