Angler collects largest payout in walleye fishing history
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Pro angler Dean Arnoldussen of Kaukauna, Wis., collected $400,000 Saturday after weighing in three walleyes that registered 9 pounds, 2 ounces in the final round to win the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit Championship-the richest tournament in walleye fishing history. The award is the largest payout in walleye fishing history.
Strong winds and 5-foot waves kept the anglers from reaching their fishing spots on the bay. Arnoldussen was relegated to fishing in the Fox River under a bridge.
“This has been the longest week of my life,” said Arnoldussen. “I haven’t been able to sleep all week because I have been dreaming of winning. It is one of the greatest moments of my life.”
Arnoldussen’s winning catch was the result of jigging a minnow under a bridge in the Fox River, and trolling crankbaits on lead core line with an Offshore planer board. Arnoldussen qualified for the final round of six pros after landing a weight of 20 pounds, in Friday’s semi-final round.
Competition began Wednesday with 192 pros and 192 co-anglers from 17 states and Canada taking off from Metro Park Boat Launch in Green Bay. The field was cut Thursday to the top 12 anglers in each division and trimmed again to the top six pros after Friday’s weigh-in. Weights were cleared for all anglers on Friday and Saturday. Each team was allowed to weigh-in five walleyes through Friday, but the final six pros were limited to three walleyes Saturday.
Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., ($75,000) placed second with two walleyes weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces followed by Paul Meelan of Onamia, Minn., ($37,500) with two walleyes weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces; Mark Keenan of Appleton, Wis., ($25,000) placed fourth; Patrick Neu of Forestville, Wis., ($16,000) finished in fifth place, and Tom Zollar of Green Bay ,Wis., ($12,000) wound up in sixth place. Keenan, Neu, nor Zollar registered a fish in the final round. Their finishing positions were established by their ranking after the second day of competition.
Run by Operation Walleye and named after retail giant Wal-Mart and boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund, the 2001 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit featured three regular season tournaments each with a $390,750 purse and the $1.4 million championship. Top competitors from the circuit and 35 qualifying organizations and events sanctioned by the RCL advanced the championship. In last year’s inaugural championship on Green Bay, Scott Glorvigen of Grand Rapids, Minn., won $300,000 and instantly joined the sport’s top all-time money winners.