Hosek nets co-angler crown on Oahe

Minnesota angler fished with winning pro final day

PIERRE, S.D. – David Hosek of White Bear Lake, Minn., took over the Co-angler Division lead Friday and didn’t look back, winning the event Saturday after fishing with pro champion Eric Olson of Red Wing, Minn.

Hosek’s $4,125 win on Lake Oahe marked his third top-10 finish on the FLW Walleye Tour. His winning week included fishing with these top pros: National Guard pro Mark Courts on day one, five walleyes, 12 pounds, 13 ounces; local pro Gerrick McComsey on day two, five walleyes, 17 pounds; and Olson on the final day, five walleyes, 15 1/2 pounds. Hosek’s three-day total was 45-5.

Hosek said he watched McComsey throw a quarter overboard during a side bet Friday regarding who would catch their elusive fifth fish. Shortly thereafter, McComsey hooked it. After a slow start to his final day with Olson, when they hadn’t boated a walleye by 11 a.m., Hosek said he thought it might be worth a try.

“I even threw a quarter in the lake to change our luck, but it didn’t work for us,” the co-angler said.

Or did it? The “change” didn’t take place immediately, but eventually Olson and Hosek had their hands full. However, Olson didn’t seem to need any luck this week, registering improving limits each day of the tourney before sealing the deal on what was also his first Walleye Tour win.

“We made one move, and all of a sudden we looked at the screen (of the boat’s electronics) and they were there,” Hosek said. “We started catching fish and catching fish and catching fish. Then we started upgrading at 1 o’clock.”

The winning pair fished live-bait rigs with the “Slow Death” hook presentation and night crawlers in the Little Bend area.

Dankert runner-up

Finishing second with a three-day total of 45-2 was Todd Dankert of Anoka, Minn., who earned $1,658 including a Ranger bonus. Dankert fished with pros Darrell Peters, Barry Walker and McComsey, respectively, over the three-day tournament.

Dankert and McComsey’s slow start on the final day went well beyond that of Hosek and Olson’s. The former pair didn’t boat a keeper until 1:15 p.m.

“It was a really quiet boat for a while,” Dankert said, adding that the bite caught fire once it started, eventually giving them a 16-pound limit. “It was all in a matter of about 45 minutes. We went from down … to, `Let’s go in.’

“It was all giggles from there.”



Dube third

Robert Dube of Williston, N.D., took third place in the Co-angler Division with a three-day total weight of 42-4 worth $868. His son fished the pro side.

“Chuck, my oldest boy, signed me up for all three (Western Division events),” said the elder Dube, who placed second on the Mississippi River last month and is currently ranked No. 1 among Western Division co-anglers.

Dube will fish the final event on Devils Lake in his home state, so he’s a relative shoo-in to make this year’s championship.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers who fished the FLW Walleye Tour Western event on Lake Oahe:

4th: Ron Lowry of Lakewood, Colo., 15 walleyes, 37-2, $753

5th Don Karlgaard of East Gull Lake, Minn., 14 walleyes, 37-1, $1,564*

6th: Mike Pellerzi of Pierre, S.D., 15 walleyes, 36-13, $965*

7th: Lt. Col. Kit Cline of Rapid City, S.D., 15 walleyes, 36-0, $579

8th: Darrell Martin of Forest Lake, Minn., 15 walleyes, 35-11, $829*

9th: Mike Tchida of Sisseton, S.D., 14 walleyes, 33-9, $463

10th: Ryan Kelly of Ortonville, Minn., 10 walleyes, 27-3, $405

*includes contingency prize money

FLW Walleye Tour Western actions resumes July 29-31 on Devils Lake at Devils Lake, N.D., the final event of the regular season for that division. The Walleye Tour Championship will be held Sept. 22-25 on Leech Lake in Walker, Minn.