Quick Bites: RCL Championship, Day 1
2003 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship
Mississippi River, Red Wing, Minn.
Opening round, Wednesday
Lunker of the day … Congrats to Casper, Wyoming’s Joe Johnson for catching the biggest walleye on day one of the 2003 RCL Championship. While no official award is handed out for the day’s big fish in RCL competition, Johnson’s lunker weighed in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces. He, along with co-angler Luke Kersten of Boyceville, Wis., took ninth place Wednesday with just a two-fish weight total of 12-1. “Where we were fishing, (the fish) were just kind of moving up in twos,” Johnson said. “My partner caught that first, smaller one. I helped him land it, then I quickly threw a crankbait right there on top of where he got it and wham! It was about a five-minute fight.”
Way to go, eh … While it was a tough bite Wednesday, day-one leaders Doug Vandersteen on the pro side and co-angler Jarrad Fluekiger managed to land a stringer weighing more than 20 pounds. Their catch weighed a total of 22-6 – with only four walleyes. While Fluekiger is a local angler from Alma, Wis., with a history of success on the Mississippi River (ninth-place finish at the 2002 RCL Championship), Vandersteen hails from Lundar, Manitoba.
Champions struggle … All of the previous RCL Championship winners are competing this week at Red Wing, but they’re having trouble getting it going this time around. 2000 champion Scott Glorvigen of Grand Rapids, Mich., caught three walleyes weighing 4-10 and placed 80th Wednesday while 2002 champion Bruce Samson of Minnetrista, Minn., caught three for 5-9 and placed 60th. 2001 champion Dean Arnoldussen of Appleton, Wis., zeroed on day one. Mike Gofron of Antioch, Ill., finished second here in Red Wing in 2002, but he, like Samson, managed only to catch three fish. It’s the same water at the same time of year, so what’s the difference between this year’s championship and last year’s? “Last year there was a lot more current and the water was cleaner,” Gofron said. “In a lot of places, these channels are only 12 or 13 feet deep, so when a barge goes by, it’s like a dusty road. It just kicks up the dirt.”
Family fun zone … Fishing: it’s a family sport. This cliche is so true here at the championship it’s almost scary. Here is a list of walleye-minded families who are competing here this week (in no particular order and off the top of my head; apologies to any families I missed):
– Dan, Danny and James Plautz of Muskego, Wis.
– Aaron, Kevin and Karen McQuoid of Isle, Minn.
– Tim, Jim and Joe Minnema of Markesan, Wis., and Randolph, Wis.
– Tom and Mark Keenan of Hatley, Wis., and Appleton, Wis.
– Rick LaCourse and Julia Davis of Port Clinton, Ohio
– Jim and Cheri Schulta of Hazelhurst, Wis.
– Tim and Janet Flynn of Sioux Falls, S.D.
– Rick and Robin Huber of Garden City, Kan.
– Kent and Reed Ohman of Lovell, Wyo.
– Bill and Chad Hall of Algona, Iowa
– Brandon and Kenny Henexson of Denver, Colo., and Thornton, Colo.
Ladies night … Four female co-anglers placed in the top 15 on day one: Irene Jeffrey of Garrison, N.D. (eighth); Susan Hugill of Pine City, Minn. (10th); Karen McQuoid (13th); and Mary Kay Schneider of Shawano, Wis. (15th).
Sound bites
“That’s the neat thing about this place. You can go out, weigh in 22 pounds and get right back in it.”
– Pro Chris Gilman, describing the highs and lows of fishing walleye on this part of the Mississippi River. Gilman caught two fish and placed 74th Wednesday.
“Well, I don’t know. It’s gone.”
– Defending RCL Championship co-angler winner Tim Lessila, on what he did with the $75,000 he won last year at Red Wing.
Quick links, Day 1: