Big Wissota walleyes wake up

Hedquist assumes lead at FLW Walleye League Finals

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. – Only a handful of walleyes over 18 inches were caught on day one of the Walmart FLW Walleye League Finals. But on day two, the females were more eager to bite. Just ask Kirt Hedquist, who popped a Wissota toad that weighed over 7 pounds.

For this particular event, walleyes 14 to 18 inches in length must be immediately released, and only two walleyes over 18 inches may be kept. The minimum length limit is 12 inches and upgrading is not permitted.

Friday’s weigh-in started fast and furious as Paul DeVoss weighed in a limit that included two overs. Moments later, Zack Kovar managed the same feat. Then Hedquist weighed in his 27-inch pig. But the flurry wasn’t over. The next angler to the scale was Julian Jones, who had a 23-incher and an 18 1/2. From there, Wissota returned to reality as big fish were sporadic for the rest of the weigh-in.

For Hedquist, day two was both exciting and nerve-wracking.

“I’m shaking and I have been for the last hour,” he said. “That big fish was the last fish of the day. We were live-bait rigging and it came on our very last pass.”

That kicker anchored his 9-pound, 10-ounce limit, the heaviest stringer of the tournament thus far. The fish was caught by his co-angler partner but both fishermen get credit for it. Hedquist’s two-day total registered 12 pounds, 14 ounces.

“We didn’t know what it was at first. When I saw the scales (and not the whiskers of a catfish) I just about fell out of the boat. I was the net man, but I’ll be the net man for that fish any day.”

The Lakeville, Minn., native said he marked several pods of fish during practice. Now that its tournament time, he continues to troll crankbaits through these spots.

“Today was actually a little slower numbers-wise for me,” added Hedquist. “But I have the same game plan for tomorrow. These fish seem to be hitting in flurries between slow periods.”

If he holds on for the win, Hedquist will receive a $53,000 Ranger 621 powered by either an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard.

Jones leaps to second

In second place is Jones, the Andover, Minn., resident with 12 pounds, 7 ounces. After catching 3-10 on day one, Jones caught an 8-pound, 13-ounce limit Friday, the second-heaviest of the tournament.

“We caught some nice under fish early,” said the first-year boater. “We stayed in basically the same spot all day because I knew there were both big fish and unders. When the fog rolled in, the bite died and we were about to move. Then the 18 1/4 bit. From there the bite got quiet again, but we had some great-sized crappies to keep us focused. The 23-incher bit at 1 p.m. and that was No. 6 so we went in.”

For the past month, Jones has been traveling from Andover to Chippewa Falls on the weekends for extra practice. In that time he has tried everything from slip bobbers to jigs to leadcore trolling. But what has worked best is fishing slowly with live bait.

“It takes a lot of patience and a lot of determination but live bait has produced, especially for the big fish.”

As is often the case, Jones found these fish while trolling in practice. Now that he knows the area better, he meticulously picks it apart.

The results have been impressive, especially for a rookie. But with several seasons of co-angling under his belt, Jones hardly performs like a first-year boater.

As his co-angler Tom Laveque said, “This guy is one heck of a stick.”

Neuhaus falls to third

Bernie Nauhaus caught another limit on day two, but this time it didn’t include a hefty kicker. His five walleyes weighed 3 pounds, 6 ounces and gave him an opening-round total of 10 pounds, 10 ounces. Trailing by 2 pounds, 4 ounces, the Glencoe, Minn., angler is still very much within striking distance.

Although he couldn’t get it in the boat, Neuhaus did hook another giant walleye. He was trolling crankbaits with leadcore line when his co-angler told him one of the rods was snagged. After struggling with it, his co-angler handed it to Neuhaus for assistance.

“I grabbed it and right away I knew it wasn’t a snag; it was a big fish. I had it on for about the next 12 seconds and then it shook its head and that was it. It came from the exact same spot where we caught the 6-pounder yesterday. I think this one might have even been a pound or two bigger.”

Neuhaus had to scramble later in the day just to get a limit. To be exact, No. 5 came with two minutes left in the day.

“Overall, it was a much slower bite and I’m happy to have the five. The fish just aren’t active. You can see them holding tight to the bottom on the graph. I’m digging my crankbaits into the sand because if you run them a foot or two up you won’t get a bite.”

Minke, Kovar round out top five

Boater Dusty Minke of Forest Lake, Minn., once again gambled and targeted big fish. He was able to manage one nice over in the 20s, but failed to catch a limit. His three walleyes weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces. Unofficially, he is the only angler thus far to weigh three fish over 18 inches. His two-day total is 10 pounds, 5 ounces, which puts him fourth – down one spot from yesterday.

Minke has won two Walleye League events (Cass Lake, Mille Lacs) in his young career. He’s also been knocking on the door the past few years at the Walleye League Finals. Knowing his desire to win, it is almost a sure bet that he will fish exclusively for overs on day three.

After day one he said, “I figured I am in the championship, so why not go for big fish? That’s what you’ll need to win anyways.”

Behind Minke is Kovar, the Heartland Division boater from Ottumwa, Iowa. After catching 3-10 on day one, Kovar managed a five-walleye limit Friday that weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces, bringing his total weight to 9-12.

“We probably handled over 40 walleyes today,” said Kovar. “We had to release a 24-incher at noon because we already had both our overs. We were bummed, but just getting two overs in this tournament is a great thing.”

To catch his fish, Kovar is fishing slowly over structure.

“The big fish haven’t bit all week. I don’t know why they bit better today. I think maybe they moved up on structure. I know a lot of the trollers struggled today.”

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 boaters, who will be fishing on day three on Lake Wissota.

6th: DeVoss of Bagley, Wis., 9-6

7th: Jonathan Rohde of Kildeer, Ill., 9-0

8th: Jim Klein of Spring Valley, Ill., 8-15

9th: David Leach of Linwood, Mich., 8-13

10th: Michael David of Necedah, Wis., 8-13

Zupke whacks a 27-incher

Wisconsin co-angler Troy Zupke experienced the thrill of a lifetime Friday on Lake Wissota. With the day winding down, Zupke suddenly hooked into something big.

“I thought maybe it was a catfish at first, but either way I knew it was big,” he said. “Then I thought it was kind of fighting like a walleye – staying down. When we finally got it in, it was just amazing. We didn’t weigh it but it had to be over 7 pounds.”

Zupke’s pig launched him to the top of the leaderboard and anchored his 9-pound, 10-ounce limit. With one day of competition remaining, he has a two-day total of 13 pounds, 3 ounces and a 13-ounce lead.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Laveque, the 2008 Walleye League Finals champion from Saginaw, Mich., (12-6), Todd Rieder of Fond du Lac, Wis., (10-4), Steve Beasley of Macomb, Mich., (9-13), and Roy Hammond of New Berlin, Wis., (9-10).

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers, who will be fishing on day three on Lake Wissota:

6th: Tim McClaran of Mansfield, Ohio, 8-14

7th: Chet Babcock of Marne, Mich., 8-13

8th: Alan Kerkaert of Leavenworth, Kansas, 8-11

9th: Brian Wolter of Fond du Lac, Wis., 8-9

10th: Craig Cayemberg of Valders, Wis., 8-8

The final day of the FLW Walleye League Finals on Lake Wissota begins as the top 10 boaters and 10 co-anglers take off from the Chippewa Falls Rod and Gun Club at 7 a.m. Central time Saturday. The final weigh-in, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 4 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 2786 Commercial Blvd. in Chippewa Falls.