What a difference a day makes

Plautz moves into first amid flip-flops en route to top-12 cut in RCL Championship on Mississippi River

MOLINE, Ill. – On a day of upward swings and downward swoons that decided the second day’s top-12 cut to Friday’s semifinals of the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship, a quality catch of saugers propelled Crestliner pro Dan Plautz of Muskego, Wis., in a dramatic move from 15th place to first on the momentum of a second-day weight of 11 pounds, 5 ounces for a qualifying total of 18-13.

Of Wednesday’s top 12, four remained and eight, including Plautz, boosted into another day of angling in the campaign for up to $400,000 for first place on the Mississippi River.

Even though Plautz’s strategy of catching saugers is a solid one that could determine his fate toward the top spot come Saturday’s finals, it was more a matter of happenstance than his intention.

“Today we stayed on them all day and got a nice catch,” says Plautz, who stayed in Pool 16 where the tournament launches. “Why sauger? I didn’t pick them; they picked me in practice.”

Not a bad choice even if it is on the fishes’ behalf. How so? On Thursday, Plautz weighed a limit of five saugers that included two 22-inchers. Had they been 22-inch walleyes, Plautz would have been required to release them under state regulations that impose a slot on walleyes of 20 inches to 27 inches. Saugers are exempted.

Plautz says that he is working a trolling pattern to catch the splotchy relative of the walleye, a hardy survivor in turbid waters.

Down but not out

While Plautz made a move, four others stood pat – in one case, in spite of himself and his day.

Wednesday’s leader, Ranger pro Tom Keenan of Hatley, Wis., last year’s RCL champion on the Mississippi River out of Red Wing, Minn., brought in but one fish, a little one weighing 1 pound, 12 ounces to put him in sixth overall, with 15-2.

Keenan attributes the downturn in his trolling pattern to an influx of weeds in the spot that produced half of his four-fish catch Wednesday, including a crucial 27 ¼-incher that weighed 8 pounds.

“The wind switched and blew the weeds back into the spot,” Keenan says.

Of the others to remain in the top 12, Ranger pro Jamie Friebel of Roberts, Wis., ended up in second, with two fish for 6 pounds, 4 ounces and a total of 16-3. Ranger pro Nick Johnson dropped one spot, to third, with three fish for 3-15 and a total of 15-12. Last year’s championship runner-up, Ranger pro Scott Allar of Welch, Minn., managed two fish for 4-4 and a two-day total of 15-9, good for fifth place.

Walleyes that came unbuttoned for Allar on Pool 17 might have made a difference in the day-two standings, though his weight was easily enough to fish another day.

“We had as many fish on today as we did yesterday,” Allar says. “The difference between a bad day and a good day was keeping them on.”

Time to climb

On the other hand, among the eight others who climbed into the semis was Ranger pro Richard Nascak of Winona, Minn., who weighed a five-fish limit of 9 pounds, 2 ounces, on top of 3-15 Wednesday. Ranger pro Rick LaCourse of Port Clinton, Ohio, followed three fish for 5-9 with five for 9-2 to jump from 31st place to ninth.

LaCourse, the second-place finisher in the first qualifying event of the year, on the Illinois River, plied his usual trade of handlining to trolling Rapala stickbaits, a dependable pattern in current and especially stained river water. One key, according to LaCourse, was a rock tip on Pool 17.

Even while inveterate handliner LaCourse got the job done, the day’s close call goes to Pat Cavins of Green Bay, Wis., the 13th-place finisher with a total of 13 pounds, 6 ounces – 3 ounces shy of the cut – also taken handlining. And his second-day catch of 3 pounds, following 10-6 on opening day, came despite two hours to fish, after locking, that was shortened to one by motor troubles.

Co-quotient

Meanwhile, climbing into the lead among co-anglers was Jeff Sather of Montevideo, Minn., who partnered with Ranger pro Tommy Skarlis of Walker, Minn. Together the pair weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces by working wing dams on Pool 14 by casting crankbaits and hovering jigs upstream of the rock jetties with an electric motor. Sather’s two-day weight totaled 17-8.

The top 12 pros and 12 co-anglers, who start again at zero Friday, will take off at 8 a.m. Central from Sunset Park in Rock Island. While the top six pros will advance to Saturday, the Co-angler Division will be decided Friday when the winner could take home as much as $150,000.