New York Pro Extends PWT Tournament Lead on Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas
Category: Tournament
May 12th, 2005 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified May 12th, 2005 at 12:00 AM
Todd Frank, Pulaski, NY, guides for walleyes and salmon. This week, he is showing the world that he is also rated as a top professional walleye angler. He already has one In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail victory to his credit. If he performs as well on the third and final day of the Lowrance/Berkley Pro-Am, Friday, May 13, he will collect $65,000 and another first-place trophy.Frank’s 2-day total of 41.54 pounds on Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas is 10 pounds better than pro Bill Ortiz, Richland Center, Wis. Pro Gary Parsons, Glidden, Wis., is in third with 30.08 pounds. Twin Lake, Mich. pro Mark Martin is in fourth with 28.20 pounds. The top four pros and Steve Fellegy, Aitkin, Minn. are the only anglers with 5-fish limits each day.PWT pros fish with different amateurs/co-anglers each day, and the top amateur is Larry Devors, Salesville, AR. Day two proved once again that walleyes could be caught in water as shallow as seven feet, all the way down to the tree-tops (about 40 to 60 feet below the surface). The unusually cool spring has allowed fish to live wherever they want. Within a couple weeks, the traditional thermocline will set-up, and walleyes will be at or above this depth.A total of 193 walleyes came to the scales on day two; 169 were caught on day one. They averaged three pounds. Anglers commented on the PWT weigh-stage about all the fish they caught during practice week, and the many species that came to net with walleye tactics. Most common methods being utilized are trolling crankbaits relatively shallow (7 to 20 feet) along shorelines; trolling deep for suspended walleyes; casting crankbaits shallow; and pulling spinners and nightcrawlers.The top seven pros through two days have a total of 15 PWT victories. Dan Stier, Pierre, SD is in fifth; Fellegy is sixth; and Tommy Skarlis, Dorchester, Iowa is seventh. Pro Marc St. Martin, Maplewood, Minn., and Dale Weeks, St. Francis, Kan caught the Coleman Big Fish of day two. Their big walleye weighed 7.36 pounds.The final day will include winning pros telling their stories from the stage at Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock, starting at 3 p.m. Friday, May 13. The PWT tour continues with a tournament on Lake Cumberland in Russell Springs, KY June 1-3. The walleye cross-country fun then moves to Saginaw Bay in Bay City, Mich., then to Mobridge, SD on Lake Oahe, and finally on Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in late August. Amateur/co-angler spots remain at the Michigan events. To find out more, check the PWT website: www.professionalwalleyetrail.com. The Mercury Championship occurs on Milford Lake near Junction City, Kan in mid-September.Bulls Shoals Boat Dock (870-445-4424), Bel’Arco Resort (870-44504242), and Bull Shoals Chamber of Commerce (800-447-1290) and these business partners: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel, Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota, Trilene, Frenzy, Blue Fox, Powerbait, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman, Storm, Boat Buckle, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt, E-Z Loader, Raymarine, Rapala, Matzuo, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing’s Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Save Phace, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Access Roll-up Cover, Yellow Bird, DOW Chemical, Dave’s Lures, The State Bank Group, Yo-Zuri and Reef Runner. The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America’s leading producer of targeted media.