Frequent winners in the Lake Leelanau Narrows Resort walleye tournament did it again.
Cal Stier and Greg Alsip took home the top prize money, although this time it was close.
Fishing on a hot day over glassy surface water, Stier and Alsip — who named their team “The Jerks” — kept 10 legal walleyes, including five that weighed 11.7 pounds. Tournament rules call for weighing the top five fish for a team score.
Placing second was the team of Adam Gustafson and Bryan Doriot, who are staying at the Lake Leelanau RV Park for the summer. Their catch weighed 11.1 pounds.
Taking third were Mike Hansen and Ed Gillie at 10.15 pounds. They also boated the biggest walleye at 4.7 pounds, which was worth $280. Fourth place went to Tim O’Neil and Matt Mahar at 10.1 pounds.
First place paid $800, second place was $600, third was $400, and fourth place earned miscellaneous tackle donated by the Narrows Resort. The resort, which sells bait and fishing equipment year-round along the Lake Leelanau Narrows, is owned by the Alsip family. The entry fee was $120 per boat.
Stier and Alsip have taken first in the tournament several times, including in 2023 when the event was held in August.
“The Jerks,” like most teams, started their seven-hour fishing day on north Lake Leelanau, which didn’t produce. In fact, the only walleye taken on the north lake turned out to be the biggest.
“We went north for two hours, caught a couple bass, and then said we were headed to south,” Alsip said. “That’s pretty much what everyone did. It was not ideal for fishing. A little wind would have helped, but the bite was OK. That was the most fish that we’ve weighed in awhile.”
