Weihrauch, Berscheid win Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League event on Mille Lacs

Boater Tom Weihrauch (pictured) of St. Cloud, Minn., and co-angler Rick Berscheid of Long Prairie, Minn., won the RCL Walleye League Minnesota Division tournament held June 26 on Mille Lacs near Isle, Minn.

June 26, 2004 • MLF • Archives

ISLE, Minn. – Boater Tom Weihrauch of St. Cloud and co-angler Rick Berscheid of Long Prairie combined for a total of five walleyes weighing 11 pounds, 5 ounces to win the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League Minnesota Division tournament held Saturday on Mille Lacs near Isle. Weihrauch claimed $2,240 plus a $500 contingency bonus for the win, with Berscheid earning $1,120 plus a $250 contingency bonus in Saturday’s event.

Weihrauch and Berscheid caught their winning limit of walleyes by slowly trolling a live-bait rig with leeches. They used a 3/8-ounce slip weight on 6-pound Trilene. The pair fished gravel flats around 30 feet deep on the south end of the lake.

Finishing second were Steve Adelmann of Blaine ($1,152) and Peter Werner of St. Stephen ($576 plus $200 bonus) with five walleyes weighing 11 pounds. Steve Bradt of Hudson, Wis. ($960 plus $300 bonus) and Jeff Sather of Montevideo ($480 plus $150 bonus) caught four walleyes weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces to finish in third place. Steve Bissett of Garrison ($832 plus $250 bonus) and Nicole Bassing of Braham ($416) claimed fourth place with one walleye that weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Finishing fifth were Troy Robinson of Becker ($576 plus $200 bonus) and Michael Von Lorenz of Shakopee ($288 plus $100 bonus) thanks to a four-walleye catch that weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces.

The Minnesota Division’s next stop will be the final regular-season event, a two-day Super Tournament, July 24-25 on Leech Lake. Boaters and co-anglers who finish in the top 25 in final points standings in each RCL Walleye League division will advance to the $100,000 RCL League Finals Sept. 2-4 on Bays de Noc in Escanaba, Mich. The winning boater at the finals will receive an Evinrude-or Yamaha-powered Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, and so on, except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 298 to second, and so on.

Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League boaters and co-anglers fish together for a combined boat weight, with boaters competing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing against other co-anglers. The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League meets the needs of America’s fishing masses by providing professionally administered, close-to-home, affordable events with lucrative cash purses.

The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League is administered by FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, the world’s most lucrative walleye-fishing series; the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world’s most lucrative bass-fishing 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 a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com’s sponsor page.

For more information about the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.