PORT CLINTON, Ohio — The $3.19 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour will visit Lake Erie April 28-May 1 for a $401,750 tournament presented by Yamaha. The tournament is the second of four regular-season events on the 2004 RCL Tour and is expected to draw as many as 320 walleye anglers to the Port Clinton area, including as many as 160 pro anglers in the hunt for a top pro award worth as much as $90,000.
Catching walleyes won’t be a problem on Lake Erie, says 2003 RCL Tour Angler of the Year Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis. Most anglers will catch numbers of fish, but it’s the competitor who finds the quality bites that will take home the crown. “I’m guessing it’ll take 65 to 70 pounds to make it into the finals and 40-plus pounds to win it,” Przekurat said.
Pelee Island, which played heavily into last season’s RCL Tour stop on Lake Erie, will not be a deciding factor this year, as Canadian waters are off limits. Bass Island, however, is likely to attract plenty of traffic according to Przekurat, but he doesn’t believe the tournament will be won their. In his opinion, the angler who wins it will be the one who finds those little out-of-the-way places that are holding the heavier fish. Przekurat named trolling crawler harnesses over 30 feet of water as the pattern likely to produce the most solid fish, adding that shallow- and deep-diving crankbaits will also fill out several limits.
Catawba Island State Park will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7, and Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-ins will also be held there beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 4070 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton beginning at 4 p.m. The community is encouraged to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins.
The winning pro will earn $50,000 cash plus a fully rigged Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha for a top award worth $90,000. The winning co-angler will receive $15,000 cash. One hundred and sixty boaters and 160 co-anglers comprise a full field. 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 two-day opening round for one of 20 semifinal-round slots based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for day three, and the top 10 pros and co-anglers following Friday’s competition advance to the final round. Final-round anglers continue, with the winner determined by the heaviest two-day weight.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 to second, 198 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings. The top 120 pros and 120 co-anglers based on year-end points standings qualify for the 2004 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship, where a pro can earn as much as $400,000 cash for a win. Another 20 boaters and 20 co-anglers from the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League and 60 pros and 60 co-anglers who compete in RCL-sanctioned events will comprise a championship field of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards through 100th place. Including sponsor bonuses, cash awards are available through 200th place. A guaranteed cash award of $150,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $250,000 will go to the RCL Championship winner for a total pro award of $400,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $75,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $75,000 for a co-angler award of $150,000.
Devils Lake near Spirit Lake, N.D., will host the third regular-season event May 26-29, and the regular season will come to a close June 16-19 on Lake Oahe near Pierre, S.D.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour is administered by FLW Outdoors. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League for weekend anglers; the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world’s most lucrative bass-tournament series; the EverStart Series, designed as a pathway to the FLW Tour; the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League for weekend anglers; and the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For more information about the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, browse this Web site or call (270) 252-1000.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour and the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League are named after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund. FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.
For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com’s sponsor page.
