Tony Renner Takes Over the Lead and Lowell Joy Wins Co Angler Side of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship in Bismarck, ND

Pro Angler, Tony Renner of Hutchinson, MN has taken over the lead, and Co Angler Lowell Joy has won the Co Angler side of the WalMart FLW Walleye Tour Championship this afternoon.

With 5 fish weighing in at 24.08 pounds, it was the largest weight brought in over the past three days. The phrase "Always a bridesmaid and never the bride" kind of fits here, because Tony has been in 11th and 12th place more times than he cares to remember. But, he's in the top ten now, and leading by 8 pounds!

Juls: How does it feel to have taken the lead by 8 pounds going into tomorrow?

Tony: It's awesome! Just awesome! It was an awesome day out there. You know, the weather, it was brutal! I've been real consistant the  first two days and I surprised myself with what we caught. (laughs) We got a couple of real kicker fish.

But, I don't think it's really hit me yet. I just think it's an awesome feeling to have that kind of lead over this kind of competition. These guys are fantastic fishermen!

Juls: So, what's your game plan for tomorrow?

Tony: I'm going to go out and do the same thing I did today. I'm going to just go out and try to get my limit in the box early, and I'm not going to be real fussy with what I keep. Anything 18 inches or over are going in the box.

Juls: How are you catching your fish, if you don't mind my asking yet?

Tony: I'm pulling Lead Core at different depths, and changing speeds a lot, in real high current areas.

Juls: Are you fishing North or South?

Tony: I'm fishing both actually. I'm fishing both North and South. 

Juls: Scrambling for a quick question I take notice of his hat and ask, "So, that Evinrude is working pretty good for you"?

Tony: (Smiles) That Evinrude and Ranger boat have been running great for me. I haven't had any issues with the boat or the motor, and that's something you always worry about when you have a bag like 24 pounds. You've got to make it back! And, with the way it's been blowing, obviously, it wasn't even an issue.

In second place after three days of competition is Pro Scott Steil of Richmond, MN and Co Angler Jerry Chwerut of Lake Villa, IL with 5 fish for 16.08 pounds.

In third place is Pro Robert Crow of Paterson, WA and Co Angler Troy Vanecek of Omaha, NE with 5 fish for 15.02 pounds.

In fourth place are Pro David Andersen of Amery, WI and Co Angler William Drake of Horace, ND with 5 fish for 14.08 pounds.

In fifth place are Pro Carl Adams Jr of Blackduck, MN and Co Angler Dave Smith of Bemidji, MN with 5 fish for 14.07 pounds.

In sixth place are Pro Todd Riley of Amery, WI and Co Angler Jimmy Cox of Bono Arkansas with 5 fish for 11-12 pounds.

Tied for 6th place are Pro Ron Seelhoff of Burlington, CO and Co Angler Patrick Bertelsen of Jackson, MN with 5 fish for 11.12 pounds.

Also tied for 6th place are Pro Tommy Skarlis of Waukon, IA and his Co Angler Chris Hanson of New Hope, MN with 5 fish for 11.12 pounds

(The largest days weight would be the tie breaker, if needed)

In ninth place are Pro Chris Gilman of Chisago City, MN and Co Angler Justin Steinke of Birnamwood, WI with 5 fish for 8.07 pounds.

In tenth place are Pro Nicolas Schertz of Tomahawk, WI and his Co Angler Philip Zimpel of Plummer, MN with 1 fish for 2.09 pounds.

Co Anglers are done fishing now, and only the top ten Pros will go out tomorrow for the final day of competition. Can anyone catch Tony? We'll have to wait and see!

Either way, it's an exciting tournament, where some of the best Walleye anglers have faced the most challenging conditions ever dished out at an event. The "cream has definitely risen to the top", and with better conditions forecasted for tomorrow, we may still see some big changes in the final results.

The forecast is:

Tonight: Patchy frost after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. North wind between 6 and 11 mph.

Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy with a high near 49. North wind between 5 and 8 mph.

The community is invited to attend tomorrow's takeoff and weigh-in as well as the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 12:00 p.m. Saturday at the Bismarck Civic Center. Saturday is free fishing rod and reel day at the Fun Zone, where the first 300 children 14 and under receive a free fishing rod and reel, courtesy of Cumulus Bismarck.

Tomorrow's final weigh in is expected to begin at 4:30PM Central Time in the Civic Center, and if you cannot make it down there, you can watch the weigh in LIVE on Walleye Central's Live Leader Board where we will have a live webstream of the event. To view the video and chat with your friends in the chatroom, just click on the "Missouri River" link in the current FLW event on the homepage of the LLB at www.liveleaderboard.com or copy/paste this link into your browsers search bar: http://www.liveleaderboard.com/LeaderBoard/event_redirect.aspx?t=473&s=Pro&c=FLWC

The winning pro at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship is guaranteed a cash award of $70,000. If the winner is Ranger Cup qualified, he will earn a $17,500 bonus, and could receive another $17,500 bonus if the boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, for a total cash award of $105,000.

Co Angler, Lowell Joy, won $7,000.00 this afternoon for his efforts this week.

Coverage of the Walleye Tour Championship, hosted by the Bismarck-Mandan Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors,” will air Nov. 15 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports. Sign up for Player’s Advantage to get your edge and win.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player's Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.