Meleen Leads Day Two at Devils Lake
Category: Tournament
Jun 10th, 2006 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jun 10th, 2006 at 12:00 AM
DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (June 8, 2006) – Pro Paul Meleen of Isle, Minn., along with his co-angler partner, Conrad Johnson of Fargo, N.D., caught five walleyes Thursday weighing 23 pounds, 7 ounces. Meleen’s two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 46 pounds, 8 ounces leads the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event on North Dakota s Devils Lake. Pros are competing for as much as $100,000 for first place. The weather changed dramatically on day two. Wednesday was warm and sunny with a moderate wind, but a cold front pushed through Thursday bringing much cooler temperatures, rain and stiff winds. As a result, the total catch was slightly down, although weights were still strong. Meleen is fishing slip bobbers in dense cover and has four productive areas. The water is relatively deep for standing timber and is clear. “I got five by 12:30 p.m. from the spot I fished yesterday,” he said. “But I had to move to my second spot later in the day to try to get some better fish. I got to my next spot and Pete Harsh was fishing in there by himself. I asked him if it was OK for me to fish the same general area, and he graciously welcomed me in. I made sure to give him plenty of a space. I didn’t catch much there and moved to another spot and caught two 24-inchers at 2 p.m.” “I think I’ve got enough to win. A change in weather shouldn’t hurt me. Today’s weather, with an east wind, is as bad as it gets for my spots.” Harsh, from Sauk Centre, Minn., the leader from day one, only caught four walleyes Thursday, but they were quality fish. He is in second place in the Pro Division with nine walleyes weighing 45 pounds, 7 ounces. Pro Scott Larson of West Fargo, N.D., discovered a solid pattern late in the day Wednesday, and he applied that pattern on day two when he weighed an impressive limit weighing 27 pounds, 8 ounces. His two-day total weighs 42-12 and puts him in third place. Larson is fishing slip bobbers in the trees with a live-bait hook and jighead. He’s fishing about 8 feet deep. His key adjustment was moving to areas of deeper water and thicker trees. Pro Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., has been consistent and remained near the top with a two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 41 pounds – good enough for fourth place. Pro Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., a very good friend of Keenan’s, moved up five places to finish day two in fifth place with 10 walleyes weighing 40 pounds, 10 ounces. Jim Fetzik of Pengilly, Minn., continues to lead the Co-angler Division with 10 walleyes weighing 45 pounds, 8 ounces. Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Conrad Johnson (10 walleyes, 43-7); Dale Todd of Anderson, Ind. (10 walleyes, 41-2); Dewey Watson of Twin Falls, Idaho (10 walleyes, 40-12); and Adam Adler of Oconto Falls, Wis. (10 walleyes, 48-8). Devils Lake State Park on Grahams Island will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7. Thursday and Friday s weigh-ins will also be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located in Devils Lake, beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public. 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 the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight. 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 angler standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the 2006 FLW Walleye Tour Championship. The FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards for the entire field. A guaranteed cash award of $100,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $50,000 will go to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner for a total pro award of $150,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $11,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $11,000 for a total co-angler award of $22,000.