Few and far between
Reigning FLW Walleye Tour champion leads day one on Bull Shoals
BULL SHOALS, Ark. – The prefishing forecast of a tough bite came to fruition Wednesday as anglers in only 23 of the 104 boats brought in fish to the scales. How tough was it? Of the 23 teams that weighed in, not a single boat registered a limit.
Johnson leads, Crow second
Pro walleye angler Nick Johnson was one of only a handful to have success. The Elmwood, Wis., native caught 
four fish that weighed 12 pounds, 9 ounces. In second place was Robert Crow of Paterson, Wash. Crow caught three keepers that weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, giving Johnson a commanding 5-pound, 3-ounce lead.
Johnson seems to have figured something out that the rest of the field has not.
“I prefished for eight days, and today was the first day I caught a fish,” said a surprised Johnson. “I changed it up today; I’m fishing some pretty deep water. We were casting up on to the shoreline and bringing them back down.”
Johnson caught his fish on an undisclosed bait and said he was fishing relatively near the launch site.
He plans to continue his pattern tomorrow. “One or two more fish should put me in the top 10. I think about 15 pounds should make the cutoff.”
Skarlis third
Landing in third place was Professional Walleye Trail and FLW Walleye Tour veteran Tommy Skarlis. The Walker, Minn., native caught two stout walleyes that weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces.
Courts fourth
In fourth place was Mark Courts, who also brought in two walleyes that weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces. Courts was casting Rapala X-Raps on main lake points in shallow water. He said the morning bite was strong, but that his fish quit when the sun came up.
“For this tournament, the first couple hours are crucial.”
Gilman fifth
In fifth place was Chris Gilman with two walleyes that weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros on day one at Bull Shoals:
6th: Kevin Goligowski of Maplewood, Minn., one walleye, 5-9
7th: Ted Takasaki of E. Gull Lake, Minn., one walleye, 4-7
8th: Ross Grothe of Northfield, Minn., one walleye, 4-6
9th: Tony Renner of Hutchinson, Minn., two walleyes, 3-14
10th: Rick McLaughlin of Glenrock, Wyo., one walleye, 3-10
Schleicher enjoying the ride
On the co-angler side, Jim Schleicher was happy to be in the same boat as Johnson.
“Nick had all four fish in our boat,” quipped Schleicher. “This was my second time fishing with him. It’s a great feeling knowing you’re with someone who is on fish. I wish I could fish with Nick every day.”
Second place on the co-angler side went to Kenneth Brenner of Moline, Ill., for three walleyes weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces.
Dana Delp of Lansing, Mich., placed third for the co-anglers with two walleyes weighing 7 pounds, 2 ounces.
Chad Kiefer of Henderson, Colo., took fourth thanks to his partner’s two walleyes that weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces.
Jackie Perry of Milaca, Minn., grabbed the fifth spot with two walleyes weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers on day one at Bull Shoals:
6th: Jeff Sather of Montevideo, Minn., one walleye, 5-9
7th: Anthony Apisa of Milan, Ill., one walleye, 4-7
8th: Roger Hoffman of Jefferson, Iowa, one walleye, 4-6
9th: Richard Fuller of Lakeview, Ark., two walleyes, 3-14
10th: Stephen Gaston of Montegut, La., one walleye, 3-10
Day two of FLW Walleye Tour competition at Bull Shoals begins as the field of 104 boats takes off from Bull Shoals Boat Dock at 7 a.m. Central time Thursday for the second day of the opening round.