The Second 2009 Walleye Tournament in the Washington State circuit is now over. The "Big Wally's Spring Walleye Classic " was well attended with 108 entries. The competition was just as fierce as you would expect with a $10,000 first place payout.
The tournament was professionally organized and ran like a well oiled machine. But, you would expect nothing short of perfection from any tournament organized by Gordy Steinmetz, Dan Allen, George Allen and the professional staff that surround them.
The tournament had strong sponsorship which provided for some very handsome prizes and payout's. The main sponsors: Big Wally's, Valley Marine Yakima and Lund Boats should be congratulated on hosting one of the largest fishing events in Washington State...even in a tough economy. The weigh-in ran by George Allen and Walleye's Unlimited was professional, accurate and as smooth as any weigh-in found on the national circuit. The number of fish weighed in was 491 with an average weight of 2.37 pounds. All the fish but 9 were released successfully. The average weight of each basket was a little lower this year than were caught in previous years. With $10,000 on the line, there was a palpable tension in the air on the first day of competition which the blast-off images and videos demonstrate.
The tournament weather on Saturday and Sunday was clear sky's and a light breeze coming out of the southwest.
The mornings were chilly but warmed quickly to highs approaching 80 degrees by1pm on each day. The field could be seen shedding clothes through-out the day on Saturday and Sunday. The water temperature ranged from 54 - 58 degrees andwassomewhat silty from the recent run-off.
The first day weigh-in started at 3pm for the first flight of boats and produced bigger fish than the second day. The largest fish caught on day 1 was 10.12 pounds by James Donelan and JamesCarruth. The largest fish caught on day 2 was 7.62 pounds by Pete Vereullen and Jim Lochridge. Thebiggest comeback from the first day was Fred Ahrens and Dick Dahlgren whomoved from 104th place to 51st place. They win the "Cool Under Pressure" award. Wow!! This was Gordy Steinmetz last tournament. He announced his retirement at the tournament. Please make sure you view the"FarewellMontage" video located below and remember to drop Gordy a note letting him know how much he will be missed.
