Same river, different game

St. Croix in, Pool 4 out as Western Division kicks off 2010 season

WELCH, Minn. – Although most anglers will still fish the Mississippi River, the popular honeyholes in Pool 4 will be off limits this week as the FLW Walleye Tour commences its Western Division season. That means Katrina, Vermillion and Pig Point, three incredibly productive locales, will be out of the equation.

Clearly, the venue change will alter the entire dynamic of the tournament. The Mississippi River near Red Wing has been a frequent location for the FLW Walleye Tour with visits in 2009, 2007 and 2006. The tournaments are held on Pools 3, 4 and 5 and the majority of the field fishes Pool 4 – which includes Lake Pepin. This year Pool 4 is out and to give the fishermen more room to operate, the St. Croix River, all the way up to the Stillwater Bridge, is in.

In addition, the timing of this year’s event is significantly different. The Red Wing qualifiers have typically been held the first weekend in May. This year the event takes place the third week of May and combine that with an unusually warm spring and we’re looking more at an early-summer tournament than a spring tournament.

“With Pool 4 off limits, a lot has changed,” said Cabela’s pro Kevin McQuoid, who finished third in 2006. “But there are still a lot of community holes in Pool 3. This pool fishes a lot smaller and a lot of the best spots will be fished early.”

McQuoid spent one day up the St. Croix and didn’t like what he saw. So he’ll stick to the Big Muddy today and search for postspawn female walleyes.

“I think 12 pounds a day will make the cutoff. Overall, this is still going to be a leadcore, live-bait tournament. The difference is that wing dams will probably come into play. Usually we come here before the wing dams are a factor. We’re still on the front end of that window, but the early spring and warm weather in the forecast might be just enough to flip the switch.”



When a walleye fisherman hears the words “wing dam” he or she immediately thinks of willow cats. And that’s exactly what Julian Jones plans to use on day one.

“Willow cats are the magic bait, but you’ve also got to find the right wing dams and that changes day to day, hour to hour,” said Jones, who took second at last year’s FLW Walleye League Finals. “The fishing here is so dynamic. What I’ve found, at least in Pool 3, is that you’ve got to have five different spots. That way if a few of them aren’t going you can quickly move and adjust.”

Like McQuoid, Jones thinks the tournament’s bigger sacks will come from the Mississippi.

“I think the St. Croix is going to play a role for those in the middle of the pack. Those that are swinging for the fence will do so in Pool 3.”

Logistics

Anglers will take off from Treasure Island Resort Marina located at 5636 Sturgeon Lake Rd. in Welch at 7 each morning. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Treasure Island Casino parking lot located at 5734 Sturgeon Lake Rd. in Welch beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which 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 competes during the two-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day three, with the winners determined by the heaviest three-day weight.

In FLW Walleye Tour competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2010 FLW Walleye Tour Championship held on Leech Lake in Walker, Minn., Sept. 23-25.

On the Web

For those who can’t catch the weigh-in action in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, an online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 5:38 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 61 degrees

Expected high temperature: 79 degrees

Water temperature: 63-66 degrees

Wind: ESE at 13 mph

Maximum humidity: 33 percent

Day’s outlook: partly cloudy