SCHUETTE LEADS WAL-MART FLW WALLEYE TOUR EVENT ON GREEN BAY
GREEN BAY, Wis. (May 19, 2005) -
Pro Pat Schuette of Manitowoc caught a two-day total of 10
walleyes weighing 66 pounds, 3 ounces to lead the Wal-Mart FLW
Walleye Tour event on Green Bay. A field of 133 pros is competing
for a potential top award of $86,000, while co-anglers are competing
for a potential top award of $16,600. The weather took a turn
for the worse on Thursday. Competitors faced five hours of steady
downpour in the morning as well as high southeast winds, yet
the fishing was still phenomenal for the second straight day.
"The weather was terrible today, but the fishing was still good,"
said Schuette. Schuette fished one small area and threw spinners
and crawlers in shallow water. He plans to work the same area
again on Friday, as he has it mostly to himself with the exception
of two nearby competitors. Rounding out the top-five pros are
Pat Nue of Forestville (10 walleyes, 65 pounds, 7 ounces); Scott
Allen of Green Bay (10 walleyes, 64 pounds, 10 ounces); Glenn
Chenier of Gladstone, Mich. (10 walleyes, 61 pounds, 3 ounces);
and Gordy Powers of Rockford, Minn. (10 walleyes, 61 pounds,
2 ounces). A total of 506 walleyes weighing 2,290 pounds, 12
ounces were caught Thursday. Mark Cottingham of Green Bay leads
the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing
67 pounds, 3 ounces. "I did most of the actual fishing, while
my pro partner controlled the boat and netted the fish," Cottingham
said. "It was really rough out there, and you had to keep your
balance or fall in." Cottingham fished with pro Paul Wright
of Westpoint, Ind., on Thursday. Rounding out the top-five co-anglers
are Scott Tipton of Box Elder, S.D. (10 walleyes, 59 pounds,
5 ounces); Richard Conrad of Brillion (10 walleyes, 58 pounds,
13 ounces); Chuck Jones of Michigan City, Ind. (10 walleyes,
54 pounds); and Mike Lewis of Seymour (10 walleyes, 53 pounds,
13 ounces). Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight
and are randomly paired each day. The FLW Walleye Tour is the
world's most lucrative professional walleye-fishing series.
At the $650,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the
Mississippi River in Moline, Ill., Sept. 28 - Oct. 1, pros will
fish for as much as $140,000 cash and co-anglers will chase
as much as $22,000. Daily takeoffs at Green Bay start at 7 a.m.
at Metro Park Boat Launch. Friday's weigh-in starts at 3 p.m.
at the marina, and Saturday's weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. at the
Wal-Mart store located at 2440 West Mason Street in Green Bay.
The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins,
which are free and open to the public. The full field competes
during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round
slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry
over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest
four-day weight. Named after the legendary founder of Ranger
Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart
FLW Walleye Tour and seven other national tournament circuits
offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events
in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America's
largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including
the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing
League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye
Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series
and Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour. For more information on FLW
Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com
or call (270) 252-1000. Wal-Mart and many of America's largest
and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament
trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour
in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events.
For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
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