Hands solo
Six finalists fish without co-angler contributions; leadcore trolling will never be the same
RED WING, Minn. – Now, with six pro anglers remaining in the finals of the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship on the Mississippi River, is not the time for a conservative strategy. The reason: a potential $400,000 to the winner at day’s end.
So goes the thinking of the six anglers in contention for the most lucrative purse in walleye fishing – among them, Ranger pro Scott Allar of Welch, Minn., in the lead after day three but starting anew at zero on the fourth and final day, Saturday.
“I’m going to focus more on big fish,” Allar says. “If I can’t win, I’d settle for sixth.”
Essentially no changes in the conditions are expected with similar, cool fall weather with the exception of lighter winds, which might make boat control easier. Then again, fishing solo might present a bit of a handicap without a co-angler to do the heavy lifting – well, make that the constant retying.
Take it from Lund pro Jerry Hein of Stillwater, Minn., who has made it to the dance in third place by trolling leadcore line with No. 5 gold Rapala Shad Raps. Hein, however, might not be able to execute the program without helping hands to tie on fresh lures when they get sawed off on the jagged rocks of a railroad bed.
“I might have to go to backup spots,” says Hein, who might consider jigging and live-bait rigging in an altogether different location to start the day.
Then there’s second-place Ranger pro Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., a second-place finisher in the 2001 championship on Green Bay. Keenan also is trolling with leadcore line, weighing three straight limits. He, Allar and Ranger pro Jim Schulta of Hazelhurst, Wis., are the only finalists to do so.
For Keenan’s part, the perennial contender plans to stay in the game with his productive program of leadcore trolling before swinging big.
“I’m going to go fish my pattern for a long time,” Keenan says. “At about noon I might go hog hunting.”
Indeed, going hog hunting, looking for the big bite or two or three, should be what will propel one of the finalists into the winner’s circle. Conservatism, it seems, probably won’t get the job done when everyone’s going for broke.
At 2:30 p.m. Central time, the six finalists return to the launch. They will then weigh their fish at Wal-Mart, 1752 Frontage Road, in Hastings.
Saturday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:12 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 45 degrees
Expected high temperature: 58-62
Water temperature: 55 degrees
Wind: northwest at 8-12 mph
Relative humidity: 81 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly cloudy
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