Fond du Lac fisherman claims co-angler title

Zupke reels in 7-pounder, wins Ranger Reata 1760

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. – On day two of the Walmart FLW Walleye League Finals, co-angler Troy Zupke drew Kirt Hedquist as his partner. Together, the two had a banner day on Lake Wissota, catching five walleyes that weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces – the heaviest stringer of the entire tournament. Each led their respective division after the second day, meaning the two would share a boat again on the final day.

In Walleye League tournaments, boaters and co-anglers work together for a combined weight. Sometimes co-anglers simply man the net and offer assistance as the boaters do most of the fish catching. That wasn’t the case with Zupke, a three-year Wisconsin Division veteran. While trolling crankbaits on day two, he got to reel in the kicker fish that weighed over 7 pounds and was nearly 27 inches in length. That single walleye changed the complexity of the entire tournament.

The action Saturday morning was once again fast and furious as the two put four fish in the livewell within the first hour. For a co-angler, this was a dream scenario as Zupke knew the program and knew Hedquist was around some serious fish. Specifically, that program was trolling an array of shad-style crankbaits with 160 feet of leadcore line. The two focused on an area located on the south end of the lake, just north of the island near the Little Wissota bridge.

For the second consecutive day, Zupke had the pressure of reeling in the big fish. And once again, he delivered. Although this one wasn’t nearly 7 pounds, it was a critical over that measured just beyond 18 inches.

For this particular event, walleyes 14 to 18 inches in length had to be immediately released, and only two walleyes over 18 inches could be kept. The walleyes that exceeded 18 inches were commonly referred to as overs. The minimum length limit was 12 inches and upgrading was not permitted.

After the morning flurry, the bite slowed dramatically.

“We went the rest of the day without catching a legal fish,” Zupke said. “We caught a few 16s and some that were under 12, but we never saw another keeper. When the last three boats weighed in, I was very nervous. I was worried not having that fifth fish was going to cost us.”

For winning the FLW Walleye League Finals, the Fond du Lac, Wis., native earned a $22,000 Ranger Reata 1760. He’s not entirely sure if he’s going to keep or sell the boat – but he’s leaning a certain direction.

“I’m hoping to keep the boat and get into this next year as a boater.”

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Fishing with Minnesota boater Julian Jones on days two and three, Tom Laveque came within a pound of claiming back-to-back co-angler titles at the FLW Walleye League Finals. Together with Jones, the Saginaw, Mich., native caught a limit Saturday weighing 3 pounds, 7 ounces. He finished the event in second place with a total weight of 15-13, earning $1,250.

“This has been a great week and a lot of that was having Julian as a partner the past two days,” said a modest Laveque. “He is a great fisherman.”

Jones reciprocated the kind words and said that Laveque was a steadying force when the bite got tough.

“This is my fifth championship in a row and I’ve made the cutoff three out of five years,” Laveque added. “How can you complain?”

The two presented a mix of live bait (fatheads, leeches, night crawlers) over a hump in the Chippewa River.

“I really enjoy rigging with live bait, it takes patience but it suits me well.”



In third place was Steve Beasley of Macomb, Mich., with 7 walleyes over three days weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces, good for $875. Like Dusty Minke in the Boater Division, Beasley proved extremely adept at catching the big overs.

“It was a ball,” Beasley said. “After we caught that second over today we were jumping around, laughing and having a great time.”

Todd Rieder of Fond du Lac, Wis., and Roy Hammond of New Berlin, Wis., round out the top five with 13 pounds, 3 ounces and 12 pounds, 5 ounces. Rieder earned $500 and Hammond $375.

Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finalists at the FLW Walleye League Finals on Lake Wissota:

6th: Tim McClaran of Mansfield, Ohio, 12-2, $300

7th: Brian Wolter of Fond du Lac, Wis., 11-14, $250

8th: Chet Babcock of Marne, Mich., 10-1, $225

9th: Craig Cayemberg of Valders, Wis., 9-2, $200 (day-one leader)

10th: Alan Kerkaert of Leavenworth, Kansas, 8-11, $175