Final six fishing for all the marbles
Cold front greets RCL finalists
MOLINE, Ill. – Temperatures have plummeted for Saturday’s final round of the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship, but the action will only heat up as the last six pros vie for a potential $400,000 top prize.
With lows in the mid-30s greeting the anglers on the Mississippi River this morning, early fishing will prove to be more of a chore. The temperature should rise into the high 50s as the day wears on, but another factor will also put more of a burden on the pro finalists: no co-anglers. The pros are fishing by themselves Saturday, which means landing those moneymaking big walleyes will become even peskier, especially under the glare of the TV cameras and with so much money on the line.
Canadian Russell McDonald led the charge in Friday’s semifinals with a weight of 10 pounds, 5 ounces, and Wisconsin’s Nick Johnson was almost 2 pounds behind him in second place with 8-9. While some pros might opt to go for some bigger fish on the last day, the prohibitive 20- to 27-inch slot limit might quash any notions other than just landing a limit. Yesterday, McDonald and third-place Rick LaCourse were the only anglers able to bring in five walleyes. Everybody restarts Saturday with zero weight.
The winning pro at the RCL Championship is guaranteed a cash award of $150,000. If the winner is a registered owner of a Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat, he will earn a $150,000 bonus, and if his boat is equipped with an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he will receive another $100,000 for a total cash award of $400,000.
Also, Ranger Boats and Evinrude Outboards are teaming up to present On the Water Demo Day today. The festivities begin at Sunset Park with a children’s fishing clinic from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. On-the-water demonstrations will start at 11 a.m. and conclude at 2 p.m.
Saturday’s weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. Central time at the Wal-Mart located at 3930 44th Ave. in Moline. There will also be a Family Fun Zone, which opens at 11 a.m. outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
For those unable to attend in person, real-time weigh-in results are available at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live beginning at weigh-in time.
Saturday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:00 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 36 degrees
Expected high temperature: 59 degrees
Water temperature: 69 degrees
Wind: from the west at 7 mph
Maximum humidity: 50 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny