BAY CITY, Mich., – The new $2.9 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit will be making a stop on Saginaw Bay in Bay City, Mich., June 13-16 when some of the country’s best walleye anglers visit the area for a shot at winning $85,000 in cash and prizes.
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. In April, pro Jim Klick of White Bear Lake, Minn., won the first Wal-Mart RCL tournament in Port Clinton, Ohio, and pocketed $85,000 in cash and prizes while his partner, co-angler Cecil Newman of River Rouge, Mich., reeled in $15,000 cash.
Each of the circuit’s four regular season tournaments features a cash purse of $390,750, and the year-end Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship features a cash purse of $1.4 million with top awards of up to $400,000 in the Pro Division and $150,000 in the Co-Angler Division.
Two hundred pros and 200 co-anglers from the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit and other sanctioned tournament organizations and events will compete in the championship, which 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.
“We had a terrific tournament on Lake Erie earlier this season, and we are looking forward to another great event on Saginaw Bay,” said RCL tournament director Sonny Reynolds. “The bay is an excellent fishery, and the entire Great Lakes region has a rich tradition of walleye fishing.”
Up to 175 Ranger, Crestliner and Lund boat owners will fill the Pro Division in Bay City while 175 co-angler berths are 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 competition will be held at Hoyles Marina in Linwood starting at approximately 3 p.m. each day. The final weigh-in June 16 will be held at the Wal-Mart located on Wilder Road in Bay City at approximately 3 p.m. Take off will be at approximately 7 a.m. each day at Hoyles Marina.
The third Wal-Mart RCL Walleye tournament will be held on the Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wis., July 25-28 followed by an event on Devils Lake in Devils Lake, N.D., Sept. 5-8. Entry fees for regular season tournaments are $1,250 for pros and $500 for co-anglers.
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.
Sponsors of the 2001 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit are Coleman, Conseco, Crestliner, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Garmin, Kellogg’s, Lund, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Wal-Mart, Weed Eater and Yamaha Outboards.
To register for competition or for more information about the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit, visit www.operationwalleye.com or call 270-362-5259.