$3.19 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour to begin season on Illinois River
2004 competition starts March 31
SPRING VALLEY, Ill. – The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour returns in 2004 for its fourth full season, and the Illinois River near Spring Valley will host the season opener March 31-April 3 for the second consecutive year. The 2004 RCL Tour is bigger and better than ever before with a $3.19 million total purse, including the season-ending $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River near Moline Sept. 29-Oct. 2. To kick-start the regular season, however, as many as 320 pros and co-anglers will take on the Illinois River for their share of a potential $401,750 purse, based on a full field.
According to Ranger pro Tom Keenan, the $300,000 winner of the 2003 RCL Championship, water level will likely be the determining factor as to how the Illinois River tournament is played out. “Ideally, we’ll see a normal flow,” Keenan said. “That means we’ll have some current and the fish will be bunched up on gravel bars and other structure in about 7 to 10 feet of water. What I’d hate to see is the river at low level or flood stage. Either of those scenarios could add up to some tough fishing.” Productive lures for the Illinois River event will likely include hair jigs, fuzzy grubs and twister tails jigged vertically, and trolling with Shad Rap crankbaits should also tempt the prespawn walleyes.
The Spring Valley Boat Club in Spring Valley will host takeoff each morning at 7. Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-ins will also be held there beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1650 38th St. in Peru beginning at 3 p.m. The community is encouraged to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins.
The winning pro will earn $50,000 cash plus a fully rigged Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha for a top award worth $90,000. The winning co-angler will receive $15,000 cash. One hundred and sixty boaters and 160 co-anglers comprise a full field. Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers.
The full field competes during the two-day opening round for one of 20 semifinal-round slots based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for day three, and the top 10 pros and co-anglers following Friday’s competition advance to the final round. Final-round anglers continue, with the winner determined by the heaviest two-day weight.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 to second, 198 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings. The top 120 pros and 120 co-anglers based on year-end points standings advance to the 2004 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship, where a pro can earn as much as $400,000 cash for a win. Another 20 boaters and 20 co-anglers from the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League and 60 pros and 60 co-anglers who compete in RCL-sanctioned events will comprise a championship field of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers.
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.
The RCL Tour will next visit Lake Erie near Port Clinton, Ohio, April 28-May 1 for an event presented by Yamaha. Devils Lake near Spirit Lake, N.D., will host the third regular-season event May 26-29, and the regular season will come to a close June 16-19 on Lake Oahe near Pierre, S.D.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour is administered by FLW Outdoors. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League for weekend anglers; the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world’s most lucrative bass-tournament series; the EverStart Series, designed as a pathway to the FLW Tour; the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League for weekend anglers; and the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For more information about the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, browse this Web site or call (270) 252-1000.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour and the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League are named after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund. FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.