Meravy maintains lead with only three fish
Handlining rules the day as bite weakens in Walleye Tour opener
TRENTON, Mich. – With a simple three-fish catch that weighed just 7 pounds, 9 ounces, Mark Meravy maintained his lead in the Pro Division during a quiet third day at the season-opening Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event.
After two days of nonstop jigging, the Detroit River finally muddied up on day three, effectively killing the jig bite. The fishing was tough all around as only 53 limits were caught among a field of 150 pros and as many co-anglers. Handliners that were pulling 25 to 30 fish a day were lucky to scratch out five males. But handlining was definitely the way to go. Just ask Cannon Falls, Minn., pro Scott Banks. Banks led the tournament after day one with over 31 pounds. On day two, he caught three jig fish, and today he zeroed. Banks truly lived by the jig and died by the jig, finishing the event in 11th place.
Meravy didn’t want to switch tactics, but the dirty water really left him no choice.
“We had to change game plans,” said the Shorewood, Ill., pro. “The dirty water got to my spot. The jig bite was really tough; I probably stayed there too long. I’m stubborn like that.”
Of his three fish, two were caught jigging, and one was caught pulling three-way rigs with a 3-ounce bell sinker and a No. 9 Rapala stickbait. Considering how tough the bite was for the rest of the field, it’s surprising that Meravy even managed two jig fish.
Before he even brought a fish to the scale Friday, Meravy was in third place. His nearly 6-pound lead dwindled to exactly 1 pound, and uncertainty lingers about day four. Meravy’s opening-round total was 51 pounds, 14 ounces.
“I’m going to look at the water tomorrow, and if it’s dirty, I’m go to go polelining. If it’s clean, I’ll jig. As tough as the bite was, I’m happy with the 7 pounds.”
Meravy said if the water has a foot or more of visibility, he will jig, which is what he really wants to do.
“I’d have a lot more confidence if the water was clean. I’m a jigger; that’s what I do. I think I have an advantage with the jig.”
Kjelden continues climbing
BFGoodrich Tires pro Dustin Kjelden once again exhibited steady progress as he caught five walleyes on day three that weighed 12 pounds, 5 ounces. While he remained in second place, he trimmed Meravy’s lead considerably. If he brings in a double-digit weight for the fourth consecutive day, he could be heading back to Brookings, S.D., with his second FLW Walleye Tour victory and another six-figure check.
“Today my big-fish areas were totally muddy,” Kjelden said. “So I retreated to an area with smaller fish and ended up culling three times.”
Although he never once did it in practice, Kjelden polelined today with floating Rapalas. He tried to jig in his first area, but knew right away it wasn’t going to work.
“Tomorrow, I’m going to check the water conditions right away and see where we’re at. I’d much rather be jigging if at all possible. I think I should be able to get 12 or 13 pounds polelining, but if I go jigging, well, I don’t know what will happen.”
Kjelden’s day-three limit pushed his total weight to 50 pounds, 14 ounces. He also enacted some sweet revenge on the Detroit River, which threw him for a loop last year on day three after being in the exact same position.
Vanderweide sacks 19-11 for third
Competing in his first FLW Walleye Tour event as a pro, 26-year-old Josh Vanderweide caught the heaviest limit of the day. His five fish, which included two sizeable females, weighed 19 pounds, 11 ounces. With one day left on the Detroit River, the Jenison, Mich., native has a total weight of 46 pounds, 1 ounce.
When the day started, Vanderweide sat in 20th place, but he was always confident in his ability to put fish in the boat on his home waters.
“It feels good,” said Vanderweide, a Detroit Mercy dental student. “I’ve been fishing this river every spring for the past 15 years, so I know it pretty well.”
Vanderweide has been groomed by his father, Thomas, for several years in local tournaments and in the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League. He comes from good walleye lineage, as his father has fished on the walleye side of FLW Outdoors events since its inception in 2000 as the RCL.
“We’ve been doing this together for quite a while. But recently, school has been killing my fishing.”
Fishing what he described as a milk run, Vanderweide caught seven fish total on floating Rapalas, pulled by weighted wire.
“I’m hoping to find them somewhere tomorrow. The fish right now are moving so much. You really have to stay with them to find the big females.”
Schoenecker jumps to fourth
Rising to fourth place was pro Ken Schoenecker, the pride of tiny Nabob, Wis. After bringing in 12 pounds, 14 ounces on day two, Schoenecker was able to manage five walleyes that weighed 17 pounds, 14 ounces on day three. That weight was anchored by a spawned-out kicker walleye that weighed roughly 8 pounds. His opening-round total was 42 pounds, 15 ounces.
Although they work as team, Schoenecker incessantly thanked his co-angler partner, Edward Scheele, who apparently caught all five of the keeper fish.
Much like Meravy, the fourth-place pro is working three-way rigs with floating Rapalas. He said he feels this presentation allows him to follow contours every bit as good as the handliners.
“I think I’ve got a real good chance tomorrow,” he said. “I’m dialed in. I think I know what these fish are thinking.”
Fairbairn falls to fifth
Slipping one spot to fifth place was Scott Fairbairn of Hager City, Wis. Although he improved from his day-two catch, Fairbairn actually lost ground. On day three, he once again put five walleyes into the box that weighed 12 pounds, 15 ounces. His three-day weight is 42 pounds, 8 ounces.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros who will be fishing on day four on the Detroit River:
6th: Chris Gilman of Chisago City, Minn., 42-8 (tiebreaker to Fairbairn)
7th: Dean Kaminski of Columbia Heights, Minn., 40-8
8th: Brian Warner of Charlevoix, Mich., 40-6
9th: Gerrick McComsey of Fort Pierre, S.D., 39-9
10th: Erik Furseth of East Lansing, Mich., 38-12
Michigan and Illinois dominate Co-angler Division
On the co-angler side, the Big Ten conference demonstrated its walleye supremacy. Each of the top 10 co-anglers are from a Big Ten state. Each of the top six are either from Michigan or Illinois.
Orland Park, Ill., native Don Cozzie overtook the lead on day three with a five-walleye limit weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces. Cozzie was fishing with Vanderweide today, and he had nothing but great things to say about the young pro.
“It was a pleasure fishing with him,” said Cozzie. “The determination was excellent, the execution was excellent. He fished like a true pro. We had five or six spots ready, and we hit four of them. We did a little bit of jigging and handlining. We caught the two big ones handlining and had one small one we tried to get rid of all day, but we couldn’t.
Cozzie said he was originally planning on heading to Dubuque, Iowa, after the day-three weigh-in to see his daughter play softball for the University of Dubuque.
“I wasn’t even supposed to be here for the final day, but I guess my plans have changed,” Cozzie said. “My pro for Saturday, Mark Meravy, lives just 10 miles from me, and we both know what we’re doing out here, so I hope everything goes all right for us.”
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers who will fish on day four on the Detroit River:
2nd: Paul Doute Jr. of Southgate, Mich., 43-15
3rd: Chris Kinzler of Trenton, Mich., 43-8
4th: Mike Zawistowski of Wonder Lake, Ill., 41-9
5th: Michael Eichbrecht of Washington, Mich., 40-10
6th: Brent Brophy of Milford Township, Mich., 40-10
7th: Keith Strauss of Syracuse, Ind., 40-9
8th: Keith Hahn of Johnsburg, Ill., 40-4
8th: Shannon Larson of Rice Lake, Wis., 39-13
10th: Heath Fremstad of Mondovi, Wis., 39-11
The final day of FLW Walleye Tour competition on the Detroit River begins as the top 10 pro and 10 co-anglers take off from Elizabeth Park Marina at 7 a.m. Eastern time Saturday. The final weigh-in will take place at 4 p.m. Eastern time from the Wal-Mart store located on Allen Road in Woodhaven, Mich.