PORT CLINTON, Ohio – Pro Jeff Graves of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and co-angler Keith Keivens of Toledo, Ohio, caught five walleyes weighing 42 pounds, 7 ounces Friday to propel Graves into the lead at the National Guard FLW Walleye Tour tournament on Lake Erie. Graves now has a two-day catch of 10 walleyes weighing 82-9 and a slim 12-ounce lead over second place going into the final day of competition. Anglers are fishing for top awards of up to $63,000 in the Pro Division and up to $10,500 in the Co-angler Division.
“We were boat number two, so we were the last boat out today,” Graves said. “So we got to follow the pack today, but we got out and set our lines and got into the fish early. We had three doubles today and caught a total of nine fish and lost two.”
Graves estimated his largest fish of the day to be just more than 11 pounds and said he caught his first double at 8:15 a.m. Graves credited the Reef Runner crankbait to his success on the water Friday and said he had his work cut out for him in order to protect his fragile lead on the final day of competition.
“It’s not much of a lead,” Graves said. “It’s just a couple of ounces. It’s going to be a tough day of fishing but hopefully we’ll get it done.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros are:
2nd: Tom Keenan, Hatley, Wis., 10 walleyes, 81-13
3rd: Keith Kavajecz, Kaukauna, Wis., 10 walleyes, 73-5
4th: Day one leader Danny Steffens, Oxford, Wis., nine walleyes, 71-15
5th: AMP Energy/Diet Mountain Dew pro John Balla, Bartlett, Ill., 10 walleyes, 70-3
6th: Scott Geitgey, Canton, Ohio, nine walleyes, 62-13
7th: Mark Gwizdala, Kawkawlin, Mich., nine walleyes, 60-13
8th: Shawn Ritchie, Spencer, Ohio, nine walleyes, 58-15
9th: Mark Brumbaugh, Arcanum, Ohio, 10 walleyes, 57-8
10th: Jeff Vereeke, Grand Rapids, Mich., 10 walleyes, 56-10
Ed Szymczak of Osceola, Ind., leads the Co-angler Division with 10 walleyes weighing 63-12 followed by Daniel Leach of Linwood, Mich., in second place with 10 walleyes weighing 63-1.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Mike Bentz, Brookville, Ind., nine walleyes, 60-9
4th: Todd Rairigh, Sheffield Lake, Ohio, nine walleyes, 59-0
5th: Jim Milewsky, Bondurant, Iowa, nine walleyes, 58-0
6th: John Spiegel, Appleton, Wis., seven walleyes, 56-13
7th: Dale Janota, Gillette, Wyo., eight walleyes, 56-1
8th: Tim Depooter, Rock Island, Ill., eight walleyes, 55-11
9th: Mike Taylor, Midland, Mich., seven walleyes, 53-15
10th: Tyrone Larson, Amherst, Wis., nine walleyes, 53-1
Overall there were 342 walleyes weighing 2,071 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 131 boats Friday. The catch included 29 five-walleye limits.
In Walleye Tour competition, pro and co-anglers are also competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2011 National Guard FLW Walleye Tour Championship held on the Missouri River in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 22-25. Anglers are also vying for the coveted Angler of the Year title, which earns them a place in the 2012 Walleye Tour Championship, as well as $10,000 for the pro and $2,500 for the co-angler.
Top 10 anglers and co-anglers will take off from Nor’ Easter Club located at 2801 Nor’ Easter Cove Rd. in Port Clinton at 7 on Saturday for the final day of competition. The final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart located at 2826 East Harbor Rd. in Port Clinton beginning at 4:30 p.m. Prior to the final weigh-in, there will be a free Family Fishing Clinic where children can get free rod and reels while supplies last, plus other great giveaways. Fans will also have the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, ride Ranger boat simulators, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing. All activities are free and open to the public.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com/LakeErie . For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Walleye Tour on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWWalleyeTour and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors .
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
FLW Outdoors is the best in fishing, on and off the water. Anglers worldwide can compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge. For more information about FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com .