Skarlis Jumps into the Lead at FLW Walleye Tour Championship

9/23/2011 10:00:11 PM

Tommy Skarlis leads walleye fishing championship on Missouri River

Tommy Skarlis of Waukon, Iowa, and co-angler Daniel Leach of Linwood, Mich.,  caught five walleyes weighing 21 pounds, 1 ounce Friday to take the lead on day two of the National Guard FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the Missouri River. Skarlis’ two-day catch of 10 walleyes weighing 40-14 gives him a  3-pound, 5-ounce lead over his closest competitor in an event featuring the top 40 pros and 40 co-anglers from the 2011 FLW Walleye Tour season. Pros are fishing for a top award of up to $70,000 and Co-anglers are vying for up to $12,000.

 

“I was so blessed today to catch what I did,” said Skarlis, who is looking for his second championship title, the first coming in 2008 on the Missouri River. “I caught seven walleyes in the spot where everyone was fishing and only saw five or six other walleyes caught there. We were fishing boat to boat bumping trolling motors, I think I might need to see a chiropractor when this is all over.”

 

“The hole was good while it lasted, but I’m pretty sure the area has dried up,” Skarlis went on to say. “I am pretty fired-up to go fishing tomorrow though. I have a couple of other secondary spots that I checked out today and there are walleye there.  The fish are hungry; this is a phenomenal and exciting bite.

 

“I am using superline, Spiderline and Berkley Fireline and you can just feel the fish as soon as they bite. It feels like they are going to knock the St. Croix rod right out of my hand. For the most part I am jigging and rigging Gulp! and PowerBait. Right now I have narrowed down my colors which is key to my catch. I have been catching fish in a multitude of depths; anywhere from 6 to 30 feet. I have done a little trolling but not much.”

 

Second place Keith Kavajecz summed up the honey hole that over 20 boats were fishing in the first two days of the tournament best when he said, “I saw more boats in one area than fish caught, that is never a good thing.”

 

According to several of the leaders the warm weather and falling water have not impacted their fishing so far. They believe that the walleye are hungry and primed to be caught.

 

Rounding out the top 10 pros after day two on the Missouri River are:

 

      2^nd:    Keith Kavajecz, Kaukauna, Wis., 10 walleyes, 37-9

      3^rd:     EverStart pro Dan Stier, Mina, S.D., nine walleyes, 36-11

      4^th:     National Guard pro Bill Shimota, Lonsdale, Minn., 10 walleyes, 35-3

      5^th:     David Andersen, Amery, Wis., 10 walleyes, 35-2

      6^th:     Kevin Carstensen, Merrill, Wis., 10 walleyes, 34-4

      7^th:     Tom Kemos, Oconomowoc, Wis., 10 walleyes, 34-0

      8^th:     Walmart pro Dean Arnoldussen, Appleton, Wis., 10 walleyes, 33-8

      9^th:     OFF! pro Chris Gilman, Chisago City, Minn., 10 walleyes, 32-6

      10^th:   Perry Good, Minnetrista, Minn., nine walleyes, 32-3

     

The remaining top 20 pros who will fish again on Saturday are:

 

      11^th:   National Guard pro Mark Courts, Harris, Minn., 10 walleyes, 30-4

      12^th:   Chase Parsons, Brillion, Wis., 10 walleyes, 30-1

      13^th:   Tom Keenan, Hatley, Wis., 10 walleyes, 30-0

      14^th:   Richard Zachowski, Milwaukee, Wis., 10 walleyes, 29-3

      15^th:   Ryan Jirik, Rhinelander, Wis., 10 walleyes, 29-2

      16^th:   AMP/Diet Mtn. Dew pro John Balla, Bartlett, Ill., 10 walleyes, 28-4

      17^th:   Lynn Jurrens, Watertown, S.D., nine walleyes, 28-2

      18^th:   Gary Maher, Menoken, N.D., 10 walleyes, 27-14

      19^th:   David Kolb, Rockford, Mich., 10 walleyes, 27-10

      20^th:   Chevy pro Jason Przekurat, Stevens Point, Wis., 10 walleyes, 27-7

 

Todd Dankert of Anoka, Minn., leads the Co-angler Division with 10 walleyes weighing 41-10 followed by Don Shepard of Lowell, Mich., in second place with 10 walleyes weighing 41-3.

 

“As a co-angler it is really the luck of the draw,” said Dankert. “I have fished with two of my fishing idols and tomorrow I get to fish with another one of my idols, Tommy Skarlis. I couldn’t have asked for better draws and at a championship…this is amazing.”

 

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are:

 

      3^rd:     Tim Depooter, Rock Island, Ill., 10 walleyes, 39-15

      4^th:     John Mickish, White Bear Lake, Minn., ninw walleyes, 37-12

      5^th:     Tyrone Larson, Amherst, Wis., 10 walleyes, 34-5

      6^th:     Dave Smith, Saint Joseph, Minn., 10 walleyes, 33-15

      7^th:     Lance Bainville, Mounds View, Minn., 10 walleyes, 32-4

      8^th:     John Solek, Indianapolis, Ind., 10 walleyes, 32-1

      9^th:     Jimmy Cox, Bono, Ark., 10 walleyes, 31-7

      10^th:   Dave Barrett, Mosinee, Wis., nine walleyes, 31-3

     

The remaining top 20 co-anglers who will fish Saturday are:

 

      11^th:   Jim Milewsky, Bondurant, Iowa, 10 walleyes, 30-11

      12^th:   Cal Van Cleve, Wilmot, S.D., 10 walleyes, 29-6

      13^th:   Brian Boelter, Colgate, Wis., nine walleyes, 27-5

      14^th:   Tom Filar, West Bend, Wis., 10 walleyes, 27-1

      15^th:   Allan Frevert, Pocahontas, Iowa, 10 walleyes, 27-0

      16^th:   Darrell Martin, Forest Lake, Minn., nine walleyes, 26-12

      17^th:   Edward Piekutowski, Moorhead, Minn., nine walleyes, 26-5

      18^th:   David Dedecker, Orion, Ill., 10 walleyes, 25-14

      19^th:   Daniel Leach, Linwood, Mich., seven walleyes, 25-8

      20^th:   Greg Oppegard, West St. Paul, Minn., 10 walleyes, 25-4

 

Overall there were 174 walleyes weighing 507 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 40 boats Friday. The catch included 25 five-walleye limits.

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