Stoflet sacks Walleye League Wisconsin win on Green Bay

Schultz top co-angler

MENOMINEE, Mich. – Boater Dean Stoflet of Nekoosa, Wis., earned $3,600 Sunday as winner of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Wisconsin Division Super Tournament on Green Bay. Stoflet, caught five walleyes weighing 35 pounds, 3 ounces on day one to make the top-15 cut in first place. He caught five walleyes weighing 33 pounds, 12 ounces in the final round to secure his first Walleye League victory with a two-day total of 68 pounds, 15 ounces.

“This is awesome,” said Stofet, who has three top-10 finishes this year. “I’ve been fishing these events for a long time and everything finally fell in place.”

Stoflet, who also won $750 Ranger bonus, trolled crawler harnesses with Northland blades in 15 to 25 feet of water concentrating on rocky areas.

“The wind switched to every direction possible,” said Stoflet, who is a full-time guide in central Wisconsin. “My Minn Kota Vantage helped me keep my boat in position and at the exact speeded I needed to get the fish to bite.”

Rounding out the top five boaters Brian Deffner of Eland, Wis. (nine walleyes, 64 pounds, 06 ounces, $2,000 plus $500 contingency bonus); Richard Konrad of Brillion, Wis. (10 walleyes, 61 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,800 plus $400 contingency bonus); Lynn Niklasch of Oconomowoc, Wis. (10 walleyes, 50 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,600) and David Hackett of Amherst, Wis. (six walleyes, 45 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,280 plus $250 contingency bonus).

Randy Schultz of Fond du Lac, Wis., earned $1,800 as winner of the Co-angler Division with nine walleyes, 68 pounds, 1 ounce.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Dennis Bennett of Kingston, Ill. (nine walleyes, 62 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,000); Randy Ludwig of Neenah, Wis. (eight walleyes, 58 pounds, 7 ounces, $900) Mark Cloutier of Escanaba, Mich. (10 walleyes, 56 pounds, 12 ounces, $800); and Ryan Schroeder of Manitowoc, Wis. (nine walleyes, 47 pounds, 9 ounces, $640).

Three FLW Walleye League divisions – Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin – each feature three one-day events and one two-day Super Tournament during the regular season. Every angler who receives weight credit earns points, with 100 points awarded to the winner, 99 for second, 98 for third, and so on, except for Super Tournaments, which award 150 points to the winner, 149 for second, 148 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings.

The top 35 boaters and 35 co-anglers from each FLW Walleye League division advance to the $141,950 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals, set for Sept. 7-9 on Lake Michigan in Escanaba, Mich. Anglers finishing in the top 10 in each division also receive priority entry into the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour for 2007.

The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League was created to provide the grassroots walleye angler a chance to compete in professionally administered, close-to-home tournaments with lucrative cash awards.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.