PIERRE, S.D. – Pro angler Charles Johnson of Merrifield, Minn., landed $50,000 cash and Ranger boat powered by Evinrude Saturday on Lake Sharpe after catching six walleye that weighed 12 pounds, 8 ounces. His partner, co-angler Brant Danielson of Round Lake Beach, Ill., reeled in $15,000 cash for the catch.
“I never thought coming in that I would have enough to win,” said Johnson, whose best tournament finish prior to winning the second $346,000 tournament of the $2.9 million 2002 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit was a fourth place RCL showing on North Dakota’s Devils Lake last year. “I knew guys where catching 22- to 23-inch fish and my largest fish was 20 inches. I figured I would finish somewhere between second and fifth. It was a real surprise.”
The pair’s winning catch came on minnow-tipped jigs fished along rocky bluffs.
Johnson qualified for the final round of 10 pros in fourth place after landing six walleye weighing 12 pounds, 1 ounce Friday with co-angler Flo Swank of Pierre, S.D., the only female angler to advance to the final round. Danielson qualified for the final round of 10 co-anglers in eighth place after landing six walleye weighing 11 pounds, 14 ounces Friday with pro Mark Presta of Racine, Wis.
Competition began Wednesday with 290 anglers from the United States and Canada taking off from Downs Marina in Pierre. The field was cut to the top 20 anglers in each division after Thursday’s weigh-in and trimmed to the top 10 anglers in each division after Friday’s weigh-in. Weights were cleared for all anglers Friday and Saturday.
Pro Pete Harsh of Sauk Centre, Minn. ($25,000) and co-angler Tom Jirik of Amery, Wis. ($15,000) placed second with six walleye weighing 11 pounds, 15 ounces. Pro Shannon Kehl of Menoken, N.D., ($20,000) and co-angler Darin Newcomb of Pierre, S.D., ($6,000) placed third with six walleye weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces. Pro Ryan Weekly of Pierre, S.D., ($15,000) and co-angler Jason Hanson of Pierre, S.D., ($5,000) placed fourth with five walleye weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces. Pro Robert Propst of Fort Pierre, S.D. ($12,500) and co-angler John Henderson of Pierre, S.D., ($4,000) placed fifth with six walleye weighing 10 pounds, 1 ounce.
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 third Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit tournament will be held on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wis., May 29-June 1 followed by a tournament on 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, register online or call (270) 362-5259.