TAYLOR, Mich.,- Pro Wasyl Mirutenko of Hawthorn Woods, Ill., and his opening day partner Joe Kutz of Allen Park, Mich., landed a five-walleye limit weighing 26 pounds, 5 ounces Wednesday on the Detroit River to lead the $2.9 million 2002 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit season opener.
If Mirutenko can maintain his lead throughout the four-day tournament, he will collect $50,000 cash plus a fully rigged Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha. Kutz is fishing for a top co-angler award of $15,000 cash. Unseasonably cool weather and water temperatures in the low 30s, however, will challenge both men and 149 other competitors in each division.
To combat the cold weather and find active fish, Mirutenko and Kutz concentrated their efforts around a warm water discharge north of the takeoff site. In fact, nearly half the field fished within two miles of the power plant discharge.
Pro Rick Cole of Elwood, Ind., and co-angler John Galaska of Omaha, Neb., finished opening day in second place with five walleyes weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces. Rounding out the top five were pro Tim Drascic of Monona, Wis., and co-angler Tom Harrison of Naperville, Ill., with five walleyes weighing 22 pounds, 9 ounces; pro Jeff Taege of Rhinelander, Wis., and co-angler Don Lee of Commerce Township, Mich., with three walleyes weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces; and pro John Hertensteiner of Victoria, Minn., and co-angler Ron Schropp of Omaha, Neb., with five walleyes weighing 21 pounds, 13 ounces.
Overall, 460 walleye weighing 1,292 pounds, 14 ounces were caught Wednesday, including 55 five-walleye limits. More than 98 percent of the walleyes were released alive.
Competition resumes at 7 a.m. Thursday at Lake Erie Metropark in Brownstown, Mich., when competitors from 19 states and Canada takeoff for the final day of opening round competition. Following Thursday’s 3 p.m. weigh-in at the park, the field will be cut to the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers. These anglers will advance to the one-day semifinal round Friday where they will compete for a spot in the final round. Only the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers will advance to Saturday’s final round. Catch weights are carried over during the opening round, but anglers start the semifinal and final rounds from zero. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins start at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 7555 Telegraph Road in Taylor.
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. The circuit features four regular season tournaments each with a $346,000 cash purse and a championship with a $1.4 million cash purse. Cash payments are presented through 50th place.
The second Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit 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. To enter, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call 270-362-5259.
Sponsors of the 2002 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit are Wal-Mart, Castrol, Conseco, Crestliner, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Evinrude, Faded Glory, Garmin, Kellogg’s, Lund, Minn Kota, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Snickers, Stanley, Weed Eater and Yamaha Outboards. Associate sponsors are Abu Garcia, Berkley, Eagle Claw, Laker, Plano and Solar Bat.