Nascak nears $150,000 payday
Winona, Minn., pro opens up 5-pound, 12-ounce lead
PIERRE, S.D – On the pivotal third day of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship, pro Richard Nascak ripped open what had been a nail-biter of a tournament. Braving a 60-mile run north in 30 mph winds, Nascak reached his honeyhole and had plenty of time to bag a 17-pound, 6-ounce limit.
After day two on Lake Oahe, the pro leaderboard read Scott Allar in first and Nascak in second. After day three, those names were flip-flopped as Nascak got the two big bites. His biggest fish, which weighed roughly 6 pounds, bit at 10:30 a.m. Less than 15 minutes later a 5-pounder bit and Nascak filled his limit by 11:30 a.m. Those two overs gave the Winona, Minn., river rat a commanding 5-pound, 12-ounce lead.
Why is a 5-pound lead so critical on a lake that has already produced a 10-pound, 10-ounce walleye earlier this week? Because, unlike the preliminary rounds of competition, which featured pros and co-anglers fishing together for a combined five-walleye limit, only the pros are competing Saturday. That means instead of having the option to weigh in two walleyes over 20 inches and three between 14 and 20 inches, the pros will only be allowed to weigh in four walleyes, including just one over 20 inches. The combined weight from Friday and Saturday will determine the winner, and culling is not allowed.
“That’s going to make it tough on the other guys,” said Nascak, who has earned three top-10 finishes on the FLW Walleye Tour. “I figure if I can just bring in my four-fish limit, I’ll be tough to beat. The first four fish I catch are coming back in. I’m not going to take any chances.”
Nascak also unveiled a few more specifics about his productive pattern. On two of his lines, he’s using leadcore. On his other two, he’s using planer boards and Fireline. White-flash is his preferred crankbait color and he’s employing both Reef Runners and No. 7 Shad Raps.
“Things just went great today. I had a great co-angler and the fish came in the right order.”
Allar slips to second
Allar had an excellent day by most anglers’ standards, yet the Welch, Minn., pro seemed slightly disappointed. After leading the opening round, Allar let his grip on first slip away. The execution in his boat was solid once again, but he never saw any kickers.
“I didn’t catch an over today,” Allar said. “It’s going to be tougher to make up ground with only four fish. Tomorrow I guess I have to fish for second and hope for first. Hopefully I catch a 24-incher and not a 20-incher.”
Still, Allar boated an 11-pound, 10-ounce limit while sharing a one-mile stretch with Nascak. He has held steadfast to his program, a program that consists of trolling natural-colored crankbaits in anywhere from 20 to 40 feet of water.
“Everyday is a little bit worse than the day before. I am getting a little worried. It could happen. It’s only got to hold out one more day.”
McQuoid third
Pro Kevin McQuoid of Isle, Minn., improved his catch on day three and moved up to third place. McQuoid boated five walleyes weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces. Reluctant to change areas this late in the game, he too ran a considerable distance upstream.
McQuoid said he continued to target migrating fish by trolling crankbaits with leadcore and Fireline. On his Fireline rods, he’s using planer boards to help detect bites and to keep the baits away from the boat.
“I’m trolling leadcore with 10-foot rods so it will be challenging tomorrow in the boat by myself,” he said. “He’d (pro leader Nascak) really have to stumble tomorrow. Realistically, I’m fishing for second.”
Brunz up to fourth
Climbing two spots into fourth place was Madison Lake, Minn., pro Tom Brunz.
After bringing in 24 pounds, 7 ounces during the opening round, Brunz caught five fish that weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce on day three. Brunz too made the 60-mile run north. Like Nascak and Allar, he caught his five-walleye limit cranking. Unfortunately, he never got any big bites.
“I’ve fished a lot of tournaments over the years, but I’ve never finished first,” said the wily veteran. “Over the years the level of competition has changed. These guys are getting younger and younger and the competition is getting better.”
Olson fifth
Rick Olson of Mina, S.D., struggled somewhat on day three managing three walleyes that weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Demonstrating the difficulty of the bite, Olson still finished the day in fifth place.
“Over the last two days we ran over 200 miles,” Olson said. “Today, I only ran 20 minutes away. I’m pretty glad to get what I got today. We’ll see what the weather does tomorrow.”
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros on day three on Lake Oahe:
6th: Scott Steil of Richmond, Minn., five walleyes, 8-0
7th: Dustin Kjelden of Brookings, S.D., three walleyes, 7-14
8th: Gerrick McComsey of Fort Pierre, S.D., one walleye, 2-15
9th: Troy Morris of Bismarck, N.D., one walleye, 2-9
10th: Richard Franklin of Bemidji, Minn., zero walleyes, 0-0
The final day of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship begins as the top 10 pros take off from Spring Creek Resort at 7:30 a.m. Central time Saturday. Weights are cleared for the final round, with the winning pro determined by the heaviest two-day total weight from Friday and Saturday.