Devils Lake déjà vu
Sand climbs from seventh to win first Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event
DEVILS LAKE, N.D. – For the second consecutive year, high winds squelched a hot bobber bite on the final day of competition on Devils Lake. And in an eerily similar fashion, Portland, N.D., native Troy Sand dug deep and came back from seventh place to win $60,000 in his first FLW Walleye Tour event.
Just like Dustin Kjelden, the pro winner on Devils Lake in 2005, Sand began day four in seventh place. And also like Kjelden, Sand used an assortment of crankbaits to complete his improbable comeback.
“Winning this event is one of the best feelings I’ve ever had,” said Sand, who fishes on the lake approximately 30 times per year. “I have a lot of good spots on this lake. For me, the windier the better. I caught all my fish this morning when it was cloudy and windy.”
Today Sand fished a bevy of small, wind-blown points. While each point didn’t necessarily hold a ton of fish, the ones that were there were considerably bigger. In fact, Sand only caught seven walleyes all day.
He and his co-angler partner, Kevin Valerius, pitched No. 5 and No. 7 Shad Raps to catch their fish. The best colors were hot steel and blue chrome. His limit today weighed 24 pounds, 3 ounces, pushing his tournament total to 63 pounds, 8 ounces.
“I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for John Kolinski. He got me started into this tournament fishing.”
Harsh holds on to second
Pro Pete Harsh knew bobber-fishing was going to be difficult in the midst of a cold front. But anyone who knows Harsh knows that he fishes to win. Despite the trying conditions, Harsh still thought the big fish were located in the trees. And to a certain extent, he was right.
Harsh found the big fish, but was only able to boat four of them, the biggest weighing more than 7 pounds. His total Saturday weighed 14 pounds, 6 ounces.
“The weather turned south on us, and the bobber bite became difficult,” said the Sauk Centre, Minn., pro. “We had three nice fish twist off before we could get them to the boat. But if you’re going to fish in the trees, 30 to 40 percent of your fish will be gone.”
Harsh’s three-day total (day three was cancelled) equaled 59 pounds, 13 ounces and earned him a check for $32,000.
“The only thing I would do different is pray for better weather. This year I’m going to the next tournament with a good check and a healthy leg.”
Przekurat rallies, moves up to third
Jason Przekurat brought in the second-heaviest sack on day four and moved from fifth place all the way to third. Przekurat caught five walleyes on day four that weighed 18 pounds, 6 ounces. His three-day total weight was 59 pounds even.
The Stevens Point, Wis., resident said he went back to his honeyhole from 2003 to catch the majority of his walleyes. “I pulled up, and within an hour and a half, I had nine bites,” Przekurat said.
Przekurat, the 2003 Angler of the Year, is in contention to be the first FLW Walleye Tour pro to win the prestigious award twice in his career.
“Green Bay is what I call home. I’m happy to be in position to win it again.”
Przekurat’s sizeable limit netted him $25,000 thanks to $13,000 in contingencies.
Keenan remains fourth
Finishing in fourth place was Hatley, Wis., native Tom Keenan. Keenan caught four walleyes Saturday, bringing his three-day total to 54 pounds, 1 ounce.
“I threw back my fifth fish at 8:30 this morning,” said Keenan. “I was fishing to win.”
Not only did he lose to Sand, he also lost to Przekurat, his employee.
“If he keeps catching fish like that, he might not be able to work for me anymore. I’m thinking Jason is going to have to stay home and work during the Green Bay tournament.”
Keenan also said that 95 percent of his fish came on No. 5 Shad Raps. His colors of choice were firetiger as well as blue and white.
His fourth-place finish was worth $18,000.
Hein climbs to fifth
Jerry Hein earned $13,000 and finished in fifth place with a three-day total weight of 53 pounds, 2 ounces. On Saturday, Hein managed five walleyes that weighed 14 pounds, 15 ounces.
“We got our fish early, live-bait rigging on a break,” said the Stillwater, Minn., pro. “I was just consistent enough to make the top 10.”
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pro finalists at the FLW Walleye Tour event on Devils Lake:
6th: Scott Larson of West Fargo, N.D., 52-0
7th: John Mathews of Janesville, Wis., 50-6
8th: Paul Meleen of Isle, Minn., 49-0
9th: Dennis Lantzy of Warren, Mich., 48-14
10th: Rod Putnam of Billings, Mont., 48-1
Competition resumes July 12-15 for the final qualifying event of the $2.69 million FLW Walleye Tour season on Green Bay in Green Bay, Wis.