Kjelden reasserts his Dakota dominance

Brookings, S.D., native leads all pros with 19 pounds, 3 ounces

PIERRE, S.D. – Abnormally calm winds on day one of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship made angling on central South Dakota’s Lake Oahe a breeze. As expected, the fish were willing to bite but a strict slot made getting a limit difficult. Many of the 51 pros made a long run north including day-one leader Dustin Kjelden, who brought back five walleyes weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces.

Kjelden, who won the 2005 FLW Walleye Tour event on Devils Lake, was completely tight-lipped after bringing in the day’s heaviest catch. The Brookings, S.D., native would only allow that he ran north, burning some 45 gallons of gasoline. A quick look on a Pierre area map would indicate he’s fishing north of the Cheyenne River yet somewhere south of Highway 212. He and co-angler partner Flo Swank caught only five walleyes, the last coming at approximately 2 p.m.

“I was hoping I would have over 15 pounds,” said Kjelden. “I knew if I got them they would be good sized. Being that this was the championship, I thought I would go for the win. We were lucky enough to get the five bites. We made no mistakes.”

Kjelden’s impressive limit was anchored by a 6-pound, 3-ounce fish, the day’s heaviest. He’ll begin the final day of the opening round with a solid 2-pound, 5-ounce lead over his closest competitors.

“I was pretty confident coming in. The bite slowed down a bit today compared with practice, but we were fortunate to catch a few quality fish. The 26-incher was a surprise. That’s the biggest fish I’ve caught since I’ve been here.”

After further prodding, Kjelden allowed that he has roughly 20 spots in one five-mile stretch. It’s not great for numbers, but it does hold the right fish.

“I’ll be prefishing some tomorrow, looking for new areas. All I need is just enough to make the cutoff.”

McQuoid second

Best known for his work on Devils Lake, pro Kevin McQuoid found success in North Dakota’s neighbor to the south. The Isle, Minn., pro caught five walleyes that weighed 16 pounds, 14 ounces and finished the day in second place.

The strength of McQuoid’s five-walleye limit was three perfect-sized slot fish. His two overs measured 21 and 24 inches.

“We got our first fish at 10 a.m. and then they bit pretty consistently throughout the day,” he said.

McQuoid is targeting migrating fish by trolling crankbaits with leadcore and Fireline. At this point, he said he’s been unable to pinpoint one particular color that is working the best.

“I feel good about the consistency of the area. Tomorrow, I’m not going to take any chances with my overs. Anything over 20 inches will go in the box.”

River rats tied for third

Tied for third place was Welch, Minn., pro Scott Allar and Bismarck, N.D., resident Troy Morris. Each angler caught five walleyes that weighed 15 pounds, 7 ounces by trolling crankbaits.

“Our slot fish were absolutely perfect, but we could’ve used two bigger ones,” said Allar, perhaps the best crankbait technician on tour. “I really think I can do it again tomorrow.”

Traveling 55 miles north to get to his day-one spot, Allar is presenting his crankbaits in 20 to 40 feet of water. His limit would likely have been heavier had he not chose to keep two 22-inchers.

“Oahe fishes a lot like a river to me. It’s not an easy place to troll, which deters some people. These fish are continually migrating throughout the system. It’s just a matter of identifying their seasonal pattern.”

Morris said his limit would have been heavier had his fish not come in the wrong order. He and partner Keith Strauss, one of the best co-anglers on tour, boated several smaller walleyes early in the day. The two eventually managed 12 fish total, including a 5-pound kicker.

Fishing 45 miles north in an area he has by himself, Morris said he’s targeting gizzard shad in 30 feet of water.

“Bait size and style are making a big difference,” Morris explained. “We’re going to whack and stack tomorrow. I don’t think you can clean this area out.”

Fairbairn fifth

Hager City, Wis., pro Scott Fairbairn finished the day in fifth place with four burly walleyes that weighed 13 pounds, 15 ounces.

To no one’s surprise, Fairbairn caught his fish cranking.

“I’ve caught fish doing it all week,” said the veteran walleye chaser. “Some spots really surprised me today and other spots completely let me down.”

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros on day one on Lake Oahe:

6th: Ted Takasaki of East Gull Lake, Minn., five walleyes, 13-11

7th: Joe Whitten of Toledo, Ohio, five walleyes, 13-10

8th: Gerrick McComsey of Fort Pierre, S.D., five walleyes, 13-8

9th: Richard Nascak of Winona, Minn., five walleyes, 12-15

10th: Patrick Byle of Colgate, Wis., five walleyes, 12-14

Local co-angler takes early lead

On the co-angler side, Pierre resident Flo Swank partnered with pro leader Dustin Kjelden and caught 19 pounds, 3 ounces on day one. All year long Swank has reiterated that her goal was to reach the championship held in her backyard. Now that she’s off to a great start, she might want to consider tweaking her objective.

Even though she fishes from the back of the boat, Swank is no slouch. Of the team’s five weigh-fish, she caught three. While she was proud of her accomplishments, she made it clear that Kjelden caught the big fish.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to do well in front of a hometown crowd,” said Swank, who has earned two career top-10 finishes, including a second-place showing on Green Bay earlier this year. “It’s pretty exciting, but it’s pretty nerve-wracking too. That 6-pounder really helped.”

” border=”1″ align=”left” />Second place on the co-angler side went to Adam Adler of Oconto Falls, Wis. Adler, who has two top-10 finishes in only five attempts, caught five walleyes on day one that weighed 16 pounds, 14 ounces.

“Adam was an absolutely awesome partner,” said McQuoid, Adler’s day-one pro. “I drove the boat and he manned the lines. He reeled in most of the fish.”

Keith Strauss of Syracuse, Ind., and Boyd Strissel of Billings, Mont., tied for third with five walleyes that weighed 15 pounds, 7 ounces.

Strauss is coming off a victory as a boater in the FLW Walleye League Michigan Division Super Tournament on Saginaw Bay.

Strissel nearly returned to Montana as his wife was feeling ill earlier in the week.

“I was ready to come home,” said Strissel. “She told me, `Don’t you come home; you stay and fish.'”

Strissel added, “It’s really a neat thing to be able to fish with the best fishermen around. Plus, you don’t have to work nearly as hard as a co-angler.”

Forest Lake, Minn., native Darrell Martin finished day one in fifth with four walleyes that weighed 13 pounds, 15 ounces.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers on day one on Lake Oahe:

6th: Jimmy Cox of Bono, Ark., five walleyes, 13-11

7th: Dana Delp of Lansing, Mich., five walleyes, 13-10

8th: Jason Romano of Wonder Lake, Ill., five walleyes, 13-8

9th: Mike Taylor of Midland, Mich., five walleyes, 12-15

10th: Mark Fling of Hudson, Colo., five walleyes, 12-14

Day two of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Oahe begins as the field of 51 boats takes off from Spring Creek Resort at 7:30 a.m. Central time Thursday for the final day of the opening round.