Seelhoff surges to day-one lead
Veteran pro sacks 18-8 on Missouri River
BISMARCK, N.D. – The fishing during the practice period leading up to the 2008 Walmart FLW Walleye Tour Championship was unbelievable. Most anglers were catching 30 fish per day by trolling crankbaits near Fort Yates, N.D. But thanks to a cold front, the water temperature dropped 5 degrees and the visibility deteriorated, leaving many of the 54 pros scratching their heads.
When the bite gets tough, the advantage goes to the wily veterans. Heavy hitters such as Ted Takasaki and Chris Gilman announced their presence in Bismarck on Wednesday with big bags. But none were bigger than Ron Seelhoff’s.
The Burlington, Colo., pro caught a five-walleye limit on day one weighing 18 pounds, 8 ounces, and he did it with relative ease.
“We actually came in an hour early,” said the 1999 and 2000 PWT Championship winner. “At 1 p.m. we made our way back. The fishing was great, but it sure is nerve-racking driving 55 miles in these conditions.”
Seelhoff said he was confident heading out this morning after a strong prefish.
“I was hoping for 18 pounds a day, but the area I’m fishing is really getting hit hard. When I first got here, it was just an unbelievable bite. There’s just so many fish.”
The pro leader tried two areas – one located 55 miles south of MacLean Bottoms and the other 40 miles south. In both spots, he trolls crankbaits, although the setup is a little different. Crankbait fishing near Bismarck is nothing new to Seelhoff. In addition to winning the 2000 PWT Championship on the Missouri River, he has taken second three times.
“When I was doing well back then, I was the only one pulling crankbaits. Now everyone is a crankbait expert.”
Currently, his crankbait of choice is a Rapala Minnow Rap. When he’s fishing deeper water, he uses leadcore; when he is fishing shallow, he uses Fireline.
“The depth and the speed is the key. Honestly, this is the best I’ve ever seen this place fish, and I’ve been coming here since 1996. The way this fishery has rebounded is just incredible.”
King second
Trailing Seelhoff by less than a pound is Claremont, Minn., pro Brett King. Despite not having a fish in 
the livewell at 11:30 this morning, King managed an impressive 17-pound, 15-ounce limit.
“We didn’t catch a lot of fish, but we never hit the panic button,” said the second-place pro. “Between 11:30 and noon, we got our two big fish.”
King’s biggest weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces, and he had another that was right around 4 pounds.
“We started our day around 20 miles south of the launch by pulling spinners and crawlers. That was unproductive, so we went all the way down.”
When King says all the way down, he means 15 miles north of the North Dakota-South Dakota border. Like many others, he trolls crankbaits with leadcore in the area.
“I’m probably playing with my speed more than others. That and there are seams in the current that you’ve got to be able to read.”
Although this is only King’s second Walleye Tour Championship, he’s comfortable on rivers – considering Pool 4 of the Mississippi River to be his home water.
Takasaki third
With five walleyes weighing 17 pounds, 11 ounces, Takasaki sits in third at the conclusion of day one. The East Gull Lake, Minn., angler said he is running 45 miles to the south. There he is working two patterns – jigging and trolling. He jigs with both minnows and night crawlers on Lindy Max Gap jigs. When he trolls, he uses Bomber 24As and Wally Divers.
“I’m pretty happy with that,” Takasaki said of his 17-11. “We caught two 23-inchers that were over 4 pounds, and we didn’t burn nearly as much gas as I thought we would.”
In total, Takasaki caught a dozen keeper walleyes on the day. His bite was much better early in the morning.
“I like the fact that I’m jigging and trolling. If one doesn’t work, I can scratch out a limit with the other.”
Gilman fourth
Gilman of Chisago City, Minn., trails Takasaki by 15 ounces with 16-12. Throughout the year, Gilman has demonstrated remarkable consistency. Other than a counting error at Lake Erie, Gilman has been nearly flawless.
“I needed a really good championship,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of friends here and my wife came with me, so I had to perform.”
Gilman said he tried four spots on the day, two of which held fish. He, too, ran south, stopping periodically to check a few spots.
“We had to change presentations because the fish were repositioned. I think I made a good adjustment.”
Heartland Division boater fifth
In fifth place with 16 pounds, 2 ounces is FLW Walleye League boater Mark Michael of Princeton, Ill. Michael qualified for the tour-level championship by winning the points race in the Heartland Division of the Walleye League.
“It was real slow going early,” he said. “It was almost time to go in, and we only had three fish. “We switched programs and caught three fish in a row to end the day.”
Michael’s biggest walleye weighed 4 pounds, 10 ounces.
Best of the rest
Rounding out the top 10 pros after day one on the Missouri River:
6th: Ross Grothe of Northfield, Minn., 15-10
7th: Joe Okada of Fitchburg, Wis., 15-2
8th: Pat Byle of Colgate, Wis., 15-1
9th: Joe Jochman of Appleton, Wis., 14-8
10th: Tom Brunz of Madison Lake, Minn., 14-5
10th: Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., 14-5
10th: Bill Ortiz of Richland Center, Wis., 14-5
Ringling reels in top co-angler spot
Del Ringling of Valley, Neb., got to fish with walleye royalty on day one of the championship, and he made the most of his opportunity. Paired with Seelhoff, the Missouri River expert and pro leader, Ringling caught a five-fish limit weighing 18 pounds, 8 ounces. This is Ringling’s first appearance in the Walleye Tour Championship. He qualified by finishing 42nd in the points race.
High five co-anglers
Edward Piekutowski of Moorhead, Minn., placed second with 17-15, while Nate Brunz of Madison Lake, Minn., took third with 17-11. Chuck Jones of Michigan City, Ind., sits in fourth with 16-12, and Darrell Martin of Forest Lake, Minn., is fifth at 16-2.
Day two of FLW Walleye Tour action on the Missouri River continues at Thursday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7:30 a.m. Central time at MacLean Bottoms located just off Highway 1804. After Thursday’s competition, the field will be trimmed to the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers.