Walleye supremacy to be decided by ounces
$650,000 FLW Walleye Tour Championship under way
BISMARCK, N.D. – The walleye fishing on the Missouri River near North Dakota’s capital city is first-rate. The system is healthy and chock full of 18- and 19-inch fish. That means nearly every one of the 54 Walmart FLW Walleye Tour Championship qualifiers will have five-fish limits to bring to the Bismarck Civic Center. It also means the season-ending tournament will be an ounce-for-ounce scrap.
While walleyes abound in Bismarck, most of the field will be running 55 miles to the south near the North Dakota-South Dakota border. While it sounds like a crazy strategy, this is the no-entry-fee championship, and pros will pull out all the stops in order to claim the $150,000 first-place purse.
The reason for the long runs is simple – quality fish. In addition to the fat 18-inchers, 23- and 24-inch fish can be found near Fort Yates, N.D. But the trip toward the border takes roughly an hour and a half each way – effectively trimming three hours from an angler’s precious fishing time. And navigation is no easy task either. The Missouri River in south-central North Dakota is a maze of sand bars and stump fields that appear one day and are gone the next. Most qualifiers began their lengthy practice by learning the perils of the river and how best to pilot its dangerous waters.
“The river turns to a reservoir down in that area,” said Northfield, Minn., pro Ross Grothe. “This is the time of year the migration north begins. But the fish aren’t going to migrate when the water is dropping. Right now, they are staging. In a few weeks, the fish that are 60 miles south will be in town – they are beginning to move.”
Grothe estimates 95 percent of the field will be fishing a 15-mile stretch to the south.
“There is more than enough water for everybody. I’m going to hopscotch my way down. I’ve got a milk run that I’m going to hit before I reach my final destination. The goal is to find active fish.”
G3 pro Chad Schilling is also making the long run south. Schilling grew up on Lake Oahe in Akaska, S.D. He figures the closer he can get to home the better.
“I’m running pretty much all the way to the border,” said Schilling. “I’m going to where the fish know my name.”
Once the time-consuming treks are complete, the crankbaits will come out in full force. The most popular cranks this week will be jointed Shad Raps and Berkley Frenzy Flicker Shads.
“The primary forage used to be smelt,” Grothe added. “Now, since they’ve had some mild winters, it’s been shad. So you have to change the profile of cranks you’re using.”
Most of those cranks will be trolled on leadcore line, and they will be bitten often. For the majority, the problem isn’t catching fish, it’s selecting which fish to keep and when. North Dakota is a no-cull state, although anglers are allowed to keep eight fish in the livewell and weigh their best five.
“I’d like to get a minimum of all 18-inchers, and in the process get a kicker or two,” said Grothe.
Logistics
MacLean Bottoms, located just off Highway 1804, is hosting daily takeoffs at 7:30 a.m. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the Bismarck Civic Center, located at 315 S. 5th St., beginning at 4:30 p.m. The community is invited to attend takeoffs and weigh-ins as well as the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday. Saturday is free fishing rod and reel day at the Fun Zone, where the first 200 children 14 and under receive a free fishing rod and reel.
The winning pro at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship is guaranteed a cash award of $100,000. If the winner is a qualifying Ranger or G3 boat owner, he will earn a $25,000 bonus, and if the boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he will receive another $25,000 bonus for a total cash award of $150,000.
The winning co-angler is guaranteed $10,000 cash and is eligible for a $5,000 bonus from Ranger or G3 if he is a registered owner. The winning co-angler will also receive a $5,000 bonus from Evinrude or Yamaha if his boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard.
Tournament rules
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes for two days and then is cut to the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers for day three.
Anglers in both divisions start from zero on day three, and co-angler competition concludes with the winner determined by the day’s heaviest catch. Pros carry their weights over to day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
On TV
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the Missouri River will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on Nov. 30 as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” airs Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. Eastern time in most markets.
On the Web
For walleye-fishing fans unable to attend the festivities in person, you can catch all the weigh-in action live at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live. Show time starts at 4:30 p.m. Central today.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:33 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 46 degrees
Expected high temperature: 70 degrees
Water temperature: 63-66 degrees
Wind: SW at 10 mph
Maximum humidity: 58 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy