McQuoid sets pace on Oahe

Minnesota pro takes day-one lead in FLW Walleye Tour Western event on Lake Oahe with 15 pounds, 5 ounces

PIERRE, S.D. – FLW Walleye Tour anglers didn’t have much trouble finding fish Thursday on Lake Oahe in central South Dakota: 60 percent of the field weighed a five-walleye tournament limit. Catching two over 20 inches was another story. But Cabela’s pro Kevin McQuoid of Isle, Minn., made it seem easy, as he nonchalantly weighed a 15-pound, 5-ounce limit to take the lead on day one of the Western Division event.

“We had about eight walleyes; they were all the right size,” said McQuoid, who has two wins and nearly $293,000 in Walleye Tour earnings under his belt. “It really helped that, at about noon, we caught that 25-inch kicker.”

McQuoid fished with co-angler Ron Lowry of Lakewood, Colo., today and said they were “right in the middle of the lake, just up from Cheyenne (River).” They were fishing either leeches or night crawlers on live-bait rigs with a 1-ounce bottom bouncer in depths of 8 to 20 feet.



“The fish moved up and down a lot, so we were just trying to follow them,” said McQuoid, adding that Oahe’s currently high water levels have changed the fishing on this Missouri River reservoir to a certain degree. “Some of the stuff we were fishing before … is about 30 feet below water now.”

Several anglers crossing the weigh-in stage today said their bite slowed when the wind kicked up this afternoon. Though it affected McQuoid’s strategy somewhat – he had been holding to his various spots, roughly a dozen, moving at only 1 mph – it clearly didn’t hurt his outcome.

“It sped me up a little bit,” he said of the wind. “It made me jump from point to point faster.”

McQuoid will carry a slim 4-ounce lead into Friday’s competition.

Peters right behind the lead



Slayton, Minn., pro Darrell Peters is hot on McQuoid’s heels with a five-walleye limit weighing 15-1.

“We were up around the mouth of the Cheyenne River,” Peters said. “We were live-baiting with night crawlers. We were using this technique I’ve been using with the worms that started working for me a couple days ago.”

Peters said he wouldn’t reveal his turn on the live-bait rig so many are using in the tournament this week, at least not until after Friday’s top-10 cut. But he said he was fishing points in about 13 to 15 feet of water.

“We didn’t catch a lot of fish, but the ones we did catch went in the box.”

Olson only 4 ounces more behind

Pro Eric Olson of Red Wing, Minn., is another 4 ounces behind the runner-up position and a half-pound off the lead with a five-fish limit weighing 14-13.

“We were fortunate to catch two overs (the two walleyes allowed over 20 inches),” Olson said. “A pattern emerged.”

Olson didn’t want to reveal exactly what that pattern is so early in the tournament, but did allow that he was fishing somewhere in the main lake with light bottom bouncers. His co-angler – Ryan Kelly of Ortonville, Minn. – said the kind of live bait they were using and any colors that could be part of the presentation weren’t as important as the method of fishing the rig.

“I’ll disclose everything when we’re done – if I make the cut,” Olson said. “Right now everything’s so tight, and my pattern’s so unique that I’d rather not. But main-lake points are key. The wind and waves tend to change this fishery; Once I refined (my pattern after the wind increased in the afternoon) – lights out.”

Brosdahl in fourth place

Pro Brian Brosdahl of Max, Minn., sits in fourth place after day one with a five-walleye limit weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces. He was excited about his opening day on Lake Oahe.

“This is a great fishery, guys,” he said. “You’re lucky to be here. We caught 25 fish today.”

Brosdahl fished with co-angler Matt Hiller of Grand Rapids, Mich., and said, “He kept me busy with the net, and I kept him busy too. We caught our fish between (the launch site at Spring Creek) and up the lake 25 miles. We caught them everywhere we went.”

Brosdahl said they were live-bait rigging with night crawlers and “a little surprise from Northland Tackle” that he will reveal later in the week. They caught most of their fish in 16 to 22 feet of water, fishing points and then humps later in the day. Hiller added that water color was important to the pattern they eventually found.

Peterson fifth

In fifth place with five walleyes for 14 pounds is pro Byron Peterson of Blair, Neb. Peterson was one pro who fared better when the wind blew.

“I love it when the wind blows,” he said. “For us there wasn’t much going on at first – until we hit a point and saw fish rolling over it.”

Rest of the best

Just over 2 pounds separates first place from 10th after day one, so this tournament, as well as Friday’s top-10 cut, is likely to be decided by ounces. A total of 240 fish were weighed, including 35 limits out of 58 anglers, for a total day-one weight of 599 pounds, 11 ounces.

Rounding out the top 10 pros fishing the FLW Walleye Tour Western event on Lake Oahe after day one:

6th: Paul Steffen of Pierre, S.D., five walleyes, 13-15

7th: Gary Maher of Menoken, N.D., five walleyes, 13-12

8th: Jimmy Bell of Ham Lake, Minn., five walleyes, 13-6

8th: Barry Walker of Big Springs, Neb., five walleyes, 13-6

10th: Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., five walleyes, 13-4

Lowry leads Co-angler Division

Fishing with pro leader McQuoid, Ron Lowry of Lakewood, Colo., helped sack five fat Oahe walleyes Thursday to haul in the co-angler lead in Walleye Tour competition on Lake Oahe. He will carry a 15-5 weight into the next round of competition.

Lowry is new to the Walleye Tour and couldn’t have been more pleased with his day on the water or with his draw for a pro: “This was my first time on Oahe, and to fish with Kevin was just awesome. All the pros on the tour really know what they are doing, and to be able to learn from these guys is just incredible.”

Lowry did more than learn. McQuoid said he was an integral part of the pair’s day-one success, especially when the wind started to blow and the combination of navigation and fishing became more difficult.

Dankert in second

Co-angler Todd Dankert of Anoka, Minn., is in second place after fishing day one with Peters for 15-1.

“We caught some nice fish, and we didn’t lose any good ones,” Dankert said. “Darrell had a good game plan.

“It wasn’t fast and furious … but our 23-incher was our second fish of the day, and then we caught the 19 1/2-incher this afternoon.”

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers fishing the FLW Walleye Tour Western event on Lake Oahe after day one:

3rd: Ryan Kelly of Ortonville, Minn., 14-13

4th: Matt Hiller of Grand Rapids, Mich., 14-12

5th: Robert Dube of Williston, N.D., 14-0

6th: Peggy Severson of Fort Pierre, S.D., 13-15

7th: John Mickish of White Bear Lake, Minn., 13-12

8th: Randahl Hanson of Crookston, Minn., 13-6

8th: Ted Kaminski of Saint Anthony, Minn., 13-6

10th: Kit Cline of Rapid City, S.D., 13-4

Walleye Tour action resumes Friday when the field of 58 boats takes off at 7 a.m. from Spring Creek at the Resort and Deep Water Marina located at 28229 Spring Creek Place in Pierre, S.D.