Valerius completes climb to first
Crosby, Minn., native wins Co-angler Division, $18,000
DEVILS LAKE, N.D. – Partnering with Portland, N.D., pro Troy Sand on day four, co-angler Kevin Valerius completed an improbable dash to first place. On day four, Valerius pitched No. 5 and No. 7 Shad Raps to catch five walleyes that weighed 24 pounds, 3 ounces.
Valerius, of Crosby, Minn., caught 17 pounds, 15 ounces Wednesday to finish day one in 38th place. On day two, he boated five walleyes that weighed 21 pounds even to sneak into the top-10 in seventh place. He finished the tournament with a total of 15 walleyes weighing 63 pounds, 2 ounces.
“Boat control was absolutely critical,” said Valerius, who caught seven walleyes Saturday. “Troy told me this morning that we needed the wind to blow and believe me it was blowing. There were times when the wind was so strong, that one of us cast and the other just controlled the boat. We got all of our fish early. Everything went like clock work.”
Valerius’ first victory earned him $18,000, including contingency bonuses from G3 Boats and Yamaha.
“It was a great day, but it was windy,” Valerius said. “He (Sand) said that the tree huggers were going to die in this wind. Going out, he said we needed 24 pounds to stay in contention and that’s exactly what we got.”
Adler rises to second
Coming in second for the co-anglers was Adam Adler of Oconto Falls, Wis. Adler started the day in fifth place and finished second thanks to an 18-pound, 6-ounce catch. He finished the tournament with 58 pounds, 14 ounces, earning a purse of $5,000.
“It’s just a blast to fish with these guys,” said Adler, who has two top-10 finishes this year. “Fishing with Scott Larson on day two is what helped me get here. Today it was a team effort. The wind was so tough we really had to work together.”
Despite the blustery weather, Adler and day-four partner Jason Przekurat caught all of their fish on slip-bobbers.
“I can’t say enough about Jason, he lived up to his reputation today.”
Johnson slips to third
Co-angler Conrad Johnson of Fargo, N.D., fell one place with a 14-pound, 6-ounce catch and finished in third. His three-day total weight was 57 pounds, 13 ounces, good for $3,500.
Watson settles for fourth
Dewey Watson of Twin Falls, Idaho, was able to catch four walleyes on Saturday to retain the fourth spot among the co-anglers with a total weight of 53 pounds, 13 ounces. Watson’s fourth-place finish earned him $3,500.
“The water was rough but we had a ball,” said Watson. “I really wish we had that fifth fish back.”
Northagen ascends to fifth
Fifth place went to Joshua Northagen of Grand Forks, N.D., who boated five walleyes that weighed 14 pounds, 15 ounces. Northagen’s three-day total weight was 52 pounds, 12 ounces, which earned him a check for $2,200.
Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finalists at the FLW Walleye Tour event on Devils Lake:
6th: Dale Todd of Anderson, Ind., 50-6
7th: Dave Crawford of Maybee, Mich., 49-4
8th: Larry Oleson of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., 49-3
9th: Jim Fetzik of Pengilly, Minn., 48-0
10th: James Murphy of Fayetteville, Ark., 47-0
Competition resumes July 12-15 for the final qualifying event of the $2.69 million FLW Walleye Tour season on Green Bay in Green Bay, Wis.