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Walleye Pros Headed to Bull Shoals; Anticipating Big Fish &
Lots of Them
When the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail arrives in
Arkansas, the pro anglers will build on the lessons learned
last year. The touring pros opened eyes and discovered Bull
Shoals' secrets last June. Two-time PWT Angler of the Year Gary
Parsons said, "This was one of the best tournament waters I've
fished in 10 years." Similar comments reverberated throughout
the walleye world, and many anglers have been fishing Bull Shoals
since that June event. This year, the PWT tour stops in Bull
Shoals May 11-13, with high expectations. Steve Fellegy, 3-time
PWT winner, including the first PWT event in 1989 said, "I just
want to see the big one I lost last year. It was huge. I marked
two fish, caught the first, and it was 8-pounds. The second
one bit, stayed deep, then came off. It was a giant!" Thoughts
of giants, even walleyes over 20 pounds, have occupied dreams
all winter. Bull Shoals is a huge reservoir, running nearly
70 miles from the community of Bull Shoals upstream to the next
dam. It has 1,000 miles of shoreline with numerous creek arms
that snake back into the surrounding wilderness. It also has
walleyes, which is why the PWT anglers are so anxious to return.
It's the reason the amateur/co-angler portion of the PWT Pro-Am
filled months ago. The upcoming Lowrance/Berkley Pro-Am will
take place at the Bull Shoals Boat Dock, with daily weigh-in
festivities beginning at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,
May 11-13. Last year, pro Mike Gofron squeezed out a 1/10th
of a pound win over pro Brad Davis. Most anglers were fishing
live bait rigs of some form, but the biggest fish, caught by
pro Tim Flynn, 9.91 pounds, came while trolling crankbaits.
Every walleye tactic will be tested, as PWT anglers tune into
the southern reservoirs. The PWT travels to Kentucky following
their Arkansas engagement. On June 1-3, they will fish the Realtree
Pro-Am on Lake Cumberland, with headquarters in Russell Springs.
The PWT then heads north to Michigan and South Dakota, where
amateur/co-angler openings exist. To learn more about the PWT,
follow the daily results on the Mercury Real-Time Leader Board,
get entry blanks, read the news, and more, go to the website:
www.professionalwalleyetrail.com. At Arkansas, the PWT is hosted
by the Chamber of Commerce (870-445-4443), the Bull Shoals Boat
Dock (870-445-4424), and Bel'Arco Resort (870-445-4242) and
these business partners: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel,
Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota,
Trilene, Frenzy, Blue Fox, Powerbait, Northland Fishing Tackle,
Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman, Storm, Smooth
Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt, E-Z Loader, Raymarine, Rapala,
Matzuo, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing's Heated Clothing,
Aqua-Vu, Save Phace, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Access
Roll-up Cover, Yellow Bird, DOW Chemical, Dave's Lures, The
State Bank Group, Yo-Zuri and Reef Runner. The PWT is an integral
element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered
in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America's leading producer
of targeted media.
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