BAY CITY, Mich. – Mark Martin of Twin Lake, Mich., will lead 12 Pro Division anglers into the final round of the $390,750 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit tournament on Saginaw Bay after landing five walleyes weighing 29 pounds, 13 ounces Friday with co-angler Don Smith of Shelby, Mich.
The duo’s catch was the result of trolling for walleyes suspended in 15 to 20 feet of water along humps north of Charity Island at the mouth of Saginaw Bay. Church Tackle clip on weights and planer boards and Northland Rainbow Float -N- Spin crawler harnesses dipped in Dr. Juice scent were key to the catch Martin said. Maintaining an exact speed of 1.2 mph was also necessary for a successful presentation. If he can duplicate his performance Saturday, Martin stands to win $50,000 and a Mercury-powered Lund boat. Smith will be fishing for a top award of $15,000.
“I’m learning how to play this game,” said Martin, an 18-year veteran of the sport and former Professional Walleye Trail champion. “You don’t get paid until (Saturday), so you don’t want to burn up all of your fish early and attract a lot of attention to yourself. The bite is not that great, so you don’t want a lot of company.”
Pro Mark Keenan of Appleton, Wis., and co-angler Joe Stenz of Muskego, Wis., advanced to the final round in the No. 2 position with five walleyes weighing 28 pounds, 7 ounces. Rounding out the top five qualifiers were pro David Kraft of Bismark, N.D., and co-angler Dave Dugall of Highland, Mich., with five walleyes weighing 26 pounds, 7 ounces; pro Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., and co-angler Jeff Matson of Westfield, Ind., with five walleyes weighing 25 pounds, 13 ounces; and pro Bill Ortiz of Dodgeville, Wis., and co-angler John Solek of Indianapolis with four walleyes weighing 24 pounds, 8 ounces.
Competition resumes at 7 a.m. Saturday at Hoyles Marina located at 135 South Linwood Beach in Linwood, Mich. Weights are cleared and the winners will be determined by the weight of Saturday’s catch alone. The final weigh-in will start at 3 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1392 Wilder Road in Bay City.
Run by Operation Walleye and named after retail giant Wal-Mart and boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund, the $2.9 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit is the world’s most lucrative walleye fishing series. It features four regular season tournaments each with a $390,750 purse and a championship with a $1.4 million purse. The third tournament will be July 25-28 on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis., followed by a tournament on Devils Lake in Devils Lake, N.D., Sept. 5-8.
After the four regular season tournaments, 200 pros and 200 co-anglers will compete in the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship for a top award of up to $400,000 in the Pro Division and $150,000 in the Co-Angler Division. The championship will be held on the Fox River and Green Bay in Green Bay, Wis., Oct. 2-6. Green Bay hosted the inaugural Wal-Mart RCL Championship last year when Scott Glorvigen of Grand Rapids, Minn., won $300,000 and instantly joined the sport’s top all-time money winners.
Entry fees for each regular season tournament are $1,250 for pros and $500 for co-anglers.