No place like home
Johnson nails 22-15, looks for win No. 3 on home water
RED WING, Minn. – The wind kicked up and clouds arrived in the early afternoon on day two of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event on the Mississippi River. It just goes to show that good things don’t always last. For more proof, look no further than BP pro Jason Przekurat. The day-one leader had his small, fragile honeyhole run dry, managing only three walleyes Thursday.
As expected, the theme on day two was change. With giant females in constant flux, the leaderboard did some serious flip-flopping. Overall the bite was strong, as 1393 pounds were registered by a full field of 150 pro and co-anglers.
As the leaderboard turned, legendary river rat Nick Johnson made a quick accession from 10th to first. Johnson is dangerous, especially on Pools 3, 4 and 5 of the Mississippi. In 2004 he won the FLW Walleye Tour Championship just downstream near the Quad Cities. Last year, he finished the Red Wing event in fifth place.
While 22 pounds, 15 ounces looks great on paper, Johnson had to go running and gunning for his fish. In fact, he caught only 10 fish and had to endure a 2-hour period without a bite. Of the five he weighed, four were walleyes and one was a sauger.
“We ran around like chickens with our heads cut off,” quipped the pro leader. “We’re getting one here, one there.”
Johnson is running a live bait presentation where he slowly drags the bait on the bottom. His says his area, located in Pool 4, is a natural filtering site where the females migrate after the spawn. Pool 4 is his home, and he has no plans of leaving it.
“This river is just chock full of big fish. When the bite is strong, the fishing is just unbelievable.”
Johnson claims that he, like many other pros, had a tough practice. He had faith though that the big females would eventually show up. Running and gunning between a half dozen spots, the Elmwood, Wis., resident is purposely hunting big fish.
“It’s hard to live by the theory that they’re eventually going to show up when you’re not catching any fish in practice. You just have to fish like you believe it.
“I feel good but it’s real easy to stumble here. The Mississippi River has been very good to Nick Johnson.”
If the 2005 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year puts together two more solid days, he would be the first Walleye Tour pro to have three victories in his career. Currently, Johnson owns a two-day total weight of 39 pounds, 3 ounces.
“I’d really like to win it on my home water, but it’s really tough when the fish are this aggressive. Anyone can hit a home run.”
Franklin sacks 30-5, moves up to second
Richard Franklin was the biggest mover Thursday. He started the day in 79th place in the Pro Division. When the scales closed at 5:30 p.m., he had moved up all the way to second place. His five-walleye limit, the biggest catch of the tournament thus far, weighed a whopping 30 pounds, 5 ounces.
“I think it’s a lot of luck,” said the Bemidji, Minn., pro. “We had our seven fish in the box at 10:30 this morning.”
Franklin was one of the few pros willing to divulge specifics about his pattern. He’s pulling three-way rigs with night crawlers in Pool 4. His three big fish all came within 30 minutes of each other.
“There’s a lot of bait where we’re at. They’re in there to feed. The current changed so we set up on the new seams that were created.”
The day wouldn’t have been nearly as good had his co-angler not scooped their 9-pounder at the last instant. As the fish came to the surface the hook came unbuttoned. Just as heartbreak appeared inevitable, co-angler Jack Ellenbecker reached out with the net and saved the day with one swift dip.
With one day left in the opening round, Franklin trails Johnson by 3 ounces with a total of 39 pounds even.
“In a river, there are thousands of spots that can hold fish. They move up and they move out. You just hope to be there at the right time.”
Provost up to third
For the second consecutive day, Green Bay, Wis., angler Nate Provost fished the same area as Przekurat. Today, Provost got the better of the bite, catching five walleyes that weighed 19 pounds, 13 ounces, pushing his total weight to 37-8. After two fruitful days Provost is concerned the bite is slowly declining.
“The water is both coming up and getting dirtier, so that worries me,” he said. Red Wing has always been a tough place for me so I’m just aiming for a top-10 finish.”
Provost is working a variety of live bait in his area. Rather than moving the bait, he’s basically letting it sit at or near the bottom. From there, he patiently waits for the walleyes to filter through and pick up an easy meal.
“The big ticket is my 8 1/2-foot Eagle Claw rods. They are super sensitive and can detect even the lightest bites.”
Snow welcomed to Walleye Tour
Fishing in his first Walleye Tour event, PWT veteran Larry Snow is acclimating quite well. After catching 15 pounds, 5 ounces on day one, Snow caught a five-fish limit on day two that weighed 20 pounds, 7 ounces.
“I’ve been guiding on rivers my whole life,” said Snow, who lives on the northern tip of Lake of the Woods. “I just love fishing in current.”
Snow’s pattern consists of trolling crankbaits – two of his rods are rigged with leadcore. The area he is fishing is bunched with logs on the bottom.
“I missed three big fish today and I’m by myself so I think I can do this again tomorrow. No one has seen me and the bite was better today than it was yesterday.”
Gilman fifth
In fifth place was Chris Gilman of Chisago City, Minn., who brought in five walleyes Thursday that weighed 21 pounds, 7 ounces. Using numerous tactics, Gilman caught seven walleyes on the day. In fact, he claims he has 23 rods rigged up each morning.
“The spawn is finally over and the fish are finally showing up in their summer haunts,” said Gilman. “It was a great day but we had to work our butts off. We had one little flurry where we got those two big fish.”
On stage Gilman said he fished conservatively yesterday and swung for the fence today.
“Where I got the big fish, I stayed for another five hours and never got a bite. I won’t die on this spot if it comes to that. I’ll scramble and get a limit if I have to.”
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros on day two at the Mississippi River:
6th: Jeffrey Seyka of Milford, Mich., 34-2
7th: Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., 32-11
8th: Doug Gardner of Eagle Lake, Minn., 31-9
9th: Scott Fairbairn of Hager City, Wis., 31-7
10th: Dustin Kjelden of Brookings, S.D., 30-14
Milliser takes co-angler lead
In the Co-angler Division, Phil Milliser of Plymouth, Ind., took the lead with a two-day total of 38 pounds, 12 ounces. To this point, Milliser couldn’t have asked for better draws. On day one, he was partnered with Jarrad Fluekiger who lives in Alma, Wis., and guides on the river. Today Milliser was paired with Johnson and the two caught a limit weighing 22 pounds, 15 ounces.
Milliser isn’t just lucky; he’s an excellent fisherman himself. In fact, he’s fished full seasons as a pro on the Walleye Tour each of the past three years. Today, Johnson caught the pigs, but Milliser caught the hefty sauger.
“I’ve done this long enough where a little success doesn’t mess with my head,” said the angler commonly referred to as the Pickleman. “Today I fished a way that I never have before in my life. I really learned something from Nick.”
Johnson also complimented Milliser’s abilities.
“Having a good co-angler was a definite help,” said the Castrol pro. “He didn’t miss a single fish with that net.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers on day two on the Mississippi River:
2nd: Ellenbecker of Pierre, S.D., two-day total of 35-8
3rd: Patrick Bertelsen of Jackson, Minn., 33-6
4th: Erik Carlson of Somerset, Wis., 32-13
5th: Dennis Bennett of Kingston, Ill., 32-5
Day three of FLW Walleye Tour competition on the Mississippi River begins as the field of 150 boats takes off from Bay Point Marina at 7 a.m. Central time Friday for the final day of the opening round.