Pierre, S.D.- Today’s weigh-in was another limit fest with almost 100 limits brought in by the RCL competitors. Sunny skies and walleye were certainly not in short supply as RCL pro Jim Knaggs of Ogallala, Neb. lead the pro field and co-angler Doug Iverson of Pierre, S.D. took the lead position into tomorrow’s semifinal round.
“Fishing was definitely better today than yesterday,” said Knaggs. “I caught over 11 pounds yesterday and 14 pounds 5 ounces today. If I can have a similar catch tomorrow, I should be able to make the final.”
Another angler to make a move up in the standings was Lund pro Jim Klick from White Bear Lake, Minn.
“I really had no problem getting fish today,” said Klick. “I hooked one very large sauger about 24 inches long and some real nice fish throughout the day. I am just hoping the big fish show tomorrow.”
Going into tomorrow’s semifinal, all of the 20 anglers who qualified will start from scratch, with no weight carrying over from the previous two days of tournament competition.
Having a competent co-angler can help a pro make the cut.
“I had another good day on the water,” said third place RCL pro Dan Dolinski from Alberta, Canada. “I really feel that having the two good co-angler partners I have had over the last two days really helps.”
Day one leader Jack Neuman of Naperville, Ill. dropped to the fourth spot after day two.
“I had a few decent fish early and tossed them back,” said Neuman. “I didn’t get any big fish, but I caught enough weight to get to the semifinal round. I got done early. I was back to the launch site around 12:30 or 1:00.”
Chris Kindraka of Spruce Grove, Alberta Canada was in the fifth spot after day two.
Co-angler Iverson leads for the second day.
“It is nice to make the cut,” said Iverson. “I just want to make sure I get to the final round.”
Third place co-angler Duane Hons from Laurel, Mont. spoke for many co-anglers who enter an RCL event.
“My goal was to make it to Wal-Mart,” said Hons. “I sure am ready to weigh-in at Wal-Mart tomorrow. I sure am excited.”
The rest of the top five include in second place John Henderson of Pierre, S.D., Bob Stalley from Pierre, S.D. in fourth position and in the fifth spot Mark Fling from Hudson, Colo.
No cull rule haunts rookie pro Emily Jenniges of Pierre, S.D.
“After I did not have a good day yesterday, I planned on coming in with a good limit today,” said Jenniges. “We had our two fish over 18 inches in the livewell and were looking for the rest of the smaller slot fish. We hooked into a huge walleye. We did not bother to weigh it, but it was in the 8-10 pound range and, of course we had to let it go.”
Crestliner pro Wasyl Mirutenko has another version of the one that got away.
“We had five fish in the livewell and we needed to get one more fish to head in,” said Mirutenko. “I caught a decent slot fish and saw it measured. I turned around and tossed it into the lake and started the engine and said lets go. Then it hit me, I tossed the fish into the lake and not into the livewell. Unbelievable.”
Top techniques
Most anglers are pitching jig and minnow combos toward the wooded or rocky shorelines. Trolling crankbaits is also producing for anglers finding areas without much company from other competitors. Anglers pitching jig and minnow combos are also encountering plenty of smallmouth bass which go almost unnoticed by local anglers.
The first place pro angler after Saturday’s final weigh-in will earn $50,000 cash and a fully rigged Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered with a Yamaha or Evinrude outboard.
The first place co-angler will take home $15,000 cash.
Competition resumes at 7 a.m. Friday at Downs Marina in Pierre. Following Friday’s weigh-in at the Pierre Wal-Mart, the field will be cut to the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins start at 4 p.m. at the Pierre Wal-Mart located at 1600 North Harrison Ave.
Quick stats
Total number of pro and co-anglers: 290
Total number of fish weighed in: 770
Total number of fish weighed in alive: 770
Total weight: 1345 pounds 14 ounces
Limits caught: 98
Percent released alive: 100
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