DEVILS LAKE, N.D. – Pro Jason Feldner of Minnewaukan, N.D., and co-angler Don Karlgaard of East Gull Lake, Minn., caught 5 walleyes weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces to win the FLW Walleye Tour Western Division tournament on Devils Lake. Feldner had a three-day catch of 15 walleyes weighing 48-14. He won by more than 2-pounds over his closest competitor featuring anglers from 17 states and Canada. Feldner took home $17,750 for his efforts.
“I was pulling Lindy spinners along the weed line all week long,” said Feldner, who finally gave up the secret to his success. “The fish were moving around a lot, but seemed to like that 9-11 foot range. I went to all eight of my spots today, it was slow but it worked. We caught our first fish about 9:30 and then the rest between 11 and 1.”
Feldner indicated that the new Lindy spinners were what really made the difference in his fishing this week. Having been just released at ICAST a couple of weeks ago he got his spinners just in time for practice and put them to the test during the tournament. In a variety of colors he used Fathead Minnow in the sun and Perch and Bluegill when it was cloudy.
Weather conditions went from 70s and windy to 90s under calm clear skies which impacted fishing on the final day of competition. Anglers struggled early and had to work hard to bring in their sacks.
Rounding out the top-10 pros were:
2nd: Scott Larson, Mayville, N.D., 15 walleyes, 46-10, $12,286
3rd: Kevin McQuoid, Isle, Minn., 15 walleyes, 41-5, $10,240
4th: National Guard pro Mark Courts, Harris, Minn., 15 walleyes, 41-4, $6,204
5th: Gary Maher, Menoken, N.D., 15 walleyes, 40-11, $5,534
6th: Paul Meleen, Isle, Minn., 15 walleyes, 40-4, $4,139
7th: Tommy Skarlis, Waukon, Iowa, 15 walleyes, 40-1, $3,123
8th: Eric Olson, Red Wing, Minn., 15 walleyes, 39-5, $2,852
9th: Chad Schilling, Akaska, S.D., 12 walleyes, 34-2, $1,082
10th: Chris Burns, Davenport, Iowa, 10 walleyes, 31-8, $2,311
Don Karlgaard of East Gull Lake, Minn., earned the victory in the Co-angler Division and took home $6,798. His three day weight totaled 48 pounds, 5 ounces. He fished with Troy Sand of Portland, N.D., Paul Meleen and Jason Feldner over the course of the tournament.
“I am flabbergasted,” said Karlgaard, who was fishing on Devils Lake for the first time. “I was incredibly lucky to me in this position and Jason and I just had an awesome day, I can’t wait to come back!”
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Ted, Kaminski, St. Anthony, Minn., 15 walleyes, 45-6, $1,598
3rd: Victor Wood, Rapid City, S.D., 15 walleyes, 39-15, $1,428
4th: Bryan Bayerkohler, Eagan, Minn., 15 walleyes, 39-14, $804
5th: Lowell Joy, Bemidji, Minn., 12 walleyes, 39-6, $1,242
6th: William Drake, Horace, N.D., 15 walleyes, 38-8, $1,002
7th: Greg Oppegard, West St. Paul, Minn., 15 walleyes, 38-6, $920
8th: Lance Bainville, Mounds View, Minn., 15 walleyes, 37-3, $838
9th: Clarence Heckert, Winnipeg, MB, 12 walleyes, 33, $756
10th: Richard Ness, Blunt, S.D., 10 walleyes, 29-10, $674
Overall there were 42 walleyes weighing 106 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 10 boats Saturday. The catch included 8 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 on Leech Lake in Walker, Minn., Sept. 23-25, 2010.
About FLW Outdoors
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.