CLEVELAND – Although the conditions are nearly identical to day three, expect fewer fish brought to the scale Sunday. That’s not indicative of either the skill level of the anglers or the health of Lake Erie. Without co-anglers, the 10 pros remaining at the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship will only be allowed two lines in the water.
With four lines in the water, getting a limit wasn’t a problem for most of the pros. Having four lines allows an angler to experiment at different depths throughout the water column.
The fishing has been so good for Folgers pro Dennis Lantzy that he doesn’t think the rule change will hurt him at all.
“I’m still going to catch a ton of fish,” said the Warren, Mich., native. “I can’t guarantee the size, but we should go through a ton of fish. It sounds strange, but it might be easier managing only two rods.”
Lantzy caught nearly 40 walleyes Saturday, but he’s still in third place – nearly 15 pounds out of first place. But he knows quality fish are in his area. Bounty pro David Kolb demonstrated that on the first two days by catching nearly 70 pounds.
“There are so many 3- and 4-pounders there that the bigger ones just aren’t getting to the bait first.”
Leading the charge is Dustin Kjelden, the BFGoodrich Tires pro, with 39 pounds, 3 ounces. His 6-pound, 6-ounce lead looks a lot bigger with half the amount of baits in Lake Erie. But this is a legendary body of water, perhaps the finest walleye fishery in the world. Owning a 6-pound lead can’t hurt, but this is still, believe it or not, anybody’s game.
Hot on Kjelden’s heels is veteran pro Scott Fairbairn. The Hager City, Wis., native has a walleye resume that stacks up against anyone’s. With 30 top-10 tour-level finishes and two AOY titles to his credit, Fairbairn is looking to secure his first championship win.
“I’ve always been close, finishing second a number of times,” he said. “Winning this championship would be particularly satisfying. I think I can still do it too. In practice, the four days I went west my baskets would have all been over 30 pounds.”
The final weigh-in will take place today at 4 p.m. Eastern time at the Cleveland Convention Center, located at 500 Lakeside Ave. E. The community is invited to attend the Family Fun Zone, which opens at noon. Sunday is free fishing reel day, where the first 200 children 14 and under receive a free fishing reel.
On the Web
For walleye-fishing fans unable to attend the festivities in person, you can catch all the weigh-in action live at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live.
Sunday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 7:22 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 55 degrees
Expected high temperature: 77 degrees
Water temperature: 70-74 degrees
Wind: SSE at 12 mph
Maximum humidity: 54 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly sunny