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Brian G. Sayner, Vice President, Communications, (270) 362-5212
Dave Washburn, Communications Specialist, (270) 362-5213

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bay City, Mich., (June 15, 2001) - Mark Martin of Twin Lake, Mich., will
lead 12 Pro Division anglers into the final round of the $390,750 Wal-Mart
RCL Walleye Circuit tournament on Saginaw Bay after landing five walleyes
weighing 29 pounds, 13 ounces Friday with co-angler Don Smith of Shelby,
Mich.

The duo's catch was the result of trolling for walleyes suspended in 15 to
20 feet of water along humps north of Charity Island at the mouth of Saginaw
Bay. Church Tackle clip on weights and planer boards and Northland Rainbow
Float -N- Spin crawler harnesses dipped in Dr. Juice scent were key to the
catch Martin said. Maintaining an exact speed of 1.2 mph was also necessary
for a successful presentation. If he can duplicate his performance Saturday,
Martin stands to win $50,000 and a Mercury-powered Lund boat. Smith will be
fishing for a top award of $15,000.

"I'm learning how to play this game," said Martin, an 18-year veteran of the
sport and former Professional Walleye Trail champion. "You don't get paid
until (Saturday), so you don't want to burn up all of your fish early and
attract a lot of attention to yourself. The bite is not that great, so you
don't want a lot of company."

Pro Mark Keenan of Appleton, Wis., and co-angler Joe Stenz of Muskego, Wis.,
advanced to the final round in the No. 2 position with five walleyes
weighing 28 pounds, 7 ounces. Rounding out the top five qualifiers were pro
David Kraft of Bismark, N.D., and co-angler Dave Dugall of Highland, Mich.,
with five walleyes weighing 26 pounds, 7 ounces; pro Tom Keenan of Hatley,
Wis., and co-angler Jeff Matson of Westfield, Ind., with five walleyes
weighing 25 pounds, 13 ounces; and pro Bill Ortiz of Dodgeville, Wis., and
co-angler John Solek of Indianapolis with four walleyes weighing 24 pounds,
8 ounces.

Competition resumes at 7 a.m. Saturday at Hoyles Marina located at 135 South
Linwood Beach in Linwood, Mich. Weights are cleared and the winners will be
determined by the weight of Saturday's catch alone. The final weigh-in will
start at 3 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1392 Wilder Road in
Bay City.

Run by Operation Walleye and named after retail giant Wal-Mart and boat
manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund, the $2.9 million Wal-Mart RCL
Walleye Circuit is the world's most lucrative walleye fishing series. It
features four regular season tournaments each with a $390,750 purse and a
championship with a $1.4 million purse. The third tournament will be July
25-28 on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis., followed by a tournament
on Devils Lake in Devils Lake, N.D., Sept. 5-8.

After the four regular season tournaments, 200 pros and 200 co-anglers will
compete in the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship for a top award of up to
$400,000 in the Pro Division and $150,000 in the Co-Angler Division. The
championship will be held on the Fox River and Green Bay in Green Bay, Wis.,
Oct. 2-6. Green Bay hosted the inaugural Wal-Mart RCL Championship last year
when Scott Glorvigen of Grand Rapids, Minn., won $300,000 and instantly
joined the sport's top all-time money winners.

Entry fees for each regular season tournament are $1,250 for pros and $500
for co-anglers.

Sponsors of the 2001 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit are Coleman, Conseco,
Crestliner, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Garmin, Kellogg's, Lund, Mercury
Marine, Minn Kota, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Wal-Mart, Weed Eater and Yamaha
Outboards.

For complete results, visit www.operationwalleye.com

Sponsors of the tournament series are

	Energizer
Kellogs Conseco

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