It doesn’t get any closer than this

One ounce separates first from second places heading into final round of Walmart FLW Walleye Tour event

WALKER, Minn. – Brian Brosdahl has a guide trip scheduled for Saturday. Looks like he’ll have to cancel.

The guide known simply as Bro’ gets a good fee for his services, but through circumstances of his own making, he’s now in line for a much bigger payday, like one around $75,000.

That’s roughly the check Brosdahl would cash if he prevails Saturday in the final round of the Walmart FLW Walleye Tour tournament on Leech Lake. It’s a safe bet nobody’s betting against Bro’, not with the way he’s fished over the past three days. He started the tournament Wednesday with 15 pounds, 4 ounces, good for third place. Thursday he weighed 16 pounds, 8 ounces, good for second place. Friday he weighed 14 pounds, 13 ounces, good for first place.

Does anybody see a trend here?

When Brosdahl gets on a good bite, there’s no stopping him, and it will take the very best that Tom Keenan and the other eight challengers have in their arsenals to knock him from the top spot. Yes, he’s leading Keenan by a mere ounce, but give Bro’ an ounce, and he’ll take several pounds.

But don’t expect to see Bro’ celebrating prematurely at Benson’s tonight. He’s been fishing tournaments of all kinds for many years and knows that sealing the deal is tough.

“My feet are firmly planted on the ground,” Brosdahl said after Friday’s weigh-in. “I know things can go the other way really fast.”

Despite his success Friday, Brosdahl said it wasn’t a good day.

“We struggled for our fish,” he explained. “We ran a lot. But it was worth it.”

Bro’ knows you need big fish and a limit of five to win. How could he forget when it’s his wife’s golden rule?

“Heather always tells me, `Get your five fish no matter what,'” Brosdahl said. “Sometimes it’s tough. Your little fish have to be bigger than the other guy’s little fish. That’s the important part.”

Leech has a protected slot of 18 to 26 inches and allows one fish over 26 inches in the daily bag. Today Brosdahl said he and his co-angler, Dave Holte of Rapid City, S.D., caught lots of fish measuring right on 18 inches and several that were 25 7/8 inches. They had four in the box with just minutes to go when they got their last under 18.

Now Brosdahl can look ahead to what might be his crowning achievement – an FLW Walleye Tour win. And if it happens, it couldn’t come in a better place.

“This is the lake where I got my start guiding,” Brosdahl said, “and I wanted to have a good showing. I’ve always wanted to win a tournament on Leech Lake. Yeah, I guide here, but a lot of other guys in this tournament do also. There are pros who have fished here for 20 years. It won’t be easy.”

Keenan’s looking up, just the way he likes it

Tom Keenan’s weights are dropping as the tournament progresses, from 19 pounds, 15 ounces on day one to 14 pounds, 11 ounces on day two to 11 pounds, 14 ounces on day three.

But the Hatley, Wis., pro isn’t alarmed. In fact, he’s glad to start Saturday’s final round in second place.

“Right behind Mr. Brosdahl,” Keenan said. “It’s good he’s leading it. I’ve never won yet when I had the lead (heading into) the last day.”

Sitting just an ounce behind Brosdahl at 46 pounds, 8 ounces, Keenan is a real threat to win. It should make for some interesting theater at Northern Lights Casino come Saturday afternoon.

Keenan said he fished his same big-fish spots today, but that the brutes weren’t around. Later, he checked out a new area and was happy with what he found.

“I probably caught 25 fish there, and every one was a weigh fish,” he said. “I also got my 27-incher there, so I might start there.”

Lest we forget about Mr. Gilman …

At 42 pounds even, Chris Gilman is more than 4 pounds off the pace set by Brosdahl and Keenan. Sure enough, a critical state of affairs has arisen in the Gilman camp. Has he run out of spots? Is his gear in disarray?

“I ran out of clean underwear,” Gilman said onstage at the weigh-in. “I thought I’d be heading home pretty quick. But the good folks at Steamboat Bay Resort have been so accommodating, I’m sure they’ll let me use their washer tonight.”

All joking aside, Gilman is coming on strong. He weighed his heaviest box of the tournament, 16 pounds, 4 ounces, on Friday and said he hasn’t tapped out all his spots.

For the second straight day, Gilman got his over-26-inchers early in the day, removing a lot of pressure.

“I’m going to stick with my plan,” Gilman said of his Saturday plans. “I’ll go after big fish until I have two. The unders just don’t weigh enough.”

Stier’s in the thick of it

Dan Stier was in 16th place after day one, third place after day two and finished Friday in fourth place with a cumulative weight of 40 pounds, 8 ounces. The major jump he made from day one to day two resulted from his filling out a five-fish limit with three under 18 inches.

Friday started poorly. He said he lost his first five fish through no fault of his own.

“It was just one of those days where I’d set the hook, get ’em halfway to the boat, and they’d come off,” Stier said. “A lot of them bit my crawler off right behind the hook, which happens.”



Now here’s something for the rest of the field to ponder. Stier says he has an ace in the hole.

“I think I’ll do better tomorrow,” he said. “I’ve been saving one spot for the last day. It’s a tiny little hump that holds some nice fish.”

Larkins lurks in fifth

Kevin Larkins has been a man of few words at this tournament. But what else would you expect of someone who’s studied the ways of Pete Harsh?

Friday, with an hour and 15 minutes to go before weigh-in, he had three fish weighing 3 pounds in the livewell.

“And I had a boat ride to get back too,” Larkins said. “It wasn’t like I was sitting right out here in the bay.”

But then a good thing happened. Larkins and his co-angler, Keith Keivens of Toldeo, Ohio, stuck two over 26 inches, bringing their Friday weight to 13 pounds, 15 ounces and Larkins’ three-day total to 40 pounds, 2 ounces.

We might hear a lot more from Larkins come Saturday if he puts together another box like that.

Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. at Walker City Park. The weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. at Northern Lights Casino, located four miles east of Walker. Both events are free and open to the public.

Professional top 10

1. Brian Brosdahl, Max, Minn., 46-9

2. Tom Keenan, Hatley, Wis., 46-8

3. Chris Gilman, Chisago City, Minn., 42-0

4. Dan Stier, Pierre, S.D., 40-8

5. Kevin Larkins, Greenwood, Neb., 40-2

6. Rick Olson, Mina, S.D., 38-1

7. Brian Bjorkman, Fargo, N.D., 36-5

8. Toby Kvalevog, Brainerd, Minn., 35-4

9. Andy Renner, Spicer, Minn., 34-14

10. Scott Steil, Richmond, Minn., 34-4

Co-angler top 10

1. Larry Oleson, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., 38-14

2. Paul Doute Jr., Southgate, Mich., 38-14

3. Justin Steinke, Birnamwood, Wis., 38-7

4. Gerud Hetland, Maple Grove, Minn., 36-9

5. Tim Renner, Spicer, Minn., 35-1

6. Jerome Meyer, Hutchinson, Minn., 34-15

7. Scott Perz, Crystal Lake, Ill., 34-14

8. Brian Dembouski, Isle, Minn., 33-12

9. Darrell Martin, Forest Lake, Minn., 33-4

10. Terry Reishus, Buffalo, Minn., 32-14