Unbelievable as it may sound, it snowed today while the 20 pro and co-angler semifinalists battled it out for a shot at Saturday’s final round and a piece of $346,000 cash at the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit tournament on the Detroit River. Although there was not much accumulation of snow, there were times when the wind blew hard enough to create a white-out condition on some of the local roads. Even with Mother Nature throwing curve balls, 10 pro and co-anglers struggled through it all to fish another day.
Big fish hit early for today’s leader.
“I had a great day fishing today,” said RCL pro Ron Gazvoda of Lakewood, Colo. “The big fish hit early. This is my first time fishing this river. My practice was horrible, but the great fishing that is available on this river is just starting to turn on.”
Gazvoda weighed in a hefty 31 pound 14 ounce stringer. This was Gazvoda’s second 30-pound plus stringer in the last two days.
Local pro Tom Dinneweth of Dearborn Heights, Mich. also ran into early morning action. Not only did he see a good stringer of fish, he also got a stringer of troubles.
“I caught all of my fish early,” said Dinneweth. “I only had 7 fish in the boat all day. By noon they shut off. Then I hopped, skipped and jigged all over the river and didn’t catch anything. Then my trolling motor broke down, but that is getting fixed for tomorrow.”
Dinneweth ended the day with a limit that weighed 26 pounds and 1 ounce.
Finishing the day in third position with a 23 pound 13 ounce limit was RCL pro Rick Cole from Elwood, Ind. Rick was going to stick around even if he did not make the cut.
“I had a good day and am glad to have made the finals,” said Cole. “The funny thing was that Sonny Reynolds asked me to give him a hand if I didn’t make the cut. I didn’t know if I should have been insulted.”
Day one leader RCL pro Wasyl Mirutenko from Hawthorne Woods, Ill. was already packed and ready to drive home after he weighed his fish this afternoon.
“I was so depressed with weighing in only 5 little fish,” said Mirutenko. “After I saw that I only had 12 pounds and 7 ounces my fishing partner and I packed the truck and were ready to head back to Illinois. We are fishing a tournament on Sunday on the Chain O’Lakes. I squeaked into the tenth and final spot. I am very fortunate. “
Mirutenko was impressed by local anglers’ abilities.
“I’ll tell you what, I was fishing the Trenton Channel today and saw some huge fish caught,” said Mirutenko. “There were a couple of local anglers that would have been in the lead today. I only caught six small fish today. The locals produced some 10-pounders.”
The rest of the pro field in Saturday’s final includes Jeff Russell from Grand Haven, Mich., Danny Plautz from Milwaukee, Wis., Brian Ney from Baudette, Minn, Todd Riley from Amery, Wis., Chris Bahl from Sidney, Neb., and John Hertensteiner from Victoria, Minn.
The pro anglers will be battling for a first place prize of $50,000 cash and a fully rigged Ranger, Crestliner or Lund Boat. In addition to the prizes anglers earn valuable points toward the prestigious Angler-of-the-Year title.
Thomas Nordyke of Newport, Mich leads the co-angler field into tomorrow’s final round.
“I had a great time fishing with Ron (Gazvoda) today,” said Nordyke. “We caught good fish. Tomorrow I hope I get bigger fish.”
Unlike bass fishing tournaments, the co-anglers are a vital part of the overall success of the pro angler. Since both anglers share the weight, it is vital for their success that they work as a team.
“I’ll tell you what, the co-anglers I have fished with are great people,” said RCL pro and finalist John Hertensteiner of Victoria, Minn. “When I am down, the great attitude the co-anglers bring with them can really keep you going when the bite is tough.”
Pro finalist Chris Bahl has a similar opinion of co-anglers.
“My co-angler helped me keep it together today,” said Bahl. “My big engine failed today. We finally got it repaired and through it all, he kept me calm. We made it through a tough day together. He’s alive, I’m alive, so we had a good day.” The calming influence on Bahl was co-angler James Jansen of Roseville, Mich.
Co-angler finalist Denny Eldredge of Stanton, Mich. has big bucks on his mind.
“I really had a lot of fun fishing with Tom Dinneweth today,” said Eldredge. “We caught fish today. Tomorrow I am going for the big bucks!”
Big bucks are certainly what awaits the winner of the final round in the co-angler division. The co-angler champion will walk away with $15,000 cash.
Saturday’s outlook
With air temperatures expected to be in the mid-forties with partly sunny skies, anglers might be greeted with more active walleye. Local anglers suggest that with as little as a one or two degree increase in water temperature, the big walleye might become very active.
Tomorrow’s weigh-in is at 4 p.m. and will be held at Wal-Mart located at 755 Telegraph Road Taylor, Mich.
Quick stats
Total number of fish weighed in: 69
Total number of fish weighed in alive: 69
Total weight: 267 pounds 11 ounces
Percent alive: 100
Limits caught: 9