FLW Walleye Tour Championship preview: Cleveland rocks

Top walleye anglers set to engage in open-water slugfest

CLEVELAND – Lake Erie is without a doubt the world’s best walleye fishery. So it’s only fitting that the world’s best walleye anglers end their season-long journey on its bountiful waters. But unlike most tour-level walleye tournaments, the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship is taking place in Cleveland, a transition zone from the western basin to the central basin.

Most major walleye tournaments on Lake Erie are held out of the western basin near Port Clinton, Ohio, which bills itself as the walleye capital of the world. Generally speaking, the walleye fishing is best on the western basin, and the giant waves are slightly more tolerable. Located on the south end of the lake, Cleveland is extremely vulnerable to wind – especially northeast gusts. A northeast breeze of 15 to 25 mph will produce 5- to 7-foot waves, and anything beyond that is unsafe for small-craft travel.

With only 53 pros and 53 co-anglers qualifying for the no-entry-fee Walleye Tour Championship, there are few – if any – true locals in the event. The closest might be pro Jonathan Shoemaker, a resident of Elyria, Ohio, which is located 25 minutes from downtown Cleveland. Shoemaker fishes the central basin often and says there are a lot of good fish to be had.

“I think we’ll see five to 10 bags of around 40 pounds,” he said. “If everything cooperates, it will be a really impressive show.”

Anytime you mention 40 pounds for a tournament limit of five walleyes, heads begin to turn.

Deep or shallow?

There is little doubt that nearly everyone in the field will be trolling over the lake’s expansive waters. Trolling is an extremely efficient method, particularly on big waters, as it allows an angler to cover the greatest amount of water in the shortest time. It is best used as a means of locating fish, something definitely needed on a pond some 240 miles long. Shoemaker expects the field to be equally divided by those fishing deep and those fishing shallow. For some perspective, the G3/Yamaha pro considers shallow to be in the 30-foot range.

“The whole key is finding the strike zone and putting the most baits in that zone. That’s what separates a good troller from a bad troller.”

The walleyes in Lake Erie are nomadic, especially with an early fall gripping the Cleveland area. Anglers will find a huge pod of fish one day, and they will be gone the next. Other times, the fish are still in the same area, but they’ve moved either up or down the water column to chase a pod of baitfish.

The anglers targeting deeper fish (40 feet or more) will use Dipsy Divers, says Shoemaker. The Dipsy Diver is a device that allows an angler to send lures down to a specific depth yet still position those lures away from the boat. Those angling for shallow walleyes (less than 40 feet) will likely use planer boards. Behind these depth-control mechanisms will be crankbaits, crawler harnesses and spoons. The most popular method will likely be crawler harnesses, although the majority of charter boats on Lake Erie use spoons.

“The guy who can get to his fish and stay on them every day is the guy who is going to win. By stay on them, I mean adjusting as they move up and down in the water column. I think 60 pounds will be needed to make the cutoff and another 75 pounds to win it.”

Run for the money

Although it sounds easy, getting to the prime fishing locations on Lake Erie is anything but.

“If the weather is perfect, you might see 70-mile runs. If the weather isn’t perfect, a lot of people will run 20 to 30 miles. There are even good fish within 10 miles of downtown. I think people might run past some good fish.”

Perhaps the perfect strategy would be to have different spots for different weather conditions. If Lake Erie slicks off, the well-prepared angler may very well be able to run 70 miles west and catch a 40-pound bag. But if the lake gets nasty, which it regularly does in autumn, that far-away honeyhole is useless.

“These are the situations I’m trying to be prepared for,” added Shoemaker. “I’d like to find a pod of fish close to the launch in case we do get sent out in 5- to 7-footers. In all honesty, there’s a good chance one day could get canceled. Then the whole dynamic of the tournament changes.”

Being a local, Shoemaker feels he has a slight advantage, but he doesn’t consider himself a favorite. This is only his second season as a full-time pro and his first championship appearance.

“There are too many good fishermen in this tournament. It’s really a test for the best of the best. Plus, the home-water advantage isn’t as strong here as it is at say Red Wing (on the Mississippi River in Minnesota). It’s a lot less spot on a spot. If there are 10 boats trolling in one area, it can come down to who gets the right bites.”

Tournament specifics

Anglers are allowed to fish on U.S. waters only; Canadian waters are off limits.

Anglers are allowed a total of five walleyes per day, and upgrading is allowed.

Weights will be cleared after the two-day opening round. Anglers in both divisions – pros and co-anglers – start from zero on day three, and co-angler competition concludes with the winner determined by the day’s heaviest catch. Pros carry their weights over to day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four. At the four Walleye Tour qualifying events, the winner was determined by the four-day cumulative weight.



The total purse is $675,000. The pro winner is guaranteed a cash award of $100,000. If the winner is a qualifying Ranger or G3 boat owner, he will earn a $25,000 bonus, and if the boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he will receive another $25,000 bonus for a total cash award of $150,000. Co-anglers have the chance to win $22,000.

Voinovich Bicentennial Park, located at 800 E. Ninth St. in Cleveland, will host daily takeoffs at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the Cleveland Convention Center, located at 500 Lakeside Ave. E., beginning at 4 p.m.

Catch the action

For fishing fans unable to attend the championship taking place this week in Cleveland, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, a real-time window to the daily weigh-ins. Just access the online application during weigh-in hours to keep tabs on your favorite anglers.

National television coverage of the Walleye Tour Championship will be provided by FSN (Fox Sports Net) on December 2. The show is tape delayed to give walleye fans the best footage possible.