Quick Bites: FLW Walleye Tour Championship, Day 3
Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour
Lake Erie, Cleveland
Final round, first day, Saturday
Hello, Cleveland … If there was any doubt about whether the Walleye Tour Championship could make the leap to a big-city, convention-center setting, the Cleveland crowd’s enthusiasm superseded any skepticism Saturday. They cheered with great conviction for the singing of the National Anthem by a local vocalist; they rushed up the aisles with arms raised and smiles beaming as sponsors threw hats and shirts from the stage; and – most importantly – they proved they care about quality walleye fishing, applauding loudly for the anglers and hollering for them to hoist their catches. Cleveland rocks, indeed. And we’ve still got the biggest day yet to come.
In a blaze of glory … It was a shootout of the young guns for all the marble(eye)s in the Co-angler Division today, pitting Minnesota’s Ryan Kelly, who led the opening round, against Illinois’ Mike Zawistowski. Zawistowski took the lead as the second-to-last co-angler to weigh in with 
an amazing weight of 39 pounds, 3 ounces, but he wasn’t totally confident he would win since Kelly fished today with pro David Kolb, who had handily led both days of the opening round. With tension in the air and a co-angler at each side, FLW Outdoors President Charlie Evans let Zawistowski squirm a while by stretching out the moment before Kelly’s fish were weighed: “How old are you guys? 19 (Kelly) and 26 (Zawistowski)? You guys are making me feel old.” In the end, experience had the upper hand, as Zawistowski walked away with an $11,000 winner’s check after Kelly’s weight registered only 21-3. Coincidentally, Zawistowski was Kelly’s age when he joined the Walleye Tour; he is fishing in his sixth year as a co-angler.
Wisdom of the ages … While the pups duked it out from the back of the boat, Minnesota pro Jim Preissner proved that age has its advantages, sacking 23-5 to head into tomorrow’s final day in 
fifth place. Weighmaster Kevin Hunt said, “Jim is one of our oldest anglers, but he can hang with the best of ’em.” Evans, who’s been with FLW Outdoors and in the tournament-fishing industry for many years, corrected the youthful Hunt’s slight faux pas: “I think he’s 65 years young.” But even with many years of fishing experience under his belt, Preissner allowed as how it’s still easy to get a little excitable while competing in such a high-stakes tourney. “I almost made a mistake today,” he said. He wanted to leave his primary area, but decided to stay just a while longer at the last second. “Ten minutes later we found a big pod of (walleyes). That’s one of the things you battle in these tournaments is having patience.”
Kjelden clan … Without a doubt, the angler with the fullest and most animated support system today was pro Dustin Kjelden. His family came out in full force to cheer him on at the Cleveland Convention Center, raising signs and their voices to let him know they were there. His wife, Becky, and two daughters – Ella, 3, and Emmy, 1 – traveled all the way from 
Brookings, S.D., for the show, and other relatives from Ohio and elsewhere were also in the house. And did he put on a show for them, sacking the heaviest limit of the championship thus far at 39-3, plenty good enough to send him into the final day in first place. One sign read: “Number of tournaments to the finals: 4 – Nights my daddy was gone fishing: 40 – Having the BFGoodrich (Tires) pro as my daddy: Priceless!” Kjelden has had a great year and also top-10ed at last year’s championship, but with a good head start toward a $150,000 payday, all those nights away may become more bearable. Becky said: “It takes some adjusting. You know, we watch fishing, we all try to go fishing … a lot of our lives revolve around fishing. But we love it. It’s like today – my daughter got this Chevy crankbait (at the Family Fun Zone) and said, `Look, Mommy, I got a crankbait!’ I mean, how many 3-year-olds know what a crankbait is?”
Quick numbers
2: Number of lines pros will be able to fish with Sunday without co-anglers (four total were allowed with a two-angler boat).
16: Number of years Minnesota co-angler Patrick Bertelsen has been fishing (yet another young gun at only 22).
2,000: Maximum amount of dollars co-angler champ Zawistowski had won in a walleye tournament before his $11,000 payday today.
Sound bites
“I want to lull all these other anglers into a false sense of security.”
– Iowa pro Tommy Skarlis, on only sacking 18-5 today.
“There were just too many fish in my spot today.”
– Michigan pro Dennis Lantzy, uttering a rare phrase in competitive fishing (he explained that they were mostly 2- and 3-pounders that made it difficult to land a big bite).