SPIRIT LAKE, N.D. – The $3.07 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour will wrap up its regular season June 18-21 on Devils Lake, where as many as 330 walleye anglers from 19 states and Canada will compete for four days to claim their share of a $386,000 purse.
Trees are the secret to success on Devils Lake, according to 2002 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship winner Bruce Samson of Minnetrista, Minn. Walleyes will be found in the lake’s abundant tree structure, and they’ll likely bite if presented with jigs tipped with leeches, minnows or night crawlers. Another option, according to Samson, is throwing firetiger crankbaits into the trees. The lake’s plentiful weedbeds are also likely to yield walleyes when hit with firetiger or perch-colored spinner baits.
Spirit Lake Casino and Resort will host daily takeoffs at 7 a.m. as well as Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-ins beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 21 Highway No. 2 W. in Devils Lake beginning at 4 p.m.
The winning pro on Devils Lake will receive a guaranteed cash award of $50,000 plus a Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha and trailer for a top award worth $90,000. The winning co-angler earns $15,000 cash. In RCL competition, pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight and are randomly paired each day.
At the conclusion of a two-day opening round, the field is cut to the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers who fish the one-day semifinal round. Only the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers advance to the one-day final round. Each boat is allowed a five-walleye limit on each day of competition.
The top 35 pros and top 35 co-anglers from each of four qualifying events earn entry into the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship. Another 60 spots in the championship will be filled by anglers who compete in RCL-sanctioned events for a total of 200 championship contenders in each division. The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards through 100th place. Including sponsor bonuses, cash awards are available through 200th place. A guaranteed cash award of $150,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $250,000 will go to the RCL Championship winner for a total pro award of $400,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $75,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $75,000 for a co-angler award of $150,000.
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