Quick Bites: Walleye Tour Championship, Day 4

The top 10 pros at the Walmart FLW Walleye Tour Championship had another factor to contend with on the last day of the tournament: local anglers. All week long the pros and their co-anglers had the Missouri River pretty much to themselves. But not on Saturday, which for the average working stiff is the day to go fishing. But the pros didn’t mind sharing the water, even if it meant getting bumped off a good spot. “Everybody that went by waved at me and gave me the thumbs-up sign,” said Tom Keenan, an angler who refuses to crowd locals who are on a spot. “That was really great. A lot of the places we go the locals look at us like we’re catching all their fish. But not here.”

Robert B. Blosser, a third-year pro, surprised many observers at the tournament by finishing second. But perhaps it isn’t such a surprise, seeing who Blosser learned from. His father, Robert Blosser Sr. is a bass pro who taught his son how to catch salmon and walleyes as well as bass. But somewhere along the line Robert Jr. gravitated toward walleyes. “I love bass fishing, but it’s a one-rod Charlie sport,” Blosser said. “There are so many ways to fish walleyes: trolling, jigging, casting cranks, hand-lining, pulling leadcore. They’re so much smarter than bass. How many times can you flip to a spot and miss that bass, and he’ll come back and hit it again and again? Walleyes won’t come back and hit a bait. Fishing them is a mental chess game. They’re always in transition. Day to day, you have to change your game plan. The mental preparation you need to fish walleyes is amazing. They can go from 2 feet to 20 feet in 24 hours. Bass seldom do that. Don’t get me wrong, I love catching smallies. But deep down, I’m a walleye guy.”

Blosser got a real surprise at the weigh-in when his father showed up via a charter flight from Wisconsin. It was an emotional moment for father and son, who hugged on the stage when Robert Sr. was introduced to the crowd by FLW emcee Charlie Evans. And Blosser wasn’t the only angler whose mentor was in the crowd. Sitting 10 rows back from center stage was Mr. Walleye, Gary Roach, who took Todd Frank under his wing several years ago and watched him develop into the kind of pro who was capable of placing third at this year’s championship. Don’t be surprised if the oldest pro in competitive walleye fishing competes in a few more tournaments next year.

Quick numbers

29-7: weight, in pounds and ounces, of Tommy Skarlis‘ two-day final-round weight.

61-8: weight, in pounds and ounces, of Skarlis’ total tournament catch in four days on the Missouri River.

6-4: weight, in pounds and ounces, of heaviest walleye caught during the tournament, taken by Todd Riley.

526: total number of walleyes caught during the four-day tournament.

1,216: combined weight, in pounds, of those 526 walleyes.

Sound bites

“I knew I was up against the wall. I kept two desperation fish just to have something to weigh. This one will hurt for awhile.” – Brett King, who placed ninth.

“I found a nice little sauger hole where in about 10 minutes you could put together a limit.” – Riley, who placed sixth.

“I went to my spot today, and everything was the same. I thought I would do great, but it didn’t happen.” – Joe Okada, who placed 10th.

“I had to ask God to forgive me. I found a sandbar today and lost my lower unit and said a word I shouldn’t have said.” – Tom Keenan, who placed seventh.

“I wish I had three more of those.” – Ted Takasaki, who placed eighth, pointing to the two fish he brought to the weigh-in.

“Come in with a limit every day, and you’ll make the championship.” – Chris Gilman, who came in fifth this year and who has qualified for 18 tour-level championships on the FLW, PWT and MWC.

“The river gives you something every day. Today it gave me a 2-pounder that I threw back. I wish had that fish right now.” – Todd Frank, who placed third.

“This is overwhelming. Just making this tournament was overwhelming. And now you hit me with this.” – second-place finisher Robert B. Blosser, upon learning his father, Robert Sr., had chartered a plane to come to Saturday’s weigh-in.

“I’ve been in my underwear a few times this week, pushing my boat off a sandbar.” – Ross Grothe, who placed fourth.

“For a kid from Iowa who never finished college, this is a dream come true.” – 2008 FLW Walleye Tour champion Tommy Skarlis.

“Roof! Roof! Roof!” – Shadow, Pete Harsh‘s dog, when asked if she likes to go fishing.