2010 FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner Chris Gilman speeds downriver, likely toward a community hole, in his OFF!-wrapped Ranger boat. Photo by Patrick Baker. Angler: Chris Gilman.

September 23, 2011 • Curtis Niedermier • Angler Columns

It’s about 3 p.m. on moving day here at the championship, and you can believe there will be some moving going on at weigh-in. I watched Tom Keenan and Paul Meleen put on clinics today on the Missouri River. Meleen did it away from the crowd, and Keenan did it in front of about a dozen other pros who were in a loosely bunched cluster. Speaking of clusters, the popular spot that produced the heaviest weight yesterday was packed, literally, fiberglass to fiberglass with 18 boats. They were so close that it was tricky to even maneuver a net to scoop up fish that fell for one of the more than 70 jigs seining the area (four lines per boat = 72 jigs). There was real rubbing going on, and fighting to stay on the spot (full description coming after the event) was as much about keeping other pros out of the way as it was about making the right presentation.

Rumors are that a couple of yesterday’s stars fizzled out this morning – likely because the order of boats launching today reversed from yesterday, and those pros weren’t able to get on the prime spot before it was covered. I haven’t heard a report on them from this afternoon so we’ll have to wait until weigh-in. It also appears that the walleyes are moving, yet no one can agree on whether they’re moving upstream or downstream.

Jigging remains popular, especially in the mornings, but there are pros trolling crankbaits, handlining stick baits, pitching timber and working a few other variations of those techniques. It’s truly a grab bag of fishing techniques.

This morning was breezy and chilly. This afternoon was sunny and warm. Tomorrow’s forecast is for even higher temps – possibly breaking 80. You can’t ask for more beautiful weather for a September championship in North Dakota. As an outdoorsman, I see this place as a paradise, with its rolling fields of grain and grass full of wildlife. The people are great, too. I was sitting in the Suburban in a parking lot here in Bismarck, and a woman, walking by with her shopping cart, stopped to welcome me to North Dakota and chat me up for a bit. Talk about a warm welcome. I invited her to the show, and hopefully she’ll make it, because I can tell you for sure that we’re about to see some toad Missouri River walleyes brought to the stage.