River Rat Randy closes the gap
Zachowski catches 12-5, sees lead shrink to 2 pounds
RED WING, Minn. – The bite on day two of the second Walmart FLW Walleye Tour qualifier was considerably slower. After a gangbuster opening day, the fish bit short and held tight to structure Thursday. These are classic post-front conditions, and even the best walleye anglers in the world have difficulty adjusting.
Overall, 1,070 pounds of fish were brought to the scale compared with 1,257 yesterday. In addition to the post-front situation, the water is dropping, which means the current isn’t as strong. Without a ripping current, the river seams don’t hold fish and become extremely difficult to locate. Those that did well on day two had to grind it out.
Pro Rick Zachowski managed only four keepers and saw his 8-pound lead shrink to only 2 pounds. Zachowski was concerned about the wind yesterday at the conclusion of the weigh-in and said it did hurt him, but the main problem today was pressure caused from increased boat traffic.
“I was the first one to the spot, but there were about 20 boats there shortly after,” said the Milwaukee native. “I really couldn’t work it the way I wanted to.”
Zachowski was more open about his presentation at the halfway point in the tournament. He said he is pitching jigs and working dead sticks with live bait. Within this area, he has two precise spots he likes to fish, and they are located approximately 100 yards apart. He uses his bow-mount trolling motor and ever so slowly trolls up and down the breakline. He shared this spot with Nick Johnson yesterday, and the two combined to pull over 70 pounds from it.
“I don’t know how many fish are left. I wasn’t seeing as many fish on my Lowrance HDS 8. I think the pressure is really taking its toll.
“I’m in the third flight tomorrow, so I’m probably going to do something else in the morning and then come back and try for big ones in the afternoon. More than likely, I’ll be handlining in the river to get a limit.”
Stevens soars to second
Making the biggest move of the day was local guide Randy Stevens. After catching 26 pounds on day one, the Hager City, Wis., pro caught 24-3 for a total weight of 50 pounds, 3 ounces.
Unlike many others near the top of the leaderboard, boat pressure has not been an issue for Stevens. He’s seen other competitors near his areas, but they have shown him tremendous respect.
“It was one at a time; we didn’t catch a lot of fish today,” he said. “I think we caught a grand total of eight, and we got the right bite at the end of the day.”
That last fish measured 27 1/2 inches and came with only 20 minutes left in the day. It was his second-biggest walleye and it greatly improved their weight.
Stevens likes to troll specific spots with live bait at approximately .3 to .4 mph. He fished two areas in Pool 4 Thursday, one of which he didn’t try yesterday.
“One of the reasons I only fished two spots is because I know the other spots I want to go to already have boats on them.”
Johnson slips to third
After catching only 13 pounds, 1 ounce on day two, Johnson thought he would fall to 15th or 20th 
place. When he checked in, he was relieved to learn that the bite was tough across the board. With a two-day total weight of 44 pounds, 11 ounces, the Elmwood, Wis., pro is in third place.
“We spent a lot of time working to get my big fish, and they never did come,” he said. “We eventually had to run around because I always want to make sure I get my five.”
Like Zachowski, Johnson noted a significant increase in boat traffic. The two are sharing an area in Pool 4. While Zachowski hunkered for the entire day, Johnson hopped around and has additional areas in mind.
“I’ve got other spots, but they probably don’t have the quality. I may dabble with my main spot some more.”
Johnson took second here in 2007, fifth the year prior, and he won the 2004 Walleye Tour Championship downstream in the Quad Cities. Last season he also won the final PWT event held out of Hudson, Wis., on Pool 3 and the St. Croix River.
“I don’t care what anybody says, it’s tough to be consistent on this river. Everything about yesterday was right for catching a big bag. It smelled good and it looked good with the storm off in the distance. You just knew they were going to go. I don’t have that feeling anymore, and I predict that Stevens is going to win it.”
Gilman rises to fourth
Chisago City, Minn., pro Chris Gilman continued his unbelievable string of success. After catching 
19 pounds, 11 ounces on day one, Gilman caught 25 pounds even on day two, the heaviest limit of the day.
Gilman is sharing an area in Pool 4 with teammates Pat Byle and Ted Takasaki. All three are currently in the top 10, and all three nearly made the top-10 cutoff at the season opener on Lake Erie.
“The bite is starting later in the day,” he said. “It just seems like the fish don’t go until midmorning. The locals and the guys who fish here a lot have the patience to sit it out. But I’m not one to gamble, so I scrambled and got some small ones so I could calm my nerves down.”
After putting a few 16s and 17s in the livewell, Gilman returned to his big-fish area, which has produced a 29-incher each day. When he’s in scramble mode, he trolls with leadcore line and No. 7 Shad Raps. When he’s hog hunting, Gilman uses three-way rigs.
Takasaki fifth
Takasaki, like Gilman, caught a hefty limit Thursday. They came easy on day one, but that was not the 
case on day two.
“Yesterday we were sitting in the harbor at noon, and today we scrounged until 4 p.m.,” said the East Gull Lake, Minn., pro.
Coincidentally, Takasaki caught 21 pounds, 10 ounces on day two, the identical weight he pulled on opening day.
“I’ll take that same weight tomorrow too,” he quipped. “The fish’s mood was a lot different yesterday than today. I went to my big-fish spot first and struggled. Then I went to my 20-inch spot and caught only two. I scrambled some more, and when I finally returned to my big-fish spot, we caught a nice one right away. Then, for the final two hours, we struggled again.”
Takasaki tried rigging today, but it was largely unsuccessful. His fish came by trolling Shad Raps and Wally Divers.
“The key for me is getting my 20-inchers early so I have time to work on the kickers.”
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros after day two on the Mississippi River:
6th: Pat Byle of Colgate, Wis., 10 walleyes, 41-2
7th: Barry Walker of Big Springs, Neb., 10 walleyes, 38-8
8th: Brett King of Claremont, Minn., 10 walleyes, 36-5
9th: Scott Fairbairn of Hager City, Wis., 10 walleyes, 36-3
10th: Robert Blosser of Poynette, Wis., 10 walleyes, 36-2
Oleson assumes co-angler lead
After fishing with pro Perry Good on day one, veteran co-angler Larry Oleson was paired with 
Stevens, the local guide, on day two. The two combined for a five-fish limit that weighed 24 pounds, 3 ounces, the second-heaviest limit of the day. In doing so, Oleson moved from eighth to the top spot with two days of competition remaining.
“You better believe we had fun,” said Oleson. “We had one fish that took five years off my life and 15 off his. It ended up having whiskers (translation: it was a catfish), so we couldn’t even weigh it.
“It was a long time between bites, to be honest with you. Every time we threatened to move, we would get a fish. I guess threatening them is the key.”
This is the first time Oleson has ever led in his five years on the Walleye Tour.
“It’s a great feeling, but the only place I can go now is down.”
Tomorrow Oleson will fish with pro Tommy Skarlis, the winner of the 2008 Walleye Tour Championship.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top five co-anglers after day two on the Mississippi River:
2nd: Steve Berg of Hudson, Wis., eight walleyes, 45-2
3rd: Chad Neimann of Rochester, Minn., 10 walleyes, 44-10
4th: Robert Brunz of Madison Lake, Minn., 10 walleyes, 39-14
5th: Gary Speicher of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 10 walleyes, 39-13
Day three of FLW Walleye Tour competition on the Mississippi River begins as the field of 100 boats takes off from Bay Point Park in Red Wing at 7 a.m. Central time Friday for the final day of the opening round.