Coming into the
National Guard FLW Walleye Tour on Lake Erie presented by Dr. Pepper
only two anglers could state that they had won three FLW Walleye Tour
events – Walmart pro Dean Arnoldussen and National Guard pro Bill
Shimota. On Saturday,
pro Kevin McQuoid of Isle, Minn.,
added his name to that elite list as he claimed the third title of his
National Guard FLW Walleye Tour career. After bringing five walleyes
weighing 38 pounds, 8 ounces to the scales, McQuoid’s three-day total of
15 walleyes weighing 118 pounds, 4 ounces was enough to claim the
victory and the $63,000 paycheck in Port Clinton.
“Winning this event is just awesome,” said McQuoid who upped his
FLW career winnings to more than $350,000. “You can’t ever take away the
feeling of winning your first tournament, but to win my third and join
Dean and Bill as the only guys to win three, well that feels pretty
special. I’ve fished more than 50 tournaments with FLW and this was
really only the third time I’ve ever had a shot at winning one. I’m
running on 100 percent adrenaline right now. Life is good!
“Today started out a little slower than Thursday and Friday,”
McQuoid continued. “The first two days of the tournament I had an
awesome weight by 9 a.m. I did get one solid 9-pounder right away about
7:30 a.m. this morning, but then it slowed down and we were catching
peanuts. A lot of other places a 4-pound walleye would be a pretty nice
fish, but out here on Lake Erie, they are peanuts. I did get a little
bit nervous, but we just kept grinding it out and we made the right
adjustments. It ended up being a pretty solid day right on through. It
really helped to have a co-angler like Jimmy Cox. He is awesome. I
didn’t have to tell him how to do anything. We just talked back and
forth today and really made a great team.
“I was running pretty much the same pattern throughout the whole
week,” McQuoid went on to say. “I was running a break line on the east
side of Kelly’s Island about 30 feet deep. I was throwing in-line
spinners with 1-ounce weights, using blade sizes of No.#5 and No.#6.
Every day was a little different for hot colors, but I had the most
success with a gold back and white, pink, purple and a little bit of
chartreuse on the front. I just kind of ran a different gamut of colors
between the beads and the blades, and I kept them about 40 to 50 feet
behind the planer boards. I traveled to this event with a couple of
other guys, Mark Courts, Jason Przekurat and Scott Steil, and working
together really makes a huge difference out here.”
Minutes after earning the victory, McQuoid was already looking
forward to the next event on the 2012 FLW Walleye Tour schedule.
“I’m really looking forward to fishing Lake Oahe,” he said.
“That’s a reservoir where you can do a lot of trolling. Last year when
we were out there we were trolling some treetops and it was won with
spinnerbaits, but there were a lot of fish coming out with Rapala Husky
Jerks and Lindy Rigging with live bait as well. There’s just so many
different ways that you can catch fish out there. It will make for a
really interesting tournament.”
Final results for the top 10 pros on Lake Erie are:
2nd: Walmart pro Dean Arnoldussen, Appleton, Wis., 15 walleyes, 113-2, $23,500
3rd: David Kolb, Rockford, Mich., 15 walleyes, 111-14, $11,000
4th: Richard Zachowski, Milwaukee, Wis., 15 walleyes, 110-9, $12,500
5th: David Kleszyk, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., 15 walleyes, 109-11, $9,500
6th: Greg Yarbrough, Port Clinton, Ohio, 15 walleyes, 109-6, $7,000
7th: Brian Bjorkman, Fargo, N.D., 15 walleyes, 104-11, $7,000
8th: Aaron Depinet, Tiffin, Ohio, 15 walleyes, 104-9, $5,000
9th: Nathan Seiferlein, Chesterfield, Mich., 15 walleyes, 104-6, $4,500
10th: Don Loch, Iron Mountain, Mich., 15 walleyes, 99-13, $4,000
Jimmy Cox of Bono, Ark., earned the victory in the Co-angler
division to take home $8,500. He posted a three-day weight of 15
walleyes totaling 115 pounds, 12 ounces.
“I am so happy right now,” said Cox, who is now atop the
standings for 2012 Co-angler of the Year. “I would say for a co-angler,
20 percent of winning these tournaments is based on skill and 80 percent
is based on who you get partnered with. I had some really fantastic
partners this week. If you want to see what true teamwork is all about,
watch Kevin and I when this show airs. He’s such a gentle, kind spirit,
and it was an absolute pleasure to be out on the water with him today.
This trophy will make the long drive back to Arkansas that much better.”
Final results for the top 10 co-anglers on Lake Erie are:
2nd: Kevin Yancey, Newport, Mich., 15 walleyes,108-13, $3,000
3rd: Philip Maher, Lincoln Park, Ill., 15 walleyes, 107-14, $2,000
4th: Aaron Lochotzki, Sandusky, Ohio, 15 walleyes, 106-2, $1,600
5th: Tony Harris, Chatham, Ill., 15 walleyes, 106-0, $1,400
6th: Mike Chutes, Sheffield Lake, Ohio, 15 walleyes, 105-6, $1,200
7th: C.J. Johnson, Monticello, Iowa, 15 walleyes, 102-6, $1,000
8th: Tom Nevans, Strongsville, Ohio, 15 walleyes, 101-6, $800
9th: Boyd Strissel, Billings, Mont., 15 walleyes, 99-8, $700
10th: Cody Armstrong, Devils Lake, N.D., 15 walleyes, 96-1, $600
Overall there were 50 walleyes weighing 323 pounds, 8 ounces
caught by 10 boats Saturday. The catch included 10 five-walleye limits.
