Tiemann, Ransom take early lead in Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals on Lake Michigan

Wisconsin boater, Michigan co-angler take 1-pound, 12-ounce lead on opening day

ESCANABA, Mich. – Boater Jim Tiemann of Marinette, Wis., and his co-angler partner, Don Ransom of Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., caught five walleyes weighing 24 pounds, 8 ounces to take a 1-pound, 12-ounce lead on opening day of the $141,950 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals on Lake Michigan. A field of 103 boaters representing the league’s Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin divisions is competing for a $45,000 Ranger 621 powered by Evinrude, while co-anglers are competing for a top award of a G3 V185F powered by Yamaha.

“We couldn’t make the long run that I wanted to make, so we went with my secondary spot,” said Tiemann, who lead the 2004 FLW Walleye League Finals in Escanaba after two days of competition before zeroing on the final day and finishing sixth. “It turned out to be the best possible decision, too, because we caught a ton of the right sized fish.”

Tiemann and Ransom caught their fish by trolling crankbaits near deep-water structure. The first three fish the pair caught fell just under the area’s 23-inch size restriction. Then they boated two fish over 23-inches to fill out their hefty limit under rough conditions produced by 15 to 20 mph winds out of the southwest.

“We hooked up on nearly every pass,” said Ransom, who finished 38th in the 2004 FLW Walleye League Finals. “This is what we came here to do, so it feels great to be on top right now.”

Rounding out the top five boaters are Scott Hausauer of Appleton, Wis. (four walleyes, 22 pounds, 12 ounces); Glen Chenier of Gladstone, Mich. (five walleyes, 20 pounds, 13 ounces); Jesse Buechel of Fond Du Lac, Wis. (four walleyes, 20 pounds, 12 ounces); and John Schneider of Shawano, Wis. (five walleyes, 20 pounds).

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jason Sullivan of Chippewa Falls, Wis. (four walleyes, 22 pounds, 12 ounces); Terry Barrette of River Falls, Wis. (five walleyes, 20 pounds, 13 ounces); Chad Glaza of Gleason, Wis. (four walleyes, 20 pounds, 12 ounces); and John Sullivan of Lakeville, Minn. (five walleyes, 20 pounds).

A total of 213 walleyes weighing 765 pounds, 10 ounces were caught Thursday, as only 13 teams caught limits.

Boaters and co-anglers who finished in the top 35 in final points standings in each FLW Walleye League division advanced to this no-entry-fee tournament.

Anglers will take off from Escanaba Harbor at 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Friday’s weigh-in will also be held at the marina, which is located at Loren W. Jenkins Memorial Drive in Escanaba, beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in moves to the Wal-Mart store located at 601 N. Lincoln in Escanaba beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend the free takeoff and weigh-in festivities.

FLW Walleye League boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired and fish for a combined boat weight, with boaters competing against other boaters and co-anglers competing against other co-anglers. The full field competes Thursday and Friday, with the top 15 boaters and 15 co-anglers advancing to Saturday. Winners will be determined by the heaviest three-day accumulated weight.

The Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League was created in 2003 to provide the grassroots walleye angler a chance to compete in professionally administered, close-to-home tournaments with lucrative cash awards.

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, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, 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 exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.

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

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 Wal-Mart.com.