LAPINE LEADS FLW WALLEYE TOUR EVENT ON ILLINOIS RIVER
Windy conditions continue in close tournament
SPRING VALLEY, Ill. (April 30, 2010) – Pro Jacob Lapine of Fond Du Lac, Wis., and co-angler Scott Perz of Crystal Lake, Ill., caught five walleyes weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces Friday to propel Lapine into the lead at the FLW Walleye Tour Eastern Division tournament on the Illinois River. Lapine now has a two-day catch of 10 walleyes weighing 15-14 and a 4-ounce lead over second place going into the final day of competition. Anglers are fishing for top awards of up to $35,000 in the Pro Division and up to $7,500 in the Co-angler Division.
“It was nothing fast and furious,” said Lapine. “I’m just hoping to get five good hits during the day.”
Lapine said he caught about 75 fish during the course of the day, including eight weighable fish, by pulling a three-way rig. Lapine said he is optimistic going into the last day of the event.
“It looks like it’s supposed to be windy tomorrow,” Lapine said. “It will be about the same conditions we’ve had to deal with the last two days. I’ve got to go out there and do what I’ve been doing and hope I get the right bite. It all depends on getting one or two nice fish during the day to hit.
“It’s going to be a close tournament,” Lapine added. “The weights are so close together … all it takes is one good kicker fish to push things around.”
Rounding out the top-10 pros are:
2nd: Tommy Skarlis, Waukon, Iowa,10 walleyes, 15-10
3rd: John Balla, Bartlett, Ill.,10 walleyes, 15-9
4th: David Kolb, Rockford, Mich., 10 walleyes, 15-1
5th: Tom Keenan, Hatley, Wis., nine walleyes, 13-2
6th: Ryan Jirik, Rhinelander, Wis., 10 walleyes, 12-13
7th: Chris Gilman, Chisago City, Minn., 10 walleyes, 11-9
8th: Chevy pro Jason Przekurat, Stevens Point, Wis., nine walleyes, 10-12
9th: Pat Byle, Colgate, Wis., nine walleyes, 10-11
10th: Dan Stier, Mina, S.D., eight walleyes, 10-10
Steve Beasley of Macomb, Mich., leads the Co-angler Division with 10 walleyes weighing 16-2 followed by John Spiegel of Appleton, Wis., in second place with 10 walleyes weighing 14-9.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Craig Cayemberg, Valders, Wis., 10 walleyes, 13-4
4th: Jim Milewsky, Bondurant, Iowa, 10 walleyes, 12-15
5th: Thomas Kaus, Lake Zurich, Ill., 10 walleyes, 12-3
6th: Scott Perz of Crystal Lake, Ill., seven walleyes, 11-13
7th: Tim Depooter, Rock Island, Ill., 10 walleyes, 11-12
8th: Richard Dobbs, Woodridge, Ill., 10 walleyes, 11-8
9th: Mark Grahn Sr., Wautoma, Wis., eight walleyes, 11-4
10th: Jeff Edwards, Washington, Ill., nine walleyes, 10-11
Overall there were 98 walleyes weighing 127 pounds, 14 ounces caught Friday. The catch included nine five-walleye limits.
In FLW Walleye Tour competition, pros and cos are also competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship held on Leech Lake in Walker, Minn., Sept. 23-25.
Top-5 anglers and co-anglers will take off from Spring Valley Boat Club located at 13862 Illinois Hwy. 89 in Spring Valley, Ill., at 7 a.m. Saturday for the final day of competition. The final weigh-in will be held at the Spring Valley Boat Club beginning at 3 p.m.
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.
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