PIERRE, S.D. – Pro Eric Olson of Red Wing, Minn., and co-angler Robert Dube of Williston, N.D., caught five walleyes weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces Friday to propel into the lead at the FLW Walleye Tour Western Division tournament on Lake Oahe. Olson now has a two-day catch of 10 walleyes weighing 29-15 and a 1-pound, 12-ounce lead over second place pro Paul Steffen of Pierre, S.D., going into the final day of competition. Anglers from 14 states are fishing for top awards of up to $35,000 in the Pro Division and up to $7,500 in the Co-angler Division.
“Everything just went the way it was supposed to go,” said Olson, who is looking for his first FLW Walleye Tour win. “I didn’t have to work at it, it just happened; it’s just a great feeling right now.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect because the pre-practice was extremely difficult, I wasn’t sure where the fish were going to be; on a lake like Oahe the fish are there one day and gone the next. Right now I have been fortunate enough to be in the right areas at the right time to be able to fish very consistently. All of my fish have been solid slot fish, 19 1/2 – 20 inches, and I think that is what has made the difference for me; I haven’t needed that 26 inch kicker fish to get where I’m at. I’ve been able to keep a consistent bite and it’s a good feeling.”
Olson indicated that he is fishing with live bait, night crawlers, in both deep and shallow water. He has found an area that offers both a deep and shallow bite. Yesterday he was fishing in 8-10 foot depths to catch his limit and today he fished the same area in 14-20 feet of water. He says that he will start in the same area tomorrow, but if it’s not working he has saved a couple of other spots that should produce for him as well.
Rounding out the top-10 pros are:
2nd: Paul Steffen, Pierre, S.D., 10 walleyes, 28-3
3rd: Gerrick McComsey, Fort Pierre, S.D., nine walleyes, 27-10
4th: Chevy pro Jason Przekurat, Stevens Point, Wis., 10 walleyes, 27-9
5th: Barry Walker, Big Springs, Neb., 10 walleyes, 27-7
6th: Gary Maher, Menoken, N.D., 10 walleyes, 27-7
7th: Dusty Minke, Forest Lake, Minn., 10 walleyes, 27-6
8th: Brian Brosdahl, Max, Minn., 10 walleyes, 27-1
9th: Nick Schertz, Tomahawk, Wis., 10 walleyes, 26-7
10th: Byron Peterson, Blair, Neb., 10 walleyes, 26-6
David Hosek of White Bear Lake, Minn., leads the Co-angler Division with 10 walleyes weighing 29-13 followed by Robert Dube of Williston, N.D., in second place with 10 walleyes weighing 29-2.
“I was fishing with pro Gerrick McComsey today,” said Hosek “We worked hard as a team and brought in our limit, but it took all day. We got our kicker fish, 26 inches, early and then the wind died and it got hotter and the fishing got really tough.
“I am used to fishing in the Northern Minnesota lakes, but fishing with McComsey was a real treat. Having grown-up in this area he knows this lake very well and his persistence really paid off in the end.”
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Todd Dankert, Anoka, Minn., 10 walleyes, 29-2
4th: Don Karlgaard, East Gull Lake, Minn., 10 walleyes, 27-8
5th: Ryan Kelly, Ortonville, Minn., 10 walleyes, 27-3
6th: Ron Lowry, Lakewood, Colo., 10 walleyes, 26-7
7th: Mike Pellerzi, Pierre, S.D., 10 walleyes, 26-2
8th: Darrell Martin, Forest Lake, Minn., 10 walleyes, 26-1
9th: LTC. Kit Cline, Rapid City, S.D., 10 walleyes, 25-7
10th: Mike Tchida, Sisseton, S.D., 10 walleyes, 25-5
Overall there were 237 walleyes weighing 583 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 58 boats Friday. The catch included 39 five-walleye limits.
In FLW Walleye Tour competition, pros and cos are also competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship held on Leech Lake in Walker, Minn., Sept. 23-25.
Top-10 anglers and co-anglers will take off from Spring Creek Resort & Deep Water Marina located at 28229 Spring Creek Place in Pierre at 7 on Saturday for the final day of competition. The final weigh-in will be held at Beck Chevrolet located at 500 South Grant in Pierre beginning at 4 p.m.