GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – A $2.9 million professional walleye fishing series will start making waves April 11 on Lake Erie when the new Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit hosts its first tournament in Port Clinton, Ohio.
Run by Operation Walleye and named after retail giant Wal-Mart and boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund, the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit is the world’s most lucrative walleye fishing series. Each of the circuit’s four regular season tournaments will feature a cash purse of $390,750 with a top award of $50,000 plus a fully rigged Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by a Mercury or Yamaha outboard. The top Co-Angler Division award is $15,000.
Up to 350 anglers in two divisions are expected for the first event. One hundred seventy-five Ranger, Crestliner and Lund boat owners will fill the Pro Division while 175 co-angler berths will be open to the public. Anglers in both divisions will fish in three elimination rounds. After the two-day opening round, the field will be cut to the top 60 pros and top 60 co-anglers who will advance to the one-day semifinal round. The top 12 pros and top 12 co-anglers after the semifinal round will move on to the final day of competition. Catch weights carry over for the first two days, but anglers will start the semifinal and final rounds from zero.
Weigh-ins during the first three days of the four-day tournament will be held at Water Works Park in Port Clinton starting at 3 p.m. each day. The final weigh-in April 14 will be held at the Port Clinton Wal-Mart located at 4070 East Harbor Road. Take off will be at 7 o’clock each morning at Catawba Island State Park in Port Clinton.
The second Wal-Mart RCL Walleye tournament is slated for May 9-12 on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis., followed by events on Saginaw Bay in Bay City, Mich., June 13-16 and Devils Lake in Devils Lake, N.D., Sept. 5-8.
After four regular season tournaments 200 pros and 200 co-anglers from the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit and other sanctioned tournament organizations and events will compete in the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship for a top award of up to $400,000 in the Pro Division and $150,000 in the Co-Angler Division. The championship will be held on the Fox River and Green Bay in Green Bay, Wis., Oct. 2-6. Green Bay hosted the inaugural Wal-Mart RCL Championship last year when Scott Glorvigen of Grand Rapids, Minn., won $300,000 and instantly joined the sport’s top all-time money winners.
Entry fees for regular season tournaments are $1,250 for pros and $500 for co-anglers.
“We are excited about getting the inaugural season under way,” said tournament director Sonny Reynolds. “We had a lot of positive feedback from walleye anglers following our first Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship last year. Now we are ready to give people a world-class tournament series and help grow the sport.”
Nationwide there are an estimated 4 million walleye anglers according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Walleye, in fact, is the most sought after species of fish by U.S. anglers fishing the Great Lakes.
For more information, call (270) 362-5259.