Closing time

Przekurat seeks first Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour victory

RED WING, Minn. – Two veteran FLW Outdoors competitors are on the verge of their first career wins – Jason Przekurat on the pro side and Phil Milliser on the co-angler side. Although both have substantial leads, this is professional walleye fishing, meaning anything can happen.

At last year’s qualifying event on Green Bay, pro Ted Takasaki had a 13-pound, 10-ounce lead heading into the final day only to lose by a matter of ounces to local pro Wayne Butz. There are still a few locals left in the top 10 here, notably Scott Fairbairn and Nick Johnson, who are more than capable of gambling and putting together a 30-pound day.

Like Przekurat, Fairbairn has been on fire recently. In his last five tour-level events spanning the Walleye Tour and PWT, the Hager City, Wis., pro has placed in the top 10 in four of them. Still, he has considerable ground to make up if he’s going to catch the current pro leader.

Przekurat will once again start his day jigging his little Pool 4 sweet spot. But what if things don’t go well early? Will he scramble and go for a small limit with hopes of protecting his 7-pound, 7-ounce lead?

The Stevens Point, Wis., native obviously doesn’t want to leave his best area. The majority of his bites are coming in the morning. Yesterday, 11 a.m. to noon was his best period of fishing. So it’s logical that the few hours left in the afternoon could be used for filling out a limit if necessary.

One thing that could be a problem today for Przekurat is crowding. A 125-boat local tournament is launching out of Pool 4 at 6 this morning. Worst case scenario for the BP pro would be getting to his primary spot and seeing three local boats on it.

“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “I’ve got a few other spots nearby that I can go to if I have to. I’d be comfortable with 15 to 17 pounds. If I get five fish, I’ll get that. Yesterday was the pressure day. Today I’m just going fishing.”

The final weigh-in, which is free and open to the public, will take place today at 4 p.m. Central time at the Wal-Mart store located on Tyler Road in Red Wing. The winner on both the pro and co-angler side is determined by the largest total weight spanning all four days of competition.

Saturday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 5:55 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 52 degrees

Expected high temperature: 70 degrees

Water temperature: 62-66 degrees

Wind: ESE at 26 mph

Maximum humidity: 62 percent

Day’s outlook: mostly cloudy and windy