Brosdahl Takes Lead at Walmart FLW Walleye Tour Event on Leech Lake
Category: press release
Jun 12th, 2009 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jun 12th, 2009 at 12:00 AM
WALKER, Minn. (June 12, 2009) – Pro Brian Brosdahl of Max, Minn., along with co-angler Dave Holte of Rapid City, S.D., caught five walleyes weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces to propel Brosdahl into the lead of the Walmart FLW Walleye Tour presented by Berkley on Leech Lake in Walker, Minn. Brosdahl now has a three-day catch of 15 walleyes weighing 46-9 and a 1-ounce lead over second place going into the final day of competition of the nationally televised tournament. Anglers from 18 states and three Canadian provinces are fishing for total cash awards of $155,000 in the Pro Division and $30,380 in the Co-angler Division.
Brosdahl’s day was filled with surprises. “Today started out really slow, although we caught a 35-inch northern pike that fought just like a walleye and had us running all around the boat,” he grinned. “It was fun but in a tournament it’s kind of a bummer.”
Finding keeper-size walleyes proved challenging, given the lake’s 18- to 26-inch protected slot. “We caught 22s, 23s and 24s before we finally got an ‘over,’ then moved to a spot where I had seen some large fish earlier,” said Brosdahl. “We didn’t get much we could keep there, either-a 19, 21 and 24-but right before we were going to leave I pitched a jig and slammed a 28, which was our second big fish at that point.”
That was around 11 a.m. With two overs in the box, Brosdahl and Holte abandoned their big-bite areas in Walker Bay and headed onto the main lake to hunt for walleyes under the protected slot. Their quest didn’t end until the waning moments of competition. “We got a 14- and 15 ½-incher out there, along with a lot of fish that just touched 18 inches,” said Brosdahl. “Not wanting to beat up the fish we did have in the livewell, we moved back into the bay one fish short of our limit. We fished there until, with a minute to spare before heading for the weigh-in, I lifted my electric motor and caught a 15-incher-our final slot fish of the day.”
Headed into the final day of the tournament in first place, Brosdahl plans to maintain his simple but effective strategy. “Tomorrow I’m going to approach it like I did today-watch the weather and make changes accordingly. Bottom line, we’re going fishing,” he quipped. “Every time out is just like a guide trip. Today, we even stopped for a sandwich.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros are Team Chevy pro Keenan of Hatley, Wis. (15 walleyes, 46-8); Chris Gilman of Chisago City, Minn. (13 walleyes, 42-0); Dan Stier of Pierre, S.D. (12 walleyes, 40-8); Kevin Larkins of Greenwood, Neb. (15 walleyes, 40-2); Rick Olson of Mina, S.D. (15 walleyes, 38-1); Brian Bjorkman of Fargo, N.D. (11 walleyes, 36-5); Toby Kvalevog of Brainerd, Minn. (15 walleyes, 35-4); Andy Renner of Spicer, Minn. (13 walleyes, 34-14); and Scott Steil of Richmond, Minn. (11 walleyes, 34-4).
Larry Oleson of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., leads the co-angler division with a three-day weight and 11 walleyes weighing 38-14. Oleson fished with Dennis Jeffrey on Day One, Matt Ernst on Day Two and Rock McGillivary on Day Three.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are Paul Doute, Jr. of Southgate, Mich. (15 walleyes, 38-14); Justin Steinke of Birnamwood, Wis. (15 walleyes, 38-7); Gerud Hetland of Maple Grove, Minn. (13 walleyes, 36-9); Tim Renner of Spicer, Minn. (15 walleyes, 35-1); Jerome Meyer of Hutchinson, Minn. (14 walleyes, 34-15); Scott Perz of Crystal Lake, Ill. (11 walleyes, 34-14); Brian Dembouski of Isle, Minn. (15 walleyes, 33-12); Darrell Martin of Forest Lake, Minn. (12 walleyes, 33-4); and Terry Reishus of Buffalo, Minn. (15 walleyes, 32-14).
Renner remained upbeat after slipping from first to fifth in the co-angler standings. “We tried about everything today and got our unders but that was it,” he said. “Tomorrow’s a new day, though. Hopefully we’ll hammer them.”
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 during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with winners determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
Overall there were 389 walleyes weighing 757 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 93 boats Friday. The catch included 65 five-walleye limits.
Blue Water Lodge & Marina, located at 7051 Wintergreen Trail in Walker, will host takeoffs Saturday morning at 7 a.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Northern Lights Casino located at 6800 Y Frontage Rd. MW in Walker beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend takeoff and the final weigh-in, which are free and open to the public.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 150 points awarded to the winner, 149 to second, 148 for third, and so on. These points determine Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers in the standings will advance to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 30-Oct. 3 for a shot at top awards of $150,000 and $20,000, respectively. The prestigious championship, hosted by the Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau, will also feature boater and co-angler points champions from each of four Walmart FLW Walleye League divisions. The no-entry-fee FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with cash awards for the entire field.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour, hosted by the Northern Lights Casino, will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors,” will air Sept. 6 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.