Interview With Jim Kalkofen, Executive Director of the In Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail
Category: Tournament
Jun 2nd, 2005 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jun 2nd, 2005 at 12:00 AM
In Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail Realtree Pro-Am, Lake Cumberland, KYPrefishing:WF: The fishing has been reported to be slow, what have you hear?Jim: There are quite a few Pros on the fish. It is part of the process to not talk a lot about fishing success during pre-fishing, some anglers actually sandbag to put others off the mark, mess with their potential game-plans. I know of one 12# fish that was caught, and many of Pros who are on good limits.WF: How are conditions on Cumberland for the event?Jim: The water is cool, so there is no thermocline set up yet. The fish are scattered, and water temps from what I saw yesterday were 68 to 73 degrees.Day One:WF: How many total fish were caught today, Jim?Jim: 184. The Kentucky Fish and Game tell us that all but one were returned alive! The total is better than we did at Bull Shoals, but the average fish weight is a little lower because of the 15 inch PWT minimum.WF: It seems from the conversation on stage that many of the anglers did well today in areas they had pre-fished, found fish, but did not catch many before Day one. What do you attribute the better bite to?Jim: Overcast, the rain and cloudy conditions today. That might have helped! There were 184 caught today, and all were released alive but one with help from the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Service.Day Two:WF: Jim, this is a very interesting fishery. The Kentucky Fisheries folks say Cumberland has the best population of Walleyes it has ever supported. Of course, it is a huge body of water, so there is a lot to learn during pre-fish. How does the In Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail select Tournament sites; what are the parameters followed? Jim: The PWT selects Tournament locations by location, the fishery, and the schedule. The schedule is reviewed with our PWT Pro Angler Advisory Council, and this year, our Saginaw Bay Advisory Council meeting is dedicated to looking at the 2006 schedule, locations, and individual event dates.The PWT goal in site selection for both the 3 event each East and West divisions is to assist in spreading the Walleye gospel throughout the Country. The PWT Pros fish waters that might traditionally be considered on the fringe of the well known Walleye world. We have taken the PWT to New York, Arkansas, Montana, Kentucky, Illinois, North Dakota, and many other states, occasionally even challenging the traditional timing in some of those locations. A good example would be Winneconne in April during 2004 and the Fox Chain this April, and the event we held on Lake St. Claire.Location requirements also include enough room for parking, power at the weigh-in site, plenty of room for the stage, enough volunteers from the local community, and in-kind services. The PWT brings a tournament to the community with the goal of promoting the fishery, the area, encouraging mutual promotion of the tournament site and the PWT.The In Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail does not request any fees from the communities we select to host a PWT event.WF: How many fish were caught today, Jim?Jim: 204 were brought to the scale, and all but five were successfully released back into Lake Cumberland. There was some serious movement on the Leaderboard today! Tomorrow is going to be interesting; this tournament is very close right now.WF: Jim, thanks for the interview!