Sweet smell of victory

Rosemore earns first co-angler win at FLW Walleye Tour event on Lake Sharpe

PIERRE, S.D. – After three and a half years of fishing the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour as a co-angler, Darrell Rosemore of Jamestown, N.D., plucked his first victory from the waters of Lake Sharpe on Saturday. And what a sweet win it was, worth $10,000 and due in large part to the 29 1/2-inch walleye he hooked Thursday when fishing with pro winner Kelly Klemm.

“This is my sixth or seventh FLW, but I’ve never made the cut. It’s a new experience to be up here (onstage),” Rosemore said of the win. “I didn’t think I was going to win. I thought Kelly would … but I didn’t think I would make it.”

Rosemore just missed the cut in 2007, finishing in 11th place on Devils Lake in his home state. Prior to today’s win, his biggest payday on tour was $800.

Besting the runner-up by less than a pound, Rosemore put together his win with a total weight of 34 pounds, 1 ounce. His four days broke down like this: day one, 7-7, fishing with local pro Gerrick McComsey; day two, 14-9, fishing with Klemm; day three, 5-6, fishing with Joe McCartin; day four, 6-11, again fishing with Klemm.

Rosemore shot into first place in his division on day two, as did Klemm, after landing the heaviest sack of the tournament, anchored by a massive walleye weighing approximately 8 pounds that Rosemore caught just a mile or so away from the launch site, pitching a jig and minnow to a weed patch. Neither angler looked back after that.

When paired together again on the final day, Rosemore and Klemm caught their first keeper about 12 miles downstream, live-bait rigging. They returned to their sweet spot, again catching some on jigs and minnows, and also caught some not far from there vertically jigging.

Local co-angler runner-up

Terry Etzkorn of Pierre, S.D., picked up his third FLW Walleye top-10 this week in his eighth season as a co-angler. His second-place showing today on his home waters marks his best finish to date and was worth $7,026.

“It was brutal, but we got along,” he said of the tough fishing conditions he and pro partner Ted Takasaki faced today. “It was really rough coming back up here; it was so cold, you could barely feel your hands.”

Etzkorn said he had a great day on the water despite the weather, bringing in the heaviest limit of the day at 7-14, giving him a tournament total weight of 33-3. He and Takasaki caught their fish after a 55-mile run south, where they picked up their limit on bottom bouncers before making the four-hour trek back to weigh-in.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finalists in the FLW Walleye Tour event on Lake Sharpe:

3rd: Edward Piekutowski of Moorehead, Minn., total weight of 32 pounds, 10 ounces, $2,715

4th: Jim Feller of Blunt, S.D., 31-8, $3,262

5th: Justin Crawford of Box Elder, S.D., 31-5, $2,036

6th: Richard Myers of Pierre, S.D., 31-0, $2,562

7th: Jack Ellenbecker of Pierre, S.D., 30-15, $2,584

8th: Victor Wood of Rapid City, S.D., 29-12, $1,358

9th: Francis Beck of Saint Paul, Neb., 29-0, $1,132

10th: Robert Nelson of Saint Croix Falls, Wis., 28-1, $906

The next Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour presented by Berkley event will take place June 11-14 on Cass Lake in Minnesota.