OSHKOSH, Wis. – The $2.9 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit will visit Lake Winnebago May 29-June 1 with 300 top pros and co-anglers competing for a share of $346,000 cash in the season’s third tournament.
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 Pioneer Resort in Oshkosh starting at 3 p.m. each day. The semifinal and final round weigh-ins May 31 and June 1 will be held at the Oshkosh Wal-Mart located at 2035 South Koeller Street at 4 p.m. each day. Takeoff will be at 7 o’clock each morning at Pioneer Resort.
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 Lake Winnebago tournament.
The fourth and final regular season Wal-Mart RCL Walleye tournament is June 26-29 on Saginaw Bay in Bay City, Mich.
Following the tournament, 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, Wis., 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 the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit’s first visit to Oshkosh and Lake Winnebago,” said Mark Dorn, director of walleye operations. “The lake is a great fishery and Oshkosh is a wonderful community with a keen interest in walleye fishing.”
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, Newell Rubbermaid, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Snickers, Stanley, Weed Eater and Yamaha Outboards. Associate sponsors are Abu Garcia, Berkley, Eagle Claw, Laker, Plano and Solar Bat.
For tournament entry, register online or call (270) 362-5259.
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