DEVILS LAKE, N.D. – A brutal cold front passed through North Dakota late Thursday afternoon, putting a damper on what was becoming a Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour catchfest. The fishing was undoubtedly tougher on day two, but tough is a relative term on Devils Lake.
Out of 150 pros, 117 were still able to muster a limit despite rain and stiff winds. At the halfway point in this four-day, cumulative-weight tournament, pro Paul Meleen leads with a two-day total of 46 pounds, 8 ounces.
Sitting in second after day one, Meleen completed his quick ascension to the top spot with another consistent catch on day two, weighing 23 pounds, 7 ounces.
“I’m thrilled; yesterday I had some penalty weight that I was worried about,” said Meleen. “Today I had some company in our first spot, so I left for one of the spots I was hoping to save for day four.”
Meleen did catch five walleyes using slip-corks in his primary area, which is full of standing timber. He left at 12:30 p.m. for his second area, which, unbeknownst to him, was where Pete Harsh was fishing. That area proved unsuccessful, and he didn’t stay there long. The Isle, Minn., pro’s next area was much better as he quickly popped two 24-inchers.
“The weather doesn’t matter to me. Today was the worst wind I could possibly have, and it turned out OK. If the weather gets really bad, 90 pounds will win it. If the front moves through quickly and Saturday is decent, it could take 100. Hopefully this year it’s my turn.”
Harsh slips to second
It wasn’t nearly as bad as his day-two fall down the leaderboard last year, as Harsh slipped just one spot to second Thursday with a limit weighing 16 pounds, 2 ounces. After two days, Harsh has a 10-walleye total of 45 pounds, 7 ounces.
“Things are changing with the weather,” said Harsh. “We had five good ones on, and two of them came off in the trees. That spot is obviously depleted. I’m going to be scrambling tomorrow.”
In fact, Harsh had considerable difficulty filling out his limit. After putting three good fish in the livewell, he left for his little-fish area, looking for a few 20-inchers. There, it took the Sauk Centre, Minn., native 45 minutes to get a 15-incher.
“Catching big fish is even tougher to come by during a cold front than little fish. I’ve got other areas, but I don’t think the quality is as good. I’m hoping I can get 18 to 22 pounds tomorrow to make the cutoff.”
Larson leaps to third
West Fargo, N.D., pro Scott Larson improved his catch on day two with 27 pounds, 8 ounces, which currently stands as the second-heaviest stringer of the tournament. Larson started the day in 67th place and finished third with a two-day total of 42 pounds, 12 ounces.
“It was war in there,” Larson gasped. “I made an adjustment yesterday afternoon, and it made all the difference. We started fishing both thicker trees and deeper water. I don’t think the cold front will affect us.”
Larson and his co-angler partner, Adam Adler, caught a dozen fish on slip-bobbers in about 8 feet of water.
“I am working a subtle break. The key is to find the open pockets. I feel good about tomorrow.”
Keenan fourth
Falling one spot to fourth was Hatley, Wis., native Tom Keenan. After bringing in 22 pounds, 9 ounces on day one, Keenan caught five walleyes Thursday that weighed 18 pounds, 7 ounces, giving him a combined weight of 41 pounds even.
Przekurat fifth
Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., quietly moved up to the fifth spot with an 18-pound, 14-ounce limit that gave him a two-day total of 40 pounds, 10 ounces.
“We had a triple in one spot right away when we got there,” said Przekurat, who bobber-fished and threw crankbaits. “The lines were tangled all over the place. I’ve got a little area where I pull three or four good ones, and then I get out of there.”
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros on day two on Devils Lake:
6th: Dennis Lantzy of Warren, Mich., 40-1
7th: Troy Sand of Portland, N.D., 39-5
8th: John Mathews of Janesville, Wis., 39-5
9th: Rod Putnam of Billings, Mont., 39-3
10th: Jerry Hein of Stillwater, Minn., 38-3
Fetzik retains co-angler lead
For the second consecutive day, Jim Fetzik held down the top spot among the co-anglers on Devils Lake, catching five walleyes that weighed 16 pounds, 3 ounces. Fetzik partnered with pro David Kolb on day two, and the pair landed approximately 15 fish.
“Jim’s a great co-angler; he did a great job,” said Kolb. “I didn’t have to teach him a whole lot. He knows when to set the hook on that slip-bobber.”
“David was a great guy to fish with; it was a lot of fun,” said Fetzik. “We worked hard and only missed one fish all day. My goal is still to make the top 10. I want to fish on day four.”
Fetzik, a Pengilly, Minn., native, has a two-day total of 46 pounds, 8 ounces and roughly a 2-pound lead.
Johnson second, Todd third
Coming in second for the co-anglers was Conrad Johnson of Fargo, N.D. Johnson partnered with Meleen on day two and caught five walleyes that weighed 23 pounds, 7 ounces to push his two-day total to 43 pounds, 7 ounces.
Co-angler Dale Todd of Anderson, Ind., caught five walleyes that weighed 18 pounds, 15 ounces and rose to third place with a two-day combined weight of 41 pounds, 2 ounces.
“These are points I need for the championship,” Todd said. Todd partnered with pro Richard Zachowski, and the two caught more than 50 walleyes Thursday on a slow presentation.
High five
Dewey Watson of Twin Falls, Idaho, claimed the fourth spot for the co-anglers with a two-day combined weight of 40 pounds, 12 ounces.
Fifth place went to Adam Adler of Oconto Falls, Wis., for 40 pounds, 8 ounces.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers on day two on Devils Lake:
6th: Larry Oleson of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., 40-6
7th: Kevin Valerius of Crosby, Minn., 38-15
8th: Dave Crawford of Maybee, Mich., 38-3
9th: James Murphy of Fayetteville, Ark., 38-2
10th: Joshua Northagen of Grand Forks, N.D., 37-13
Day three of FLW Walleye Tour competition on Devils Lake begins as the field of 150 boats takes off from Grahams Island State Park at 7 a.m. Central time Friday for the final day of the opening round.