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Updated: 05/04/04
CHRISTIANSON, TURNER LEAD WAL-MART RCL WALLEYE
TOUR STOP ON LAKE ERIE
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (April 28, 2004) — Pro Mark Christianson of Walker,
Minn., and co-angler Kurt Turner of Kasson, Minn., caught five walleyes
weighing 36 pounds, 1 ounce Wednesday to start the four-day Wal-Mart RCL
Walleye Tour event on Lake Erie in Port Clinton. The $401,750 tournament
presented by Yamaha features 174 pros casting for a top award of $90,000,
including a Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha,
and 174 co-anglers fishing for a top award of $15,000.
“We only caught five fish and lost one that would have
probably gone 10 pounds,” said Christianson, who has fished 13 RCL events
since 2000 and earned two top-10 finishes. “It was really slow, but we
were lucky enough to get the right bites.”
Christianson and Turner caught their fish trolling in
40 feet of water amidst a pack of approximately 100 tournament boats working
a 2-to 3-square-mile area off Kelleys Island. The pair holds a slim 13-ounce
advantage over Dan Lindner of Jenison, Mich., and co-angler Mike Zawistowski
of Wonder Lake, Ill., who caught five walleyes weighing 35 pounds, 4 ounces.
Looking further down the list, less than 9 pounds separate
the top 20 boats, which is not much considering Lake Erie’s penchant for
producing 10-pound walleye.
“There are a lot of anglers within 10 pounds of us, and
out here anything can happen,” Christianson said. “It’s possible for a
guy to go out and catch five fish weighing 50 pounds. Someone can really
make a giant move up the leaderboard if they get on the right fish at the
right time.”
Despite winds gusting to 25 mph Wednesday afternoon, 160
boats weighed in fish, including 61 five-walleye limits. Overall, 562 walleyes
weighing 2,903 pounds, 9 ounces where caught by anglers representing 22
states and Canada.
“The bite has been tough and the fish seem a little lethargic,
but the wind didn’t affect us too much,” said Turner, who finished 11th
in the 2003 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League finals.
Rounding out the top five teams are Thomas Nordyke of
Newport, Mich., and co-angler Charles Dahl of Burlington, Wis. (five walleyes,
34 pounds, 8 ounces); Mark Meravy of Shorewood, Ill., and co-angler Terry
Fowler of Minot, N.D. (five walleyes, 34 pounds, 3 ounces); and Bill Leonard
of Estherville, Iowa, and co-angler Will Taege of Rhinelander, Wis. (five
walleyes, 32 pounds).
Anglers take off each morning at 7 from Catawba Island
State Park in Port Clinton. Thursday’s weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. at the
park. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins start at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store
located at 4070 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton. The community is encouraged
to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins.
Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight and
are randomly paired each day. The top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers advance
to the one-day semifinal round Friday based on their two-day opening-round
catch. Weights are cleared Friday, and only the top 10 pros and top 10
co-anglers advance to Saturday’s final round where the winners are determined
by the heaviest two-day weight. Cash awards are presented to the top 60
anglers in each division.
Named after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and
Lund, the RCL Tour is the world’s most lucrative professional walleye-fishing
series. This is the second of four regular-season stops en route to the
$1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River
in Moline, Ill., Sept. 29 – Oct. 2 where pros will fish for as much as
$400,000 cash and co-anglers will chase as much as $150,000.
The RCL Tour is administered by FLW Outdoors, the world’s
leading marketer of competitive fishing. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned
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. FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats,
Forrest L. Wood.
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 more information about the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour,
visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
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