OSHKOSH, Wis. (July 17, 2009) – Pro Tom Hoinacki of Waupun, Wis., along with co-angler Tad Saunders of Fond du Lac, Wis., caught five walleyes weighing 13 pounds, 8 ounces to propel Hoinacki into the lead of the Walmart FLW Walleye Tour presented by Berkley on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wis.
Hoinacki now has a three-day catch of 15 walleyes weighing 39-10 and a 1-pound, 11-ounce lead over second place going into the final day of competition of the nationally televised tournament. Anglers from 20 states and one Canadian province are fishing for top awards of $35,333 in the pro division and 7,067 in the co-angler division — not including sponsor contingencies.
“We had two 20-inchers right off the bat and that really helped,” said Hoinacki, who has four top 10 finishes in FLW Walleye League events and an intimate knowledge of the Winnebago system. “I have a cottage on Lake Poygan, so I fish this area a lot,” he added. Today’s strategy included making quick moves when the fish didn’t cooperate. “We jumped around a lot to different areas, I didn’t stay in one spot too long.”
While Hoinacki didn’t exactly windmill through the walleyes-he said they only went through eight fish today-he did find the right bites. He also credited the weather, namely “the wind and the cold front that came through last night,” for some of the frustrations felt by his fellow anglers as they chased walleyes that were here one day and gone the next. “These are my home waters so I hope I know what to do (when conditions change),” he said. “But what’s going to happen tomorrow, who knows?”
Rounding out the top 10 pros are Brad Davis of Jackson, Wis. (15 walleyes, 37-15); Kevin McQuoid of Isle, Minn. (15 walleyes, 36-10); Jimmy Hughes of Oshkosh, Wis. (14 walleyes, 35-1); Chris Gilman of Chisago City, Minn. (15 walleyes, 34-14); Rick Olson of Mina, S.D. (15 walleyes, 34-10); Bill Shimota of Lonsdale, Minn. (15 walleyes, 33-12); Pat Neu of Forestville, Wis. (14 walleyes, 33-2); Brian Deffner of Eland, Wis. (15 walleyes, 32-14); and Robert Crow of Paterson, Wash. (15 walleyes, 32-5).
Notably absent in the top 10 ranks was Jeff Nuechterlein, a talented young gun from Fremont, Wis. After storming into the lead on Day Two with 14 pounds, 15 ounces, he weighed just 1 pound, five ounces today and fell to 24th. “This morning I went to the spot where I caught almost 15 pounds yesterday and made three passes with no fish,” he said. “I made a fourth pass and caught the 17-incher that was my only fish of the day. After that I ran all over the lake: reefs, weeds-you name it-but I couldn’t get anything else to go. It was one of those days.”
Del Ringling of Valley, Neb., leads the co-angler division with a three-day, 14-walleye weight of 38-14. Ringling fished with Brian Deffner on Day One, Troy Nelson on Day Two and Todd Frank on Day Three. “It’s been a great tournament,” said Ringling. “I had three great pros and fished five different ways. This is a real adventure.”
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are Richard Dobbs of Woodridge, Ill. (15 walleyes, 35-1); Larry Oleson of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (15 walleyes, 34-12); James Muntean of Maplewood, Minn., (15 walleyes, 34-7); Donald Doran of Sun Prairie, Wis. (15 walleyes, 33-9); Robert Brunz of Madison Lake, Minn. (14 walleyes, 33-4); Korey Sprengel of Beaver Dam, Wis. (15 walleyes, 33-1); Tad Saunders of Fond du Lac, Wis. (14 walleyes, 32-6); Mike Wiza of Stevens Point, Wis. (12 walleyes, 31-2); and Don Cozzie of Orland Park, Ill. (14 walleyes, 30-10).
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 competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with winners determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
Overall there were 385 walleyes weighing 734 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 106 boats Friday. The catch included 52 five-walleye limits.
Fans are encouraged to attend the weigh-in to win free prizes, visit the Cabela’s booth for various promotions and ride the FLW Fantasy Fishing boat simulator for free. Pioneer Resort Marina located at 100 Pioneer Drive in Oshkosh will host takeoff Saturday morning at 7 a.m.
Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Pioneer Resort beginning at 4 p.m. Prior to the final weigh-in, there will be a free Family Fishing Clinic where anglers will answer questions and provide tips, as well as hand out free rod and reels to kids 14 and under, while supplies last. The community is invited to attend takeoff and weigh-in, which are free and open to the public.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 150 points awarded to the winner, 149 to second, 148 for third, and so on. These points determine Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers in the standings will advance to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 30-Oct. 3 for a shot at top awards of $150,000 and $20,000, respectively. The prestigious championship, hosted by the Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau, will also feature boater and co-angler points champions from each of four Walmart FLW Walleye League divisions. The no-entry-fee FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with cash awards for the entire field.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour, hosted by the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors,” will air Sept. 6 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.