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Updated: 10/05/03
ALLAR LEADS SIX ANGLERS IN HUNT FOR $400,000
TOP PRIZE AT WAL-MART RCL WALLEYE CHAMPIONSHIP
Archey wins $120,000 as Co-angler Division champ
RED WING, Minn. (Oct. 3, 2003) – Pro Scott Allar of Welch inched one
step closer to claiming the richest prize in walleye-tournament history
Friday by leading the semifinal round of the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL
Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River. Allar leads six pros who
qualified for Saturday’s final round to compete for as much as $400,000
cash.
After enduring two days of frigid weather conditions
that left Mississippi River walleyes reluctant to bite, the weather warmed
up Friday to the mid-50s but the bite remained stingy. Three of the 12
angler pairs caught five-walleye limits, and Allar and his co-angler partner
Darrell Archey of Great Falls, Mont., caught a limit of five walleyes weighing
15 pounds to give Allar the pro lead and Archey the co-angler win by a
4-pound, 12-ounce margin.
“We got a really good start; the big fish came within
10 minutes of starting, so it took a lot of pressure off,” said Allar,
who is ranked fourth on the 2003 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour. “It really
helps when you’re shooting for 10 pounds and you get 6 pounds to start
with and seven hours left (to fish). It’s a pretty good feeling. I don’t
think I’ll sleep too well tonight.”
Allar and Archey found their motherlode after slightly
changing their original game plan to target smaller fish at the start of
the day. “I think the bigger fish spots are just starting to turn on,”
Allar said. “Originally we were trying to find some smaller fish first,
but we hit a big-fish spot first and caught one good one and got hit a
couple of times, so those spots might be turning on a little bit.”
Rounding out the top six pros are Tom Keenan of
Hatley, Wis. (five walleyes, 10 pounds, 4 ounces); Jerry Hein of Stillwater
(four walleyes, 9 pounds, 10 ounces); Jim Schulta of Hazelhurst, Wis. (five
walleyes, 9 pounds); Steve Lamb of Nashville, Tenn. (four walleyes, 4 pounds,
11 ounces); and Douglas Vandersteen of Lundar, Manitoba (three walleyes,
4 pounds, 3 ounces).
Archey won $120,000 as the Co-angler Division champion
thanks in no small part to his own efforts. “I popped the biggest fish
of the day right off the bat,” said Archey, who finished second in the
opening round to advance to Friday’s competition. “I tell you what, the
monkey went flying out of the boat with that one. You always worry about
putting fish in the boat, but after that, we really relaxed.”
Rounding out the top six co-anglers are Lawrence
Hoff of Flasher, N.D. (five walleyes, 10 pounds, 4 ounces, $25,000); Jarrad
Fluekiger of Alma, Wis. (four walleyes, 9 pounds, 10 ounces, $16,000);
Audrey Robb of Dryden, Ontario (five walleyes, 9 pounds, $8,600); Rob Jiminez
of Missoula, Mont. (four walleyes, 4 pounds, 11 ounces, $5,400); and Chad
Carroll of Machesney Park, Ill. (three walleyes, 4 pounds, 3 ounces, $6,300)
Treasure Island Resort and Casino will host the
final takeoff at 7 a.m. Saturday, and the final weigh-in will be held at
the Wal-Mart store located at 1752 Frontage Road in Hastings beginning
at 4 p.m. The community is encouraged to attend daily the takeoff and weigh-in.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour Family Fun Zone featuring boat and truck
displays, sponsor giveaways and children’s games will open at the Hastings
Wal-Mart at 11 a.m. Saturday. Admission is free.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship field is comprised
of anglers who qualified for the event via the $3.07 million Wal-Mart RCL
Walleye Tour or other sanctioned tournament organizations. Pros and co-anglers
are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros
supply the boat and tackle and control boat movement.
The top 12 anglers in both the pro and co-angler
divisions advanced to the semifinal round based on their two-day accumulated
weight during the opening round. Weights were cleared for the semifinal
round, and pros competed for one of six final-round slots. Weights are
also cleared for the final round.
The winning pro is guaranteed $150,000 cash. Qualified
Ranger, Crestliner and Lund owners are eligible for a $150,000 bonus, and
if the winner’s boat is equipped with an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he
will receive another $100,000 for a top pro award of $400,000 cash. The
winning co-angler is guaranteed $75,000 cash, and if he is a registered
owner of a Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat, he will receive a $45,000 bonus.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship is administered
by FLW Outdoors and named after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and
Lund. FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing,
is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.
Other FLW Outdoors tournament trails include the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League
for weekend anglers; the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world’s most lucrative
bass-tournament series; the EverStart Series, designed as a pathway to
the FLW Tour; the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League for weekend anglers; and
the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies
support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the
title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors
sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services
they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com.
###
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