Klemm’s catch shines through

Minnesota pro, North Dakota co-angler leverage monster walleye to take Lake Sharpe lead on miserable day two

PIERRE, S.D. – If day one of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event on Lake Sharpe was perfect with its bluebird skies, light winds and moderate temperatures, then day two was its evil twin. Anglers battled chilly temps, wind-whipped waves and insistent rains Thursday, surviving a miserable day on the Missouri River in central South Dakota.

Stop No. 1 of the Walleye Tour, presented by Berkley, was held just a few weeks ago on the massive waters of Lake Erie, but one of the pros who fished that event said Lake Sharpe’s tightly grouped whitecaps were more punishing than some of the large rollers produced on bigger bodies of water. Not only did the river’s waves make boat-handling and long runs a challenge, but most of the soaked field admitted to being chilled to the bone – or at least looked it – as their fish were weighed. Amazingly, an impressive core audience stuck around for the final fish to be weighed.

Despite the trying weather, the field of 134 pros caught only nine fewer limits and about 53 fewer total pounds of walleyes Thursday than on opening day. So Lake Sharpe continues to deliver good catch rates – including many smallmouth bass – and the good news is Friday is expected to be better, with winds lighter and conditions much drier.

Kicker puts Klemm in lead

Just a few minutes into the wet weigh-in, the beaming faces of two competitors signaled that they had found some sunshine, at least figuratively. Pro Kelly Klemm of Wheaton, Minn., and co-angler Darrell Rosemore of Jamestown, N.D., pulled a 29 1/2-inch walleye from their limit, wowing the crowd with the heaviest fish weighed over the first half of competition. The kicker fish, likely in the 8-pound range, anchored their shared sack weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces and earned them each the lead in their respective divisions as of the tournament’s halfway point.

“We had a great day; I had a great partner,” Klemm said, explaining that his co-angler landed the big one.

After catching several smaller limit fish about 40 miles or more downstream in the West Bend area, the pair headed back toward Pierre and fished nearby in the main river channel; that’s when they landed the lunker.

“It’s the one everybody’s been looking for,” the third-year FLW Walleye Tour pro said.

According to Klemm, they caught all their fish by jigging minnows on 1/2-ounce jigs. He now has a two-day total of 21-9, more than 3 pounds ahead of second.

Banks bursts onto scene in second

You could almost call it a marathon: Cannon Falls, Minn., pro Scott Banks sped by 40 competitors Thursday to claim the runner-up position on day two. Today he added a limit weighing 10 1/2 pounds to his day-one weight of 7-15 for a two-day total of 18-7.

“We didn’t have nearly the day we had yesterday – at least in terms of numbers,” the fifth-year FLW pro reported.

So how did he tear up the leaderboard like a heat-seeking missile then? It was a 5 1/2-pounder that fueled the rise in the standings.

“We caught that big one right away this morning,” Banks said.

In a tournament where a mere 7 ounces separates third place from 10th, the place after which the cut will be made tomorrow, landing a big `eye like Banks or Klemm’s can make a world of difference. They occupy the only two places currently separated from others by a margin measured in pounds rather than an ounce or two.

Seelhoff falls to third

Opening-day Pro Division leader Ron Seelhoff of Burlington, Colo., fell to third place Thursday, but is nowhere near out of the running. He weighed a 7-1 limit today that, combined with his day-one weight of 10-7, gives him a two-day total of 17 1/2 pounds.

Only about a pound behind Banks, the veteran walleye pro Seelhoff is still definitely a threat to win, having already proven he knows where to look for bigger fish. He brought in the day’s biggest walleye on day one that he plucked from the main channel of the river not too far from Pierre, pitching jigs with minnows as well as soft-plastic jigs.

“There was no kicker fish today,” Seelhoff said. “I’m going to have to come up with a magic 22- or 23-incher tomorrow.”

Weights stack up beginning at No. 4 position

Pro Bill Ortiz of Richland Center, Wis., showed his consistency Thursday, improving on his day-one catch by 3 ounces for a two-day total of 17-3 good for fourth place.

Just an ounce behind Ortiz is a weight logjam extending five deep. Though each of these anglers has a two-day total of 17-2, they are placed differently based on day-two weight: East Gull Lake, Minn., pro Ted Takasaki (5th); Isle, Minn., pro Kevin McQuoid (6th); Chisago City, Minn., pro Chris Gilman (7th); Fort Pierre, S.D., pro Kenneth Johnson (8th); and Richmond, Minn., pro Scott Steil (9th).

Rounding out the top 10 Pro Division anglers after day two of Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, presented by Berkley, competition on Lake Sharpe is Bill Shimota of Lonsdale, Minn., in 10th place with a two-day total weight of 17-1.

Rosemore reels in giant to lead co-anglers

North Dakota co-angler Darrell Rosemore was the man of the hour Thursday, catching a massive 29 1/2-inch walleye that anchored his and pro partner Klemm’s 14-pound, 9-ounce haul on the day. Combined with his day-one weight of 7-7, Rosemore now enjoys a 2-13 lead in the Co-angler Division heading into Friday, the all-important cut day in this four-day event.

“We ran 40 to 45 miles south, caught seven or eight fish down there, and then headed back up here,” Rosemore said of the day. “We got back north about 1:30, and I just grabbed a jig and started throwing it. I caught the big fish – a 29 1/2-incher – about 1:30 when I threw the jig at the shore.”

Rosemore caught the monster jigging with minnows in the main river channel near Pierre. It was their eighth and final fish for the day (competitors can keep eight fish per boat, but cannot cull after placing them in livewells and can only weigh five).

Bucholz drops a slot

Yesterday’s co-angler leader, Mark Bucholz of Sioux Falls, S.D., lost a position Thursday, leaving him runner-up as competition moves toward tomorrow’s cut day.

Bucholz fished with 16th-place pro Ken Schoenecker of West Bend, Wis., today to land an 8-12 limit, giving him a two-day total of 19-3.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers after day one of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Presented by Berkley event on Lake Sharpe:

3rd: Victor Wood of Rapid City, S.D., two-day total of 17-12

4th: Francis Beck of Saint Paul, Neb., 17-3

5th: Robyn Johnson of Fort Pierre, S.D., 17-1

6th: Steve Beasley of Macomb, Mich., 17-1

7th: Jack Ellenbecker of Pierre, S.D., 16-15

8th: Matt Lyon of Pierre, S.D., 16-15

9th: Terry Etzkorn of Pierre, S.D., 16-12

10th: Troy Vanecek of Omaha, Neb., 16-11

Day three of Walleye Tour competition begins when the field of 134 boats takes off at 7 a.m. Friday from Steamboat Park near the causeway in Pierre.