Chenier, Schultz lead Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals on Lake Michigan

Michigan boater, Wisconsin co-angler in lead after day two

ESCANABA, Mich. – Boater Glenn Chenier of Gladstone, Mich., caught 10 walleyes weighing 40 pounds, 4 ounces during the first two days of competition in the $141,950 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League Finals on Lake Michigan to jump from third to first place with a 2-pound, 7-ounce lead heading into the tournament’s final day Saturday. If he holds on for the win, Chenier will receive a $45,000 Ranger 621 powered by Evinrude.

On Thursday Chenier caught five walleyes weighing 20 pounds, 13 ounces while fishing with co-angler Terry Barrette of River Falls, Wis. He then added five fish weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces to his total Friday while fishing with co-angler Mike Kordus of Menasha, Wis. All of his walleyes came on crawler harnesses pulled in 9 to 30 feet of water.

“I have five different spots that I’m working,” said Chenier, who finished second during his last FLW Walleye League Finals appearance in Escanaba in 2004. “We had a good bite in the morning (Friday), then it slowed down until the front passed through. After that, it really kicked in again. The weather may be rough again tomorrow, which could help me. Being local, I know where to look and what to do. It all comes down to making the right decision at the right time. I just have to be careful not to beat myself.”

Anglers were battered by a strong cold front that passed through the area around mid morning, dumping rain and stirring up 8- to 9-foot waves.

Rounding out the top five boaters are day-one leader James Tiemann of Marinette, Wis. (eight walleyes, 37 pounds, 13 ounces); John Schneider of Shawano, Wis. (nine walleyes, 37 pounds, 7 ounces); Scott Hausauer of Appleton, Wis. (seven walleyes, 37 pounds, 1 ounce); and David Kolb of Ada, Mich. (nine walleyes, 36 pounds).

In the Co-angler Division, Randy Schultz of Fond Du Lac, Wis., sits atop the leaderboard with a two-day total of eight walleyes weighing 38 pounds, 12 ounces. He now holds a 2-pound lead with one day to go thanks to an incredible catch Friday of three walleyes weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces that boosted him from 12th to first. If he holds on for the win, he will receive a G3 V185F powered by Yamaha.

“We had a triple header this morning,” said Schultz, who fished with boater Brian Deffner of Eland, Wis., Friday. “We caught all three fish that we weighed in at the same time.”

The fish, including a 29-incher and a 30-incher, were hooked on crawler harnesses pulled behind planer boards. Throughout the day, Schultz and Deffner caught approximately 20 fish over the area’s 23-inch size restriction. Teams are only allowed to weigh two fish over 23 inches.

Coincidentally, the last time Schultz was paired with Deffner, Schultz won the Wisconsin Division Super Tournament on Green Bay earlier this season.

On opening day, Schultz caught five walleyes weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces while fishing with boater David Kolb of Ada, Mich.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Chad Glaza of Gleason, Wis. (nine walleyes, 36 pounds, 12 ounces); Mark Cloutier of Escanaba, Mich. (eight walleyes, 35 pounds, 5 ounces); Don Ransom of Sault Sainte Marine, Mich. (seven walleyes, 34 pounds, 13 ounces); and Greg Fischer of Appleton, Wis. (six walleyes, 32 pounds).

A total of 190 walleyes weighing 658 pounds, 4 ounces were caught Friday. Only 13 of 103 teams caught limits.

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

Anglers will take off from Escanaba Harbor located at Loren W. Jenkins Memorial Drive in Escanaba at 7 a.m. Saturday. Saturday’s weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 601 N. Lincoln in Escanaba. 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 competed 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.