Walleye Tour on hold
Poor weather forces cancellation of day one
PORT CLINTON, Ohio – With 4-foot waves the color of chocolate milk breaking on the shores of Lake Erie on Wednesday morning, day one of the Walmart FLW Walleye Tour season opener was cancelled.
The decision to cancel day one was made at 5:45 a.m. Wednesday when the U.S. Coast Guard issued a small-craft warning, said Sonny Reynolds, FLW director of walleye operations.
“We have a nor’easter blowing, which is the worst wind you could possibly have,” Reynolds said. “We have 3- to 4-foot waves near shore and 6- to 7-footers off shore. I heard nothing but `thank yous’ when we called it.”
With the weather predicted to improve later today, the tournament becomes a three-day event beginning Thursday morning. The entire field of 124 pros and as many co-anglers will fish Thursday and Friday. The field will be cut to the top 10 for Saturday’s finale.
Rain and high winds have hampered fishing all week. Pros unanimously agree that the prefish period was the toughest they have experienced here.
“Awful,” said Todd Riley of Amery, Wis., a championship qualifier in 2008.
“The worst I’ve seen in 29 years,” said Gary Roach of Merrifield, Minn., the oldest pro on tour this season.
Cold water and poor visibility are why. Water temperature is 43 degrees, and visibility is less than a foot in most places. Some anglers have made the 40-mile run to the Detroit River, which is a bit warmer and clearer, but with today’s chop that would have been a suicide mission.
“If you can see this far down, you’ll catch fish,” said Todd Frank of Pulaski, N.Y., using his hands to indicate a depth of about 12 inches. “But this far down (about 6 inches), and it’s nothing.”
But the improved weather forecast has everybody hopeful that the monster fish for which Lake Erie is famous will be hoisted onstage in the days ahead.
“There will be some good fish caught Friday,” predicted Lynn Jurrens of Watertown, S.D. “They’re just waiting to bust loose.”
Tournament logistics
The Nor’ Easter Club, located at 2801 Nor’ Easter Cove Road in Port Clinton, will host the takeoffs each morning at 7. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will be at Waterworks Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be at the Walmart at 2826 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton beginning at 4 p.m. The takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field will compete for two days for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day three, with the winners determined by the heaviest three-day weight.
Four of the six previous winners of FLW Walleye tournaments on Lake Erie are competing again this year, including Dave Kolb (’03), Dean Arnoldussen (’05), Dustin Kjelden (’07) and John Swanstrom (’08).