Veteran co-angler wins walleye fishing’s biggest tournament
Lake Villa, Ill., native claims co-angler title, $19,100
PIERRE, S.D. – Partnering with Richard Nascak on day three, Jerome Chwierut found out that winning the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship isn’t as easy as it looks. He and his pro partner caught five Lake Oahe walleyes that weighed 17 pounds, 6 ounces, but their bodies paid for it deeply.
Nascak’s primary area is located approximately 60 miles north of the Spring Creek Resort, the official launch for the tournament. That 60-mile run can take nearly two hours in 30 mph hour winds.
For Chwierut, the price was well worth it as he is $19,100 richer after his impressive catch earned him $11,000 plus a $6,000 bonus from Ranger, a $1,600 bonus from Evinrude and a $500 bonus from Castrol. His $1,600 from Evinrude will cover all of his entry fees for the 2007 FLW Walleye Tour.
To get to the finals, he caught five walleyes weighing 11 pounds Wednesday while fishing with pro William St. Peter of Bay City, Mich., and five walleyes weighing 13 pounds Thursday while fishing with Tom Brunz. His two-day total of 24 pounds advanced Chwierut to the final day of co-angler competition as the No. 2 seed.
“This feels terrific,” said Chwierut, who finished third at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship in 2001. “We didn’t have a fish in the boat until 10:30 a.m. then we made some adjustments and had five in the livewell by 11:30 a.m. and were heading back in because of the rough water.”
On two of their lines, Nascak and Chwierut used leadcore. On the other two, they used planer boards and Fireline. White-flash was the winning crankbait color.
The Lake Villa, Ill., native described his first FLW Walleye Tour victory: “It feels fantastic. I do this because I enjoy fishing. Winning it is just an extra.”
Chwierut began fishing walleye tournaments at the urging of pro Joe McCartin. While prefishing together for a muskie tournament, McCartin finally convinced him to enter the world of walleyes. The next time these two go fishing, expect Chwierut to be buying the bait.
Cox frustrated in second
Coming in second for the co-anglers was Jimmy Cox of Bono, Ark. Cox finished the opening round in first place, but slipped to second after catching 11-10 on day three. Cox earned a purse of $15,500 thanks to $9,000 in contingency awards.
“I was hoping for first,” said the Mizmo Bait Company founder. “I think we had like 7 or 8 pounds before they (Nascak and Chwierut) had anything. I knew I had a good weight. I’m disappointed. I wanted that big trophy. We did all we could. We never lost a fish.”
With three top-10 finishes, including fifth place at last year’s championship, it appears Cox has found a home on the walleye side.
Delp rises to third
Co-angler Dana Delp of Lansing, Mich., moved up six places with a 9-pound, 3-ounce catch and finished in third.
“We got one fish on our first pass, and one fish on our second pass,” said Delp, who fished with Kevin McQuoid.
For his efforts, Delp earned a check worth $5,000.
Strauss moves up to fourth
Keith Strauss of Syracuse, Ind., was able to catch five walleyes on Friday, moving up from sixth place to fourth place among the co-anglers with weight of 9 pounds, 1 ounce. Strauss earned $8,500 for his fourth-place finish.
Walleye fans might remember that Strauss finished second at last year’s championship. He was also the winner of the 2006 FLW Walleye League Michigan Division Super Tournament on Saginaw Bay as a boater.
“I’d just like to say thanks to all the pros I fished with throughout the year,” Strauss said.
Don’t be surprised if Strauss joins the pro ranks of the FLW Walleye Tour in the near future.
Watson fifth
Fifth place went to Dewey Watson of Twin Falls, Idaho, who boated three walleyes that weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces, earning him a check for $4,500.
“We didn’t catch a ton, but the ones we caught were pretty nice,” said Watson.
Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finalists at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Oahe:
6th: Jason Wrosch of Melrose Park, Ill., five walleyes, 8-0, $2,000
7th: Flo Swank of Pierre, S.D., three walleyes, 7-14, $1,800
8th: Darrell Martin of Forest Lake, Minn., one walleye, 2-15, $1,600
9th: Mark Fling of Hudson, Colo., one walleye, 2-9, $1,400
10th: Adam Adler of Oconto Falls, Wis., zero walleyes, 0-0, $1,200