Gulau grabs Walleye League win on Erie

Blain best co-angler in Michigan Division event

MONROE, Mich. – Dennis Gulau of Midland, Mich., caught five walleyes that weighed 28 pounds, 2 ounces and earned $4,200 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Michigan Division event on Lake Erie. The victory placed Gulau one step closer to qualifying for the Walleye League Finals on the Mississippi River in Moline, Ill., Sept. 13-15. Gulau’s co-angler, Jason Blain of Kentwood, Mich., earned $2,100 for the win.

Gulau and Blain caught their quality-sized limit of walleyes by trolling crawler harnesses in the Stoney point area of Lake Erie. The team also reported changing blades a number of times to hone in on these finicky walleyes.

Rounding out the top five are Doug Casterline of Burlington, Mich., who earned $2,100, and co-angler Robert North of Troy, Ohio, who earned $1,050 (five walleyes, 25 pounds, 4 ounces); Gary Devos of Wyoming, Mich., who earned $1,800 plus a $300 contingency bonus, and co-angler David Leach of Linwood, Mich., who earned $900 plus a $150 contingency bonus (five walleyes, 21 pounds, 14 ounces); Thomas Ebi of Warren, Mich., who earned $1,500, and co-angler Joshua Newmyer of Muskegon, Mich.., who earned $750 (five walleyes, 20 pounds, 6 ounces); and David Kolb of Ada, Mich., who earned $1,200 plus a $200 contingency bonus, and co-angler Thomas Kaus of Lake Zurich, Ill., who earned $600 (five walleyes, 19 pounds, 8 ounces).

Three FLW Walleye League divisions – Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin – each feature three one-day events during the regular season. Every angler who receives weight credit earns points, with 100 points awarded to the winner, 99 for second, 98 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings.

The top 35 boaters and 35 co-anglers from each FLW Walleye League division advance to the $116,900 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals, set for Sept. 13-15 on the Mississippi River in Moline, Ill. Anglers finishing in the top 10 in each division also receive priority entry into the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour for 2008, and the points champions from each division will also advance to the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship in Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 27-30.

The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League was created to provide the grass-roots walleye angler a chance to compete in professionally administered close-to-home tournaments with lucrative cash awards.

The third and final regular-season stop on the Michigan Division Walleye League will be held June 30 on Saginaw Bay in Bay City, Mich. The tournament will be held out of Hoyles Marina and Campground in Linwood, Mich.

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, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, 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 of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.

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 Walmart.com.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.