PIERRE, S.D. – Although Lake Oahe is laden with walleyes throughout the reservoir, several Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour anglers feel their best chance at catching the right fish is near the Cheyenne River all the way up to Highway 212. With the official launch located at Spring Creek Resort that trip could deprive championship competitors of up to two hours of valuable fishing time.
According to several pros, the run to Cheyenne takes roughly 30 minutes in ideal conditions. Add a little chop to the equation, (which is to be expected in central South Dakota) and that 30-minute run turns into 45 minutes. If an angler is crazy enough to venture all the way to Highway 212, that journey will easily take an hour and 15 minutes.
What’s the thinking behind these northern voyages? Simply put, the biggest fish are being caught with greater consistency upstream.
Pro Bill Ortiz said the females are relocating and staging for next year’s spawn. He fished the greater Cheyenne area in practice and found moderate success. He plans on making a long run today, but he won’t say where.
“I’ll be happy with five fish today,” said the Richland Center, Wis., pro. “If I get my five, they’ll be quality fish. If I get them early enough, I’ll stay around and upgrade. If I have to get picky tomorrow, then I’ll do that.”
Interestingly enough, it seems that the slot fish (14 to 20 inches) are harder to find than the overs. Madison Lake, Minn., pro Tom Brunz said he caught an 11-pound walleye during practice. That was his biggest fish, but it was accompanied by a few 8-pounders. Needless to say, several pigs will reach the scale this afternoon, despite a cold front that is slowly making its way south and east.
Logistics
Chapter one of the chase for $150,000 will be written today when the top 51 pros and top 51 co-anglers begin weighing in their catches at 4:30 p.m. Central time. Today’s weigh-in takes place at the Wal-Mart store located at 1730 N. Garfield Ave. in Pierre. For those who are unable to attend, FLWOutdoors.com will offer live weigh-in results, streaming audio and on-location video via its FLW Live application.
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes during the two-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the final round, with the winning pro determined by the heaviest two-day total weight from days three and four. The co-angler winner is determined on day three based on the weight of that day’s catch.
Wednesday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 7:43 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 46 degrees
Expected high temperature: 61 degrees
Water temperature: 61-68 degrees
Wind: ENE at 13 mph
Maximum humidity: 66 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy