PORT CLINTON, Ohio – Pro Rod Hill of Hillsdale, Mich., and his opening day partner Tom Sibert of Sandusky, Ohio, landed a five-walleye limit weighing an impressive 47 pounds, 2 ounces Wednesday on Lake Erie to lead the first tournament of the new $2.9 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit-the world’s most lucrative walleye fishing series.
If Hill can maintain his lead throughout the four-day tournament he will collect $50,000 plus a Mercury- or Yamaha-powered Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat. Sibert is fishing for a top co-angler award of $15,000. Both men will be challenged by 76 other competitors in their respective divisions.
“I hate being in this spot,” joked Hill, whose biggest tournament payday to date is $10,000. “It’s always a lot easier to fall down the ladder than it is to climb up it, but it feels good to lead.
“I’m still a long way from a win,” he added. “I’ve got three days and about 150 pounds of fish to go.”
Hill estimates that he and Sibert caught 14 walleyes throughout the day while trolling crankbaits in deep water off reefs located less than 10 miles from the tournament’s starting point at Catawba Island State Park.
Pro Rick Olson of Mina Lake, S.D., and co-angler Joshua Willis of Englewood, Ohio, finished opening day in second place with five walleyes weighing 46 pounds, 10 ounces. Rounding out the top five were pro Chris Gilman of Chisago City, Minn., and co-angler Chip Potter of Lake Zurich, Ill., with five walleyes weighing 45 pounds, 15 ounces; pro Roger Berkland of Emmetsburg, Iowa, and co-angler David Mulaski of Tawas City, Mich., with five walleyes weighing 44 pounds, 15 ounces; and pro Bill Ortiz of Dodgeville, Wis., and co-angler Chris Milliron with five walleyes weighing 44 pounds, 12 ounces.
Competition resumes at 7 a.m. Thursday at Catawba Island State Park when competitors from 15 states takeoff for the final day of the opening round. Following Thursday’s 3 p.m. weigh-in at Water Works Park, the field will be cut to the top 60 pros and top 60 co-anglers. These anglers will advance to the one-day semifinal round Friday where they will compete for a spot in the all-important final round. Only the top 12 pros and top 12 co-anglers will advance to Saturday’s final round. Catch weights are carried over during the opening round, but anglers will start the semifinal and final rounds from zero. The final weigh-in will start at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Wal-Mart on East Harbor Road.
Run by Operation Walleye and named after retail giant Wal-Mart and boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund, the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit features four regular season tournaments each with a $390,750 purse and a championship with a $1.4 million purse. The second tournament will be 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 the four regular season tournaments, 200 pros and 200 co-anglers will compete in the 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 each regular season tournament are $1,250 for pros and $500 for co-anglers.