Richest walleye tournament in history draws to a close
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Scott Glorvigen of Grand Rapids, Minn., won nearly three times more money in Saturday’s final round of the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship than he had earned during his 12-year career as a professional walleye fisherman. The win netted him $300,000, the richest award in walleye tournament history.
Glorvigen landed three walleyes weighing 11 pounds, 1 ounce during the final round of the four-day championship presented by Transamerica to top anglers from 21 states and four Canadian provinces.
The championship started Wednesday with 200 pros and 200 co-anglers probing Green Bay and the Fox River for weighty walleyes. The initial field was cut to the top 12 pros and co-anglers after two days of competition and narrowed again for Saturday’s final to the top six pros. On Friday, the final day of competition for co-anglers, Gary Hettenhaus of Fond du Lac, Wis., won $120,000 with five walleyes weighing 17-5. Anglers in both divisions started from zero Friday and Saturday, fishing for the heaviest catch each day. Each team was allowed to weigh-in five walleyes through Friday, but the final six pros w300ere limited to three walleyes Saturday.
Deteriorating weather conditions prompted Operation Walleye officials to designate the previously productive waters of Green Bay off limits due to strong northwest winds that elicited a small-craft advisory from the Coast Guard on Friday and Saturday. A major cold front that passed through the area brought frigid conditions and rain Saturday but didn’t dampen the spirit of competitors who were again confined to the relatively calm waters of the Fox River.
“This is absolutely fantastic,” said an ecstatic Glorvigen following the weigh-in. “This has been a dream of mine, but you don’t get here by yourself without the help of my twin, Marty, I wouldn’t be here. This win represents a lot to me and all of the walleye angers who aren’t even here. It shows that we have a future in this sport.”
Glorvigen says that his game plan going into the final round was not to keep a walleye under 21-inches long. “I decided early on not to get worked up. I had a plan, and I stuck to it. I knew that if I didn’t beat myself mentally that I could win.”
John Campbell of West Dundee, Ill., placed second with three walleyes weighing 9-9 worth $65,000 followed by Patrick Byle of Colgate, Wis., in third with three walleyes weighing 9-7 worth $32,500. Rounding out the top six were John Nelson of Wahkon, Minn., with three walleyes weighing 8-0 worth $21,000; Mike Gofron of Antioch, Ill., with three walleyes weighing 7-10 worth $16,000; and Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., with one walleye weighing 1-12 worth $16,000.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship will air Dec. 31 on ESPN2.
As part of the RCL Championship’s commitment to enhance walleye habitat, Operation Walleye and the FishAmerica Foundation have donated $10,000 for new spawning structure in Green Bay. Operation Walleye, the organization running the RCL Championship, successfully released over 99.7 percent of the 1,232 walleyes caught during the championship.
Sponsors of the RCL Championship include Ranger Boat Company, Crestliner and Lund Boats (RCL). Evinrude Outboards, Energizer, Garmin, Kellogg’s, Poulan/Weed Eater, and Coleman are also sponsoring the tournament. Locally, the Green Bay Area Visitors and Convention Bureau is a sponsor.