MOLINE, Ill., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Ranger pro Nick Johnson of Elmwood,
Wis., caught four walleyes weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the
$1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River near
Moline. Johnson, who qualified for the championship as the 10th ranked angler
on the 2004 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, took home $300,000 -- the largest
first-place award in walleye tournament fishing.
RCL anglers experienced tough fishing conditions throughout the week.
Fluctuating weather and water conditions resulted in scattered walleyes and
saugers. Along with the tough bite, local regulations prevented anglers from
weighing heavier catches. Legal walleyes must be a minimum of 15 inches but
cannot fall within a 20- to 27-inch slot. Only two walleyes over the slot were
weighed during the event. Some pros reported catching a dozen or more fish in
the slot each day and could have potentially weighed 25-30 pounds without the
restriction. There is no slot limit on saugers.
"This is really overwhelming," said Johnson, whose previous best finish on
the RCL Walleye Tour in 2004 was a 10th-place finish on Devils Lake.
"I was fishing about two miles above Lock 14," Johnson said. "I was using
a really simple three-way rig with a floater and 6-foot lead. Fire tiger was
the best color.
"I learned how to fish back home on Pool 4, and the river basically fishes
the same here."
Johnson has been the most consistent pro throughout the event. He opened
the tournament in second place on day one and never dropped below third place.
Rounding out the top six pros were Russell McDonald of Dryden, Ontario
(three fish, 5 pounds, 6 ounces); John Hertensteiner of Victoria, Minn. (three
fish, 4 pounds, 12 ounces); Richard LaCourse of Port Clinton, Ohio (three
fish, 4 pounds, 1 ounce); Brad Knoll of Menasha, Wis. (one fish, 1 pounds, 9
ounces); and Dan Plautz of Muskego, Wis. (one fish, 1 pounds, 4 ounces).
Plautz also won the Shop-Vac Clean Sweep Award, which goes to the pro
angler that had the heaviest first-round weight. Plautz caught 10 fish in the
first round weighing 18 pounds, 13 ounces and takes home four Shop-Vac
products. McDonald won the Energizer Keeps on Going Award, which goes to the
pro angler that comes from the farthest behind on day one to qualify for the
final round. McDonald, who caught two fish that weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce on
day one, won a $500 Wal-Mart gift card.
Chris Froelich of Maple Lake, Minn., a rookie on the RCL Tour, won the
Co-angler Division Friday and earned $75,000 plus a $45,000 bonus for being a
registered Lund owner and $30,000 for being a registered Yamaha owner.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship field was comprised of anglers who
qualified for the event via the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart RCL
Walleye League and other sanctioned tournament organizations. Pros and co-
anglers were randomly paired each day and fished for a combined boat weight.
Pros supplied the boat and tackle and controlled boat movement.
The top 12 pros and 12 co-anglers advanced to Friday's semifinal round
based on their two-day, opening round weight. Weights were cleared for the
semifinal round, and were cleared again for the top six pros that competed
Saturday.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship is administered by FLW Outdoors and
named after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund. FLW Outdoors, the
world's leading marketer of competitive fishing, is named after the legendary
founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW
Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW
Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more
information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit
FLWOutdoors.com.
Editor's Note: For complete results and high-resolution photos, visit the
Media Center located at the top of FLWOutdoors.com.
SOURCE FLW Outdoors
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Related links:
http://www.flwoutdoors.com
CONTACT:
Dave Washburn, Communications Director of FLW
Outdoors, +1-270-703-2380
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