Rough water, big limits plentiful at Saginaw Bay
Pratt leads RCL pack
BAY CITY, Mich. – Extremely tough conditions are what the RCL competitors faced on day one of the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit tournament on Saginaw Bay. Brutal water conditions with plenty of 6- to 8-foot swells that turned hourlong runs into three-hour tours.
On the other hand, the fishing was fantastic with just more than a 5-pound-per-walleye average. There were 15 limits weighing 30 pounds or more. Lund pro John Pratt of Roberts, Mont., along with his co-angler partner Steve Templeton of Clear Lake, Minn., took the lead with 34 pounds and 14 ounces.
“It was incredibly rough on the water this afternoon,” said Pratt. “On the way out this morning, it was not as bad, but later in the day the swells got huge. I was airborne quite a bit. I think I took about 10 years off my back on the run back into the marina.”
Pratt was surprised he was leading after day one.
“I am kind of shocked I am leading right now,” said Pratt. “Although I thought I might have had 40 pounds of fish before I weighed in today. It feels great to be in the lead.”
The fish were cooperative early in the day for RCL pro Ted Merden of Maple Grove, Minn. Merden is currently in second with 34 pounds and 7 ounces. He actually weighed in 35 pounds and 7 ounces, but was penalized for weighing a dead fish.
“We got to our spot today and got three walleyes right away on the first pass,” said Merden. “We made another pass and got two more. The fish really fought hard today and were cooperative, but we left early because we knew it would be a long, hard ride back to the marina. It was.”
Lund pro Todd Frank of Pulaski, New York is in fourth after the first day of competition. Frank found the fishing tough early but great later in the day.
“At noon I had no fish in the boat,” said Frank. “I made a 40-mile run and, in one hour, caught six fish. That was it for the day.”
Sitting in the number five position is Ranger pro Todd Riley of Amery, Wis. Riley had a limit worth of hits on his first pass through his hot spot.
“On our first pass this morning we had five bites,” said Riley. “It was great. We had some dandies, and I just hope that tomorrow there are more opportunities like today.”
The other top-five pro is Chris Gilman of Chisago City, Minn., in third place.
At this morning’s takeoff, the overwhelming majority of the anglers headed north, but last year’s RCL Championship winner, Ranger pro Dean Arnoldussen of Kaukauna, Wis., headed south and had a banner day weighing in 33 pounds and 3 ounces, holding on to the seventh spot.
“The whole day went good for us,” said Arnoldussen. “I decided to head south, and we caught a good limit of walleyes. Plus, the storm missed us, so all in all, it was a very good day.”
Look for more big limits of fat walleyes to come across the weigh-in stage tomorrow afternoon.
“You are seeing the beginning of what could be some real big weights for the anglers to make it to the semifinal round,” said FLW Director of Walleye Operations Mark Dorn. “This kind of fishing is typical for Saginaw Bay after the first sustained heat wave, when the surface temperature finally makes it to the 70-degree mark.”
As it stands, the pros will have to have around 60 pounds to make it to the semifinal round if the fishing stays as good as it was today.
The primary pattern the anglers are using is to troll either crankbaits or crawler harnesses and leeches or crawlers in a variety of depths ranging from 10 to 30 feet deep.
The top five co-anglers are, in first, Steve Templeton of Clear Lake, Iowa; in second, Gabe Miskovich of Pengilly, Minn.; in third, Thomas Nordyke of Newport, Mich.; in fourth, Greg Darsow of Billings, Mont.; and, in fifth, Dan Wolfe of Kaukauna, Wis.
The pro anglers are competing for a first-place prize worth $90,000, which includes a check for $50,000 and a fully rigged Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat, with an Evinrude or Yamaha engine. The co-anglers are battling for a chance to take home a check worth $15,000.
After tomorrow, the top 20 pros and co-anglers will advance to the semifinal round and start from zero.
Competition continues tomorrow at 7 a.m. at Hoyles Marina (989) 697-4415 located at 135 South Linwood Beach, Linwood, Mich.
Quick stats
Total number of boats: 135
Total fish weighed in: 457
Total weight: 2,440 pounds and 9 ounces
Limits caught: 58
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