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Sand wins Wal-Mart FLW on Devils Lake

Category: Tournament

 Jun 11th, 2006 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Jun 11th, 2006 at 12:00 AM

SAND WINS WAL-MART FLW WALLEYE TOUR EVENT ON DEVILS LAKEDEVILS LAKE, N.D. (June 10, 2006) – Local pro Troy Sand of Portland, N.D., a 30-year-old fishing his first Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event, caught five walleyes Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 3 ounces to give him a three-day total of 15 walleyes weighing 63 pounds, 8 ounces to win the Devils Lake event. Sand, who had never won more than $1,500 in a tournament, earned $60,000. Competition was canceled Friday due to high winds and rough water. As a result, the top 10 pros and co-anglers following Thursday’s second day of competition advanced to fish Saturday s final round. The wind was still strong Saturday, and the water was rough, resulting in the toughest fishing conditions of the week for most anglers. Sand, however, wanted nasty weather. “The more wind and clouds, the better,” Sand said. “I caught all my fish this morning when it was cloudy and windy. I was mostly casting No. 5 and No. 7 Shad Raps on small, wind-blown points that didn’t hold a lot of fish, but the fish that were there were better quality. The best-colored baits were hot steel and blue chrome.” “Winning this event is one of the best feelings I’ve ever had,” said Sand, who lives about 100 miles away from Devils Lake, but fishes the lake about 30 times per year. Sand’s final-day co-angler partner, Kevin Valerius of Crosby, Minn., won the Co-angler Division with a three-day weight of 63 pounds, 2 ounces. He earned $18,000, including contingency bonuses from G3 Boats and Yamaha. “It was a great day, but it was windy,” Valerius said. “There were times when the wind was so strong, that one of us cast and the other just controlled the boat.” Pete Harsh of Sauk Centre, Minn., finished second in the Pro Division with a three-day total of 13 walleyes weighing 59-13. He led day one but failed to catch his fifth keeper each of the final two days, and it ultimately cost him the win, although his weight shows the quality of fish he was catching each day. This is Harsh’s third second-place finish. The veteran pro earned $22,000. Rounding out the top five pros were Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., who is in running for the Angler of the Year title (15 walleyes, 59 pounds, $25,000); former FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., who is also near the top in the points standings (15 walleyes, 54 pounds, 1 ounce, $18,000); and Jerry Hein of Stillwater, Minn., a former winner on Devils Lake (15 walleyes, 53 pounds, 2 ounces, $13,000). Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Adam Adler of Oconto Falls, Wis. (15 walleyes, 58-14, $5,000); Conrad Johnson of Fargo, N.D. (14 walleyes, 57-13, $3,500); Dewey Watson of Twin Falls, Idaho (14 walleyes, 53-13, $2,500); and Joshua Northagen of Grand Forks, N.D. (15 walleyes, 52-12, $2,200). 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. Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour opener on Devils Lake will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on July 30 as part of the FLW Outdoors television program. FLW Outdoors airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. FLW Outdoors is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as 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. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network. The FLW Walleye Tour will visit Green Bay in Green Bay, Wis., July 12-15 for the season’s final regular-season event. Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.