Tournament features Michigan’s largest walleye purse
TAYLOR, Mich. – The $2.9 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit will kick off its 2002 season April 3-6 on the Detroit River with 300 top pros and co-anglers competing for a share of $346,000 cash.
Directed by FLW Outdoors and named after 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 features a cash purse of $346,000 with $50,000 cash and a fully rigged Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha going to the winning pro. The top co-angler earns $15,000 cash. Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined five-walleye limit and receive cash payments to 50th place.
One hundred and fifty Ranger, Crestliner and Lund boat owners comprise the Pro Division while 150 co-angler berths are open to the public. Anglers in both divisions fish in three elimination rounds. After the two-day opening round, the field is cut to the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers who advance to the one-day semifinal round. The top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers after the semifinal round advance to the finals. Catch weights carry over for the first two days, but anglers start the semifinal and final rounds from zero.
Weigh-ins during the first two days of the four-day tournament will be held at Lake Erie Metropark in Brownstown, Mich., starting at 3 p.m. each day. The semifinal and final round weigh-ins April 5-6 will be held at the Taylor Wal-Mart located at 7555 Telegraph Road at 4 p.m. each day. Takeoff will be at 7 o’clock each morning at Lake Erie Metropark.
Ranger pro Mark Brumbaugh, Crestliner pro Rick Olson and Lund pro Scott Glorvigen are a few of the walleye fishing superstars who will be competing in the season opener.
The second Wal-Mart RCL Walleye tournament is May 1-4 on Lake Sharpe in Pierre, S.D., followed by events on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wis., May 29-June 1 and Saginaw Bay in Bay City, Mich., June 26-29.
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 pro award of up to $400,000 cash and a top co-angler award of up to $150,000 cash. The championship will be held on the Mississippi River near Red Wing, Minn., Oct. 2-5. Green Bay hosted the Wal-Mart RCL Championship last season when Dean Arnoldussen of Kaukauna, Wis., won $400,000 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. A limited number of co-angler spots are still available in each tournament.
“We are excited about visiting the Detroit River,” said Mark Dorn, director of walleye operations. “We anticipate a record catch of huge walleyes from this world-class fishery. Interest in walleye fishing has never been higher.”
For tournament entry, click here or call (270) 362-5259.
Links: