Bull Shoals, Arkansas-June 27, 2008-

Bill Ortiz, who won this same event in 2005, has continued his dominance and won his second straight PWT on Bull Shoals. "I'm really happy I could get this done for Shannon [Kehl]. I didn’t loose a fish all week, I think I was getting help from above.” said an emotional Ortiz.

"Get it done" He did. Ortiz ended up with 15 walleyes weighing 45.84 pounds, nearly 5 pounds more than his nearest competitor. "I Knew if I stumbled these guys would catch me so I really had to work hard". stated Ortiz

"I started off the tournament trolling lil' Rippers 120 to 150ft behind the boat. I had a 12’ foot rod on the outside to get it away from the boat and an 8ft rod on the inside. Actually it was the same method I used in 05’. But that program started to slide so I had to make a decision. So I switched up and went to rigging with spinners. At 1:30 I had 1 fish and after the switch at a quarter to 3 I had 5 keepers."

“I didn’t have a morning bite all week. Nearly all of my fish came between 1pm and 4pm. I didn’t have a lot of spots so I had to stick with it in the morning hoping the fish were going to bite in the afternoon. And they did. It’s funny, the last 20” fish I caught was on the same point I fished in 2005 when I won it” Said Ortiz.

Second Place Goes to Todd Riley with 15 walleyes weighing 39.86 pounds.

"I am so happy I don't have to go out there and do this again. It's tough out there. I am so happy to bring in 5 fish you have no idea." Said Riley.

When asked what Riley's secret was he replied "It has a lot to do with shear determination and persistence." I can attest to this personally because Todd was staying in a hotel room near mine and at the end of the day he would pull up in the exact same clothing he was wearing when he went out in the morning. I asked him, why the long sleeve it's 95 degrees out here? He replied "I was so focused during the day, taking off my long sleeve shirt never even crossed my mind."

Taking 3^rd place is Dave Andersen with 15 walleyes weighing 38.25 pounds.

“I came into this tournament thinking that 5 fish a day would get me in the money. We caught a pile of 17 ¾” fish but I knew if we kept at it I could get 5 keepers and it worked out for me.” Said Andersen.

“The fish were obviously in the trees. And it was work to get them out, so I only used 1 rod and the co-angler only used one as well. I used my electronics constantly. If I marked a fish above my presentation I would lift up to it. If I marked a tree sticking way up I would lift up to get over it. If I marked two trees next to each other and a fish in between I would let my lures slip between the trees to the fish. They would bite and then the fight was on to keep them from tangling up in the branches.” Stated Andersen.

4th place goes to Jim Muzynoski with 13 walleyes weighing 36.55 pounds.

Rounding out the top 5 is Mark Brumbaugh with 11 walleyes weighing 32.7 pounds.

The winning Co-Angler is Norbert Belz of Nixa, MO with a 3-day total of 13 walleyes weighing 37.81 pounds.

“There’s an old saying down here… Tis’ a privilege to live in the Ozark’s… Here I would have to say… Tis’ a privilege to fish with these pro’s. Thank you for the education.” Exclaimed Belz.

Mr. Belz will be taking home a brand new Lowrance LCS-37c Sonar for his efforts this weekend.

Rest of the Best in the C-Angler Division

2. John Selig 13 fish-37.04

3.Alfred Denninger 11 fish-33.79

4. Cameron Hoffman 11 fish-32.26

5.Trent Tesmer 12 fish-30.92

The weather today was actually much better than it had been. The morning started off with cloudy skies and comfortable temperatures. The afternoon was greeted with a wind out of the S.W. which turned into a nice breeze during the weigh-in.

Many of the anglers were talking of the “puzzling bite”. Fisherman would be on fish one day and the next day they were no-where to be found. Not many of the anglers had an explanation for this other than the warm temperatures. The temperatures had effect on almost every aspect of the competition. “I learned not to leave my metal measuring board out in the sun, because when you catch a fish and go to measure it you can hear a loud sizzle when the wet fish hits the hot board.” Said pro Gil Mollet.

There are plenty of other species in the lake that kept them busy as well. “I would like to know how many pounds of fish there are in a square mile down here” exclaimed Pro Gil Mollet. Guys were talking about seeing and catching 3-6 foot Gar and numbers of Blue Gill, Perch and Bass. There was also a lot of talk about how good this fishery will be in a couple years when the water recedes out of the trees and these young healthy fish turn into an incredible stock.

The next stop on Professional Walleye Trail will be in Saulte Ste. Marie, Michigan September 11-13, 2008.

As always stay tuned to www.liveleaderboard.com for live weights and daily photos.