Forty on the nose

Zachowski leads day one of second FLW Walleye Tour event

RED WING, Minn. – There was one 40-pound stringer weighed in during the entire season-opening Walmart FLW Walleye Tour event on Lake Erie. At the tour’s second stop on the Mississippi River, the very first fisherman to the scale had precisely 40 pounds. That angler was Milwaukee pro Richard Zachowski.

Forty pounds is an incredible sack of fish on any body of water, but it is absolutely unheard of on Pools 3, 4 and 5 of the Mississippi. No angler ever expects to reach an 8-pound average, but Zachowski had a great practice and knew he was on something special.

“We had zero fish in the livewell at 11 this morning,” he said. “But I knew they were there, so we bid our time and kept working. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. we were just stacking them in the boat.”

It is difficult to fathom, but Zachowski’s smallest fish measured 26 1/2 inches. His two biggest were 29s, and the other two were 27s. He fished one small postspawn area located in Pool 4 the entire day. Walleye fans who are familiar with the Red Wing area might assume this area was Katrina, where Paul Kennebeck won the recent FLW Walleye League event. That was not the case.

“It wasn’t Katrina. There were some other boats around me, but I am doing something a little different, and I don’t think anyone else has it figured out. Fortunately, I’m in the first flight tomorrow, so I should be able to get to it again.

“Practice was this good too. It’s actually kind of scary. Now when I’m not getting bit, I’m wondering how long I should stay because I know they are there.”

With over an 8-pound lead, the pro leader was not willing to go into detail about his presentation. He would say he is not fishing with willow cats and he is not trolling with crankbaits. His main concern is the wind forecasted for tomorrow. It is supposed to gust from the west at 20 mph.

“If it really blows tomorrow, I’ll probably handline in the river. I think the river bite is stronger and more consistent than the lake bite right now. With this great start, I don’t need a lot to make the top 10. Fifteen or 20 pounds a day from here on out would be great.”

Zachowski and his teammate Rob Manthei won the 2004 MWC Team of the Year award. He also finished second at the Spring Valley Walleye Tour event in 2003. To date, he’s never won at the tour level. But victory isn’t on his mind now; instead it’s all about tomorrow’s wind.

“It can blow, but it can’t blow in a certain direction. With this spot, that would change everything.”

Johnson back in second

Pro Nick Johnson is a force to be reckoned with on the Mississippi River. He took second here in 2007, fifth the year prior, and he won the 2004 Walleye Tour Championship downstream in the Quad Cities. Last season he also won the final PWT event held out of Hudson, Wis., on Pool 3 and the St. Croix River. On day one this year, he calmly sacked 31 pounds, 10 ounces for second place.

“I don’t want to sound like I have a big head, but I expected to catch big fish again,” he said. “The bite is heating up like it always does this time of year.”

Johnson said he fished three different spots. Depending on the spot, he’ll either jig vertically or use a live-bait rig.

“I learned this river inside and out by pulling cranks. But now that I know the specific spots, I can catch twice as many with live bait.”

Johnson stayed in Pool 4 and claims he doesn’t have a magic area.

“There is no such thing as a private spot anymore on this river. That’s OK; it’s just the way it is.”

Despite his lengthy list of accomplishments, the Elmwood, Wis., native has never won a tour-level event held out of Red Wing. But like Zachowski, his focus is not on the win.

“It’s too early to think about that right now. I could end up with 4 pounds tomorrow – I really could. This river can treat you great one day and awful the next.”

Fairbairn third

In third place is Hager City, Wis., pro Scott Fairbairn. Like Johnson, Fairbairn calls Pool 4 of the river home. Fairbairn is notorious for finding the fattest saugers Lake Pepin has to offer, and today was no different. In addition, he had a few kicker walleyes that brought his total weight to 26 pounds, 8 ounces.

The last time the Walleye Tour visited Red Wing, Fairbairn took sixth.

Stevens fourth

Fairbairn wasn’t the only pro from the tiny town of Hager City, Wis., to make the top 10 after day one. In fourth place was local guide Randy Stevens, who caught 26 pounds even. Better known as River Rat Randy, Stevens is a retiree who fishes this stretch of the Mississippi often.

“We bounced all over the place today,” he said. “It wasn’t like we could sit on top of them. Today went well, but I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Stevens fished Pool 4, but was tight-lipped about his presentation. He caught nine fish total, his eighth and last going in the box at 3:10 p.m. When asked if he was trolling crankbaits or live-bait rigging, he responded, “I like to fish specific spots.”

Preissner fifth

Jim Preissner of Hastings, Minn., brought in a sack weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces, which was good enough for fifth place in the Pro Division. Preissner had only one fish in the livewell at 11 this morning. Like many pros, he went running and gunning. In total, he tried six different areas.

“We caught three 24s at my final spot,” he said. “My co-angler got the big fish, so that was a big help.”

Although Preissner lives nearby, he hasn’t spent much time on the Mississippi this year.

“Believe it or not, practice was my first time on the river this year. Thankfully, I’ve spent a lot of time on this body of water, so it is fairly easy for me to pattern it based on the conditions.”

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros on day one on the Mississippi River:

6th: Roy Vivian of Madison, Wis., five walleyes, 23-5

7th: Robert Blosser of Poynette, Wis., five walleyes, 22-3

8th: Ted Takasaki of East Gull Lake, Minn., five walleyes, 21-10

8th: Perry Good of Brainerd, Minn., five walleyes, 21-10

10th: Steve Vandemark of Lindwood, Mich., five walleyes, 20-4

Berg busts 40 pounds in first tournament

In the first tournament of his Walleye Tour career, co-angler Steve Berg was paired with Zachowski. The pro leader put his partner to good use as they combined for 40 pounds. Zachowski said Berg was a big contributor in the team’s success.

“Sometimes I was the net man; sometimes I was rod man,” said Berg. “This is my first tournament ever, so I would say I’m off to a good start. You hope to do well, but 40 pounds is a big basket. The boss (Zachowski) had it wired today.”

Berg lives across the border in Hudson, Wis., and fishes the St. Croix and Pool 3 of the Mississippi often. When the tournament concludes, he will have several new areas downstream in Pool 4 to explore.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top five co-anglers on day one on the Mississippi River:

2nd: Chad Niemann of Rochester, Minn., five walleyes, 31-10

3rd: James Murphy of Fayetteville, Ark., five walleyes, 26-8

4th: David Hosek of White Bear Lake, Minn., five walleyes, 26-0

5th: Rick Norris of Hudson, Wis., five walleyes, 25-12

Day two of FLW Walleye Tour competition on the Mississippi River begins as the field of 100 boats takes off from Bay Point Park in Red Wing at 7 a.m. Central time Thursday for the second day of the opening round.