Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship enters semifinal round
GREEN BAY, Wis. – It began with 400 walleye anglers from 21 states and four Canadian provinces, but the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship field was whittled to the top 12 pros and co-anglers Thursday. In the process, Jason Prezekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., emerged with the heaviest round-one weight heading into Friday’s semifinal round.
Prezekurat leads the pro field in the quest for a $400,000 payday – the richest in walleye tournament history – with an opening round, two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 39 pounds, 3 ounces. Prezekurat and his day-one partner, Peter Werner of Kimball, Minn., weighed in five walleyes that tipped the scales to 11-1. Prezekurat and his day-two partner, Julia Davis of New Berlin, Wis., produced five walleyes weighing 28-2.
“This is unbelievable,” said Prezekurat, who braved a 30-mile run into Green Bay despite near 20 mph winds that caused 6- to 8-foot swells on the return trip. “I won the Masters Walleye Circuit Championship in May and I thought that would be the highlight of my season, but to come here and be in the final 12 is a dream come true no matter how it turns out.”
Gary Darling of Fort Collins, Colo., leads the co-angler race for up to $150,000 with an opening-round total of 10 walleyes weighing 37-8. He and his day-one partner, Patrick Byle of Colgate, Wis., brought in five walleyes weighing 25-13. Darling and his day-two partner, Scott Duncan of Spring Grove, Ill., caught five walleyes weighing 11-11 to grab the lead going into the final day of co-angler competition. Anglers in both divisions start the semifinal and final rounds from zero and fish for the heaviest one-day catch.
Rounding out the top five in the Pro Division are day-one leader Mark Brumbaugh of Arcanum, Ohio, with a two-day total weight of 37-11; Scott Glorvigen of Grand Rapids, Minn., with 36-3; Duncan with 36-1; and Mark Keenan of Appleton, Wis., with 34-3.
Rounding out the top five in the Co-Angler Division are Gary Morris of Blaine, Minn., with a two-day total weight of 35-12; Greg Reimer of Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada, with 35-3; Fritz Peterson of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., with 34-7; and Val Labau of Miller, S.D., with 34-6.
Pro Jay Mott of Tomahawk, Wis., won Thursday’s big walleye award of $1,200 with a 9 pound, 13 ounce heavyweight.
Below normal temperatures made finding quality walleye difficult for many anglers during the opening round. Many semi-finalists braved chilling temperatures and wind as they ventured more than 50 miles into the bay in search of larger walleye than they could catch in the Fox River.
Competition resumes at 8 a.m. Friday at the Green Bay Metro Boat Launch. Co-angler competition ends following Friday’s 5 p.m. weigh-in at the Green Bay Wal-Mart located at 2440 West Mason Street. On Saturday, only the top six pros will compete, and the winner will be decided during the 3 p.m. weigh-in at Wal-Mart. Up to $1.4 million will be awarded during the four-day Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship presented by Transamerica.
As part of the RCL’s commitment to enhance walleye habitat, Operation Walleye and the FishAmerica Foundation have donated $10,000 for the construction of spawning structure in Green Bay. Operation Walleye, the organization running the RCL Championship, has successfully released over 99.7 percent of the 1,172 walleye caught during the opening round.
Wal-Mart has made a major commitment to walleye fishing as title sponsor of the RCL Championship. Additional title sponsors are Ranger Boat Company, Crestliner and Lund Boats (RCL). Evinrude Outboards, Energizer, Garmin, Kellogg’s, Poulan/Weed Eater, and Coleman are also sponsoring the tournament. The Green Bay Area Visitors and Convention Bureau is hosting the historic event.