Peters Leads National Guard FLW Walleye Tour Event on Lake Oahe in South Dakota
OutdoorHub 08.26.11
PIERRE, S.D. Aug. 25, 2011 – Pro Darrell Peters of Slayton, Minn., and co-angler Jeff Sass of Waupun, Wis., brought in five walleyes weighing 21 pounds, 9 ounces Thursday to lead day one of the National Guard FLW Walleye Tour tournament on Lake Oahe. The pair now hold a 2-pound, 1-ounce lead over their closest rivals in an event featuring 113 pros and 113 co-anglers representing 18 states and Canada fishing for top awards of $63,000 in the Pro Division and $10,500 in the Co-angler Division.
“Fishing is fairly easy right now,” said Peters, who led on day one at Oahe last year as well. “I am targeting walleye with crankbaits that are suspended 15 to 30 feet in120 feet of water. We threw eight overs back and had our limit in the box by about 10 a.m. We had just landed our second 24 incher in a row and I threw the second one back, I wanted to puke making that decision but 15 minutes later we nailed our 29 incher.
“I am fishing areas that I found in practice that seem to have colder water and have been dead calm all week. I have four areas that I found during practice and I fished three of four of them today. I am fishing between Okobojo Creek and Little Bend. I would say that the key to me for this tournament is going to be speed, style and color of baits that I am using.
Peters is from Minn. but spends three months out of the year guiding on Oahe.
Peters was able to enhance his two overs with substantial slot fish that came pretty early. Other anglers were fooled in to believing that they would be able to catch larger slot fish later in the day, so many keepers were thrown back in hopes of landing a larger slot fish that never came leaving anglers scrambling to bring in their limit.
Rounding out the remainder of the top 10 pros and co-anglers after day one at Lake Oahe are:
2nd: Tommy Skarlis, Waukon, Iowa and Randy Rock, Brandon, S.D., five walleyes, 19-8
3rd: Gary Maher, Menoken, N.D., and Christopher Hanson, New Hope, Minn., five walleyes, 18-10
4th: Brian Deffner, Eland, Wis., and Dale Janota, Gillette, Wyo., five walleyes, 18-1
5th: Scott Handel, Chamberlain, S.D., and Dewey Stewart, Pawnee, Ill., five walleyes, 17-13
6th: Keith Kavajecz, Kaukauna, Wis., and Robert Cardenas, Gem Lake, Minn., five walleyes, 17-10
7th: Tom Kemos, Oconomowoc, Wis., and John Kopcok, Belle River, Ontario, five walleyes, 17-7
8th: Joe McCartin, Land O Lakes, Wis., and Dave Keyser, Oak Lawn, Ill., five walleyes, 17-6
9th: Chase Parsons, Brillion, Wis., and Cody Lauer, Rapid City, S.D., five walleyes, 17-3
10th: Matt Lyon, Pierre, S.D., and Allan Frevert, Pocahontas, Iowa, five walleyes, 16-15
Overall there were 532 walleyes weighing 1,394 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 113 boats Thursday. The catch included 96 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 will be determined at this event. The title 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.
Anglers will take off from Spring Creek Resort & Deep Water Marina located at 28229 Spring Creek Place in Pierre at 7 each morning. Friday’s weigh-in will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart located at 1730 North Garfield in Pierre beginning at 4 p.m. Prior to the final weigh-in, FLW Outdoors, in conjunction with the NPAA, will be hosting a free Family Fishing Clinic where children can receive free rod and reels, plus other great giveaways. Fans will have the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, ride a Ranger boat simulator, enjoy interactive games and activities, 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/mc. 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.
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