Stop two of FLW Walleye Tour tackles Lake Erie
PORT CLINTON, Ohio – The first National Guard FLW Walleye Tour event on the Mississippi River in Red Wing, Minn., featured good fishing but less than ideal water conditions due to an early spring. Coming into this event on Lake Erie anglers yet again knew conditions would different than years past. Water conditions aside, this is still Lake Erie, one of the best walleye fisheries in the country. And on this body of water you never know what to expect.
One of the biggest factors in this tournament is the warmer water temperatures. Currently the water temps are right around that 53-degree mark. These conditions mean that the fish have spawned out. Not only have they spawned, but they are more spread out forcing anglers to cover more water to find fish. This is in stark contrast to previous years when large schools of big fish could be found.
“There are plenty of fish around; there is no doubt about that,” said FLW Walleye Tour pro Joe Carter. “The big thing is that you just need to find the right bites. With the fish coming off of the spawn they are tired and trying to bulk back up.”
Tired or not there should be no shortage of fish being caught this week. What will the secret bait or presentation be? The answer is trolling crankbaits and pulling spinner rigs, which is no surprise to anyone. Being able to cover water to find the bigger females looking to feed will be the true deciding factor, and these presentations allow anglers to do this effectively.
Another key this week will be the wind. Lighter winds allow the boats to safely travel farther to get on their fish. The harder the wind blows the longer it takes the anglers to get to their spots, eating up valuable fishing time. As of now the forecast calls for decent wind conditions which could play a very positive role for the field this week.
Last year at this event it took 117 pounds of walleye to win over three days of fishing. Though that number looks to be hard to beat this year, the 100-pound mark is not out of the question. The top three anglers all had well over 100 pounds in the 2011 tournament on Erie. Some of those bags were carried by single-day catches of 40-plus pounds.
“I’d say around 30 pounds per day will have you make the cut,” Carter added. “But then again this is Lake Erie so really who knows what to expect. Every bite you get could be a-12 pounder, that’s what makes this tournament so much fun! I just love being out here.”
Tournament logistics
The full field will fish the first two days of competition. After Friday’s weigh-in, both the pro and co-angler fields will be cut down to the top 10, based on the anglers overall accumulated weight during the first two days of tournament action. On Saturday, both the pro and co-angler champion will be crowned based on their three-day accumulated weight.
Anglers will take off from the Nor’Easter Club located at 2801 Nor’Easter Cove Road in Port Clinton at 6:30 each morning. Thursday’s and Friday’s weigh-ins will be held at Waterworks Park in Port Clinton beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart located at 2826 East Harbor Road in Port Clinton beginning at 4 p.m.
Prior to the final weigh-in on Saturday fans will be treated to the FLW Expo at Walmart from noon-4 p.m. The Expo includes the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, a trout pond and interactive games and activities. The NPAA will be offering a free Youth and Family Fishing Clinic beginning at 2:30 p.m. Prizes, including rods & reels, will be given away after the clinic. All activities are free and open to the public.
Hosted by the City of Port Clinton and Lake Erie Shores and Islands, the tournament will feature a full field of the world’s best walleye anglers in each of the pro and co-angler divisions. They will be casting for top awards up to $63,000 in the Pro Division and $10,500 in the Co-angler Division.
Walleye fishing fans take note
Want to watch the weigh in live but can’t make it in person? Then tune into FLW Live on FLWOutdoors.com shortly before 2:30 p.m. Eastern time to watch live streaming video and audio of today’s opening-round weigh in.
Vital statistics:
Sunrise: 6:18 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 46 degrees
Expected high temperature: 63 degrees
Water temperature: ~ 53 degrees
Wind: NW at 10 to 15 mph, gusts to 22 mph
Humidity: 67 percent
Day’s outlook: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain in the afternoon