Pundits’ Picks Walleye: Lake Erie

Olson continues streak at Bays de Noc

Welcome to the final installment of the 2007 walleye version of Pundits’ Picks. After a long season of prognostication, it all comes down to this: three qualifying pundits competing in a winner-take-all championship in the walleye-rich waters of Lake Erie. Here’s a quick recap of how we got here.

For the fourth consecutive tournament in a row, the Staff Division took yet another beating, this time in Escanaba, Mich. What kind of a curse does the Pro Division have over the Staff Division? The positive news is that the “good guys” had one survivor, Mark Dorn, who will carry us through the championship round and rightfully bring home the pundit trophy. Dorn upset previously unbeaten pundit Pete Harsh, who will not be advancing to the championship round. Ironically, he will be competing in the no-entry-fee Walleye Tour Championship as the second-to-last pro to qualify. Likewise, Eric Olson and Rick LaCourse, two veteran walleye anglers, advanced to the championship in the punditry world but failed to qualify for the on-the-water competition. But a pundit title has to be more important than a shot at a $150,000-payday in Cleveland. Right guys?

The high score in Escanaba went to Olson, the No. 1 overall seed, with 615 points. What’s Olson’s secret to pundit success? His name is Przekurat, and in case you haven’t heard of him, he’s a decent fisherman. By picking the BP pro at each event, Olson has essentially guaranteed himself of at least 140 points. Likewise, yours truly hasn’t picked Przekurat at a single tournament all season. How do you not pick the hottest walleye angler in the world once all year? Well, I guess that’s why I’m not invited to the pundit championship. At least I bested Reynolds, who still insists each of her picks all season were excellent.

Here were the playoff results:

No. 3 pro Rick LaCourse def. No. 1 staff Brett Carlson 584-420

No. 1 pro Eric Olson def. No. 3 staff Sharon Reynolds 615-382

No. 2 staff Mark Dorn def. No. 2 pro Pete Harsh 450-579

Remember, the picks from Harsh, Reynolds and Carlson are purely for your viewing pleasure. Only Dorn, LaCourse and Olson are competing for the title of most prophetic walleye pundit. The Pundits’ Picks championship is a no-holds-bar shootout, where the pundit with the highest point total takes the coveted title.

Last thing, the disclaimer: The picks in this column in no way represent any sort of favoritism on the part of FLW Outdoors staff or its pro anglers. These are merely guesses – only arguably educated – as to who we think might do well at any given tournament. With that in mind, here are the picks.

– Brett Carlson

Tournament site

Lake Erie, the host of the final event on the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, could prove to be the perfect venue for a lucrative year-end championship. Although this isn’t exactly the western basin, finding hungry walleyes in Lake Erie isn’t usually a problem. The predicament could be the wind. If it blows, there isn’t much, if any protection in Cleveland. When launching out of Trenton, Mich., anglers always have the option of staying in the river if the waves are too rough. Likewise, the Fox River is a good backup plan on the open waters of Green Bay. Unfortunately, there are no backup plans in this one. And with that, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of the four tournament days cancelled due to unsafe waters. But if Mother Nature cooperates, both anglers and fans alike could be in for an epic fall slugfest. Another thing to remember is that unlike the four qualifying events, weights will be cleared after day two. Walleye Tour anglers seemingly will have to manage their fish in order to capture the $150,000 first-place purse.

Eric Olson FLW Walleye Tour pro Red Wing, Minn. Record: 4-0 Points: 2369

1) JOE WHITTEN.A Great Lakes trolling maven, Joe’s constant drive to learn more and more about different presentations, locations and techniques have consistently put him in this elite field of 50. Joe considers Lake Erie home and wants nothing more than to notch a top ten – no matter where he has to go or what he has to do to find the right fish. Joe is also looking for payback from last year’s 11th-place finish at the championship. 2) JASON PRZEKURAT.One of the best all-around anglers on tour year after year, Jason is on a roll and there is no reason for it to stop now. Having honed his open-water trolling skills on Green Bay, he is no newbie to the techniques and patterns needed on a system like Erie. The thing I particularly like is his decision making ability, he’s been making the right calls all year and has no problem taking chances to get a win. Look for the BP pro to rock in the home of rock and roll. 3) GREGORY YARBROUGH.Greg is an Erie homebody, confident on this body of water with several high finishes and wins. Knowing what the weather and waves can do to a great pattern come tournament day, Yarbrough will have back-up spots that will keep him in the hunt if Mother Nature decides to get ugly. Look for Greg to be on the water come day four in Cleveland. 4) CHRIS GILMAN.Hungry is the best word to describe Chris’ state of mind. Having just missed Angler of the Year, he wants a win in Cleveland more than ever and that drive will be keeping him working hard to find the right fish. Look for another strong performance from the Chisago City, Minn., pro on big water. 5) BILL ORTIZ.Bill is no newcomer to this body of water, having done very well here in other circuits. In Cleveland, he’ll be relying on both past experience and his general knowledge of open-water patterns to dial in the right fish. Expect Bill to pull out all the stops and make sweet music on the last two days of this event.

Rick LaCourse FLW Walleye Tour pro Port Clinton, Ohio Record: 3-1 Points: 2214

1) GREGORY YARBROUGH.This local angler is one of the best open-water fishermen on the Walleye Tour. Greg has won other local events on Lake Erie this time of year, so look for him to be at the top in this one. 2) JEFF SEYKA.This Michigan angler has a ton of experience on the big lake. The one thing Jeff will be keying in on is staying with the ever-roaming schools of fish this time of year. 3) RICK FRANKLIN.Rick is having a great year and I look for this to continue in Cleveland. He has always done well fishing the Great Lakes tournaments and seems to have all the tricks to put big fish in the boat when needed. 4) TOM KEENAN.What can you say about the Chevy pro? Whenever there is a trolling bite, Tom is always at the top of the leaderboard. He understands the deep-water patterns that it will take to win this championship. 5) STEVE VANDEMARK.Here is another Michigan angler that shines on big water. Fresh off his win in Escanaba, Vande Mark is hot. I look for this trend to continue in Cleveland.

Mark Dorn Director of Operations FLW Outdoors Record: 1-3 Points: 2060

1) BILL ORTIZ.I’ve never spent so much time pouring over statistics, nuances, walleye pro eating habits in September, Great Lakes angler superstitions and Cleveland urban legends to arrive at these picks. My first is Bill Ortiz, a Great Lakes deep-water specialist. Downriggers, side planer boards, Dipsy Divers and leadcore trolling are all solid presentations in the Ortiz arsenal. Bill is my main man in this one. 2) DAVID KOLB.Bounty pro Dave Kolb has a great track record on the Great Lakes. He won a Walleye Tour event a few years back and seldom misses the bite on big water. Dave has also mastered the art of boat control in rough water, which definitely could play into his favor if the wind blows. 3) DENNIS (DENNY) LANTZY.Lantzy is another fisherman with a history of performing well on deep-water walleyes. I expect the Folgers pro to be there when the field cuts to 10 on Friday night. 4) GREGORY YARBROUGH.Greg is my homer pick for this one. This former Michigan resident now bases out of Port Clinton, Ohio, and knows the Erie routine. Yarbrough is versatile in all of the presentations that are likely to emerge in this big-fish shootout. I look for him to be around at cut time. 5) JASON PRZEKURAT.Nobody is hotter than BP pro and Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year Jason Przekurat. To leave him off any pick list wouldn’t make sense at all. Enough said.

Not eligible to win Pundit Championship

Pete Harsh FLW Walleye Tour pro Sauk Centre, Minn. Record: 3-1 Points: 2189

1) GREGORY YARBROUGH.Greg is due for a big win and Lake Erie is familiar water for this veteran angler. Look for Yarbrough to make the top-10 cut and be fishing day four if the winds stay down. 2) NATE PROVOST.Nate is another veteran Great Lakes angler. My hunch is that Nate will put the pattern, presentation and location together and also be fishing for the $150,000 on day four. 3) GERRICK MCCOMSEY.Fishing a long way from his hometown of Fort Pierre, S.D., watch for good things from this fierce veteran competitor. Gerrick is long over due for his second FLW Walleye Tour win. Why not have it happen in Cleveland at the big show? 4) DENNIS (DENNY) LANTZY.This veteran angler has been knocking on the door for some time. Home to the Great Lakes, Lantzy’s depth of experience may give him the winning edge needed to adapt to Lake Erie’s changing conditions. 5) TED TAKASAKI.No stranger to Great Lakes trolling, Teddy could be the dark horse in this one. Famous for some huge walleye weights while Great Lakes trolling and a former championship winner on another circuit, Takasaki knows what it takes to win.

Brett Carlson Editor FLWOutdoors.com Record: 1-3 Points: 2002

1) JASON PRZEKURAT.I feel obligated to pick Przekurat in Cleveland. I didn’t pick him once during the regular season and that’s why I didn’t advance to the pundit championship round. You see, Przekurat’s worst tournament of the season was a 12th-place finish on the Detroit River. For most pros, 12th would be their best event of the season. But not for the BP pro, who is fishing out of his mind right now. 2) JONATHAN SHOEMAKER.There aren’t very many locals in this one, but Shoemaker is about as close to a local as it gets. He lives about 30 miles west of Cleveland in Elyria, Ohio, so I imagine he’s in tune with what the walleyes do east of the western basin. He’s fished well this season, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t continue that trend. 3) SCOTT BANKS.I’m pretty sure this is Banks’ first time qualifying for the championship. It was an up-and-down year for the Cannon Falls, Minn., river rat, who led the opening day of the first event of the season. Banks has a knack for finding big fish, yet hasn’t really been able to demonstrate consistency. I say the rollercoaster ride ends on a high note. 4) GREGORY YARBROUGH.I thought about picking Tommy “Big-Fish Brunz” again, but after his dismal performance on Bays de Noc I’ve decided to pass. Just watch, now that I don’t pick Brunzy, he’ll pull out another 47-pound Lake Erie stringer. The safe pick is Yarbrough, a Port Clinton, Ohio, resident and Lake Erie veteran. But can his tin boat hold up in some presumably nasty autumn weather? 5) JOE WHITTEN.Speaking of owing me one, I thought Whitten was about to set the walleye world on fire at the season-opening event in Detroit. He had one of the best practices of his career on Lake Erie, and then the wind blew and turned his water into chocolate milk. Here’s a chance for the Toledo, Ohio, pro to the set record straight and get some Lake Erie revenge.

Sharon Reynolds Tournament administrator FLW Outdoors Record: 0-4 Points: 1762

1) JASON PRZEKURAT.I knew right away that I was going with Jason to win. He is on a roll and I would be a fool not to pick him for the win. 2) GREGORY YARBROUGH.Greg knows Lake Erie better than anyone, he will be there for sure. I have a lot of confidence in Greg for this year’s championship. He will definitely make a statement at the last tournament of the year. 3) CHRIS GILMAN.I think Chris will do great in this one. He has to make up for the last tournament where he lost the points title to Jason. Chris is a good troller who is looking at another big payday. 4) TOMMY SKARLIS.Mr. Sunshine himself will definitely be making an announcement in Cleveland – you can bet on that. Tommy is a great fisherman too, especially on open-water trolling bites. Too bad this tournament isn’t in April. 5) GLENN CHENIER.Glenn had a bad tournament at his home waters of Bays de Noc. But I think he will use that tournament to his advantage. He’s a good troller and now he’s motivated. Glenn will be my sleeper.