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NPAA Members Dominate the Final Day of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship

Category: npaa

 Sep 28th, 2010 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Sep 28th, 2010 at 12:00 AM

Chris Gilman, NPAA #60, from Chisago City, MN won the FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Leech Lake this past weekend in Walker, MN. After a tough pre-fish, and continual weather changes, Chris was able to find the right fish and make it count. On day one he brought in a five fish limit to the scales for 10 lbs., 4 oz.’s. On day two he brought in a huge basket weighing in at 15 lbs. 8 oz.’s, and after the field was cut to the top ten he found himself in third place behind Pat Byle, NPAA #114 and Terry Filkens, NPAA#180. On day three Chris brought in another 9 lbs. 4 oz.’s to move him up to second place and only 5 ounces out of first place.

On day four the battle was on! Who would win it all, the Rookie Pro, Terry Filkens, who had been on big fish all week, or Chris Gilman who is one of the most consistent anglers on the circuit today, and a guy who has been under this kind of pressure numerous times over the years? Chris stood stage-left as Terry was asked to pull his fish out of the blackened bag one at a time. The first fish Terry pulled out was a big 6 lb. 9 oz.’s, and the crowd roared with applause. Chris looked nervous, but when Terry revealed that he had no more fish in his bag, FLW Director of Operations, Sonny Reynolds, turned to Chris and proclaimed him the 2010 FLW Walleye Tour Champion! Chris jumped and pumped his fist in the air and exclaimed with much emotion, “YES!”

	Gilman Wins!

Over four days of some very tough competition and weather Gilman was able to catch big fish every day by rigging Red Tail Chubs in deep water on Walker Bay. Chris commented, “I figured if I got my over today I’d have a chance, to win but when I came in with only one slot fish, I really thought I blew it.”  As it turns out it was just enough!

Asked immediately after the weigh in how he feels about winning this event he said, “You know I really can’t believe it! It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s been five minutes, and I’m stunned. It’s been 20 Years! I think this is my 20th championship, and I haven’t won one yet. I’ve been very close a couple of times, and I truthfully thought I fell just short today, but when that scale came up with my name on it, I was stunned! It’s surreal. You know how much time and effort…it’s just amazing how much work all of the anglers put into this sport and to have it payoff is just so gratifying, that I can’t even explain it.”  Chris won a cash prize of $42,676.00 which included contingency monies and the Optional Pot Bonus.

	2010 FLW Champ

Landing in second place was the day three leader, Terry Filkens, NPAA #180, with total weight of 41 lbs. 4 oz.’s. He managed to catch his big fish today, but was unable to boat any of the smaller slot fish he needed to win this event. “We went through a lot of fish today, but the smaller slots eluded me”, said Terry. “It was a great day today, and I couldn’t be happier for Chris. He’s a great guy and an excellent stick.” Terry took home a cash prize of $5,000.00, which didn’t include any contingency money.

Pro, Pat Byle, NPAA #114, led the tournament on day two, but brought an empty basket to the scales on day three, knocking him back down to fourth place. He jumped back in the lead Saturday afternoon for a short period when he was the first angler to weigh in more than two fish for the day. As he ascended to the stage, the crowd made a lot of noise when they saw that one of his three fish was also a big fish. His three fish would weigh in at 9 lbs. 7 oz.’s, giving him a total 4 day weight of 40 pounds even. He would finish in third place and Pat took home a cash prize of $12,000.00, which included the Ranger and Evinrude contingency money.

	Terry Filkins Takes Second

In fourth place, achieving another top five this season, was Paul Meleen, NPAA #95, of Isle, MN who brought in 2 fish for 7 lbs. 9 oz.’s, bringing his 4 day total weight up to 38 lbs. 15 oz.’s. Paul’s take home for his efforts this week was $8,303.00, which included the contingency money and the Optional Pot Bonus.

Rounding out the top five places was National Guard Pro, Mark Courts, NPAA #719, of Harris, MN with 31 lbs. 15 oz.’s. Mark took home a cash prize of $5,500.00, which included contingency money.

Top 15 NPAA Pro’s:
6th Place: Scott Steil, NPAA #183, of Richmond, MN
7th Place: Dean Arnoldussen, NPAA #408, of Appleton, WI
8th Place: Brian Brosdahl, NPAA #157, of Max, MN
11th Place: John Campbell, NPAA #108, of Marco Island, FL
12th Place: Kevin McQuoid, NPAA #510, of Isle, MN
13th Place: Bill Shimota, NPAA #599, of Lonsdale, MN
14th Place: John Gillman, NPAA #871, of Freeland, MI
15th Place: Ryan Jirik, NPAA #605, of Rhinelander, WI

Before the weigh in on Day 4 the NPAA sponsored a youth event in conjunction with FLW Outdoors, and the U.S. Forest Service.  Eric Olson, NPAA #165, gave the kids a clinic on catching fish on the waters of Leech Lake, followed by Forest Service personnel giving a presentation on controlling the spread of aquatic invasive species. The U.S. Forest Service even brought along their legendary mascot “Smokey the Bear” to meet the kids.  All the kid’s that attended the event received a rod/reel combo and NPAA member Jason Przekurat, NPAA #169, handed out “Future Pro” NPAA T-shirts that the kids could have autographed by all the pros present at the event.

	NPAA Booth At The FLW Championship

 
   
The NPAA is a non-profit organization focused on growing the sport of fishing and increasing the professionalism of its members.  Its supporting partners include Northland Fishing Tackle, Navionics, Mercury Marine, Evinrude Outboards, Lund Boats, Ranger Boats, Off-Shore Tackle, Fin-Tech Tackle, Berkley, AIM Walleye Series, Masters Walleye Circuit, FLW Outdoors, Frabill, U.S. Forest Service, Liddle Marketing, FPS Financial Planning Services, Do-it Corp., Optima Batteries, John Butts Outdoors, Pasha Lake Cabins, Oahe Wings and Walleyes Guide Service, Outdoor First Media, Advanced Tex Screen Printing, Pro-Staff Gear, and Worldwide Marine Underwriters.  More NPAA member and association news can be viewed at www.npaa.net.

	NPAA Kids and Family Fishing