Coming full circle for co-angler title
Eiden best from back of boat at Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals
MOLINE, Ill. – Maybe he’s something of a lucky charm, but the two boaters who shared a day with winning co-angler Mike Eiden of New Haven, Ind., finished first and second at the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals on the Mississippi River.
On day one, Eiden and boater Bill Shimota of Lonsdale, Minn., lead the field with four saugers and a walleye weighing a total of 9 pounds, 4 ounces. The next day, Eiden fished with Don Marx of Rockford, Minn., and retained his top spot on the strength of three saugers weighing 5-1. On day three, Eiden again paired with Shimota and the duo secured their respective victories with four saugers that weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces for a 22-4 total.
The winning anglers fished over sand humps in an outside river bend about 17 miles south of the launch site at Sunset Park Marina on Rock Island. Hand-lining crankbaits was their top tactic.
The luck thing may be debatable, but not Eiden’s prize. His effort earned him a $27,000 G3 V185F powered by Yamaha.
Prior to the tournament, G3 representative Lamar Van Dame of Fargo, N.D., (ninth place in the Boater Division) had given Eiden a new mesh hat. Day three began with temperatures in the low 40s, so Eiden slipped on a solid-panel hat for head warmth. However, once the fish started biting, Eiden said he figured it was time for a switch.
“After the second fish came in, and it had some good weight to it, I figured it was time to put the G3 hat on,” he said.
On the tournament’s final day, Eiden found himself returning to Shimota’s boat with a heightened sense of optimism going into the final round. “I was happy to be paired with (Shimota) again. We already had good energy between us from day one.
“When we got out there on our first spot and we popped the first big fish, it was bigger than anything else (Shimota) had caught all week. It just felt right, like we might have a chance here today.”
Eiden said he enjoyed the learning experience afforded him by fishing with the two top boaters. “A lot of this depends on who you get paired with, and I had two great boaters this week. I paid a lot of attention to the details of Bill’s boat and how he sets up his hand lines.”
Rest of the best
Marx and co-angler Eldon Olson of Mason City, Iowa, turned in the final day’s only five-fish limit, along with its heaviest weight – 8 pounds, 9 ounces – to take second place with 17-15. Olson collected $2,500.
In third place, Steve Keller of Beloit, Wis., had nine fish weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce and won $1,750. Fourth place went to Jamie Revermann of St. Joseph, Minn., (six fish, 11-14, $1,000) while Todd Wiedmann of Audubon, Minn., took fifth (six fish, 11-9, $750).
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers at the Walleye League Finals:
6th: Jamie Nieland of Albany, Minn. (10-14, $600)
7th: Aaron Mestad of Deerwood, Minn. (10-9, $500)
8th: Raymond Chase of Friendship, Wis. (8-13, $450)
9th: Kenneth Dage of Maple Park, Ill. (7-12, $400)
10th: Brandon McCarthy of Nekoosa, Wis. (7-10, $350)