Bryan Rouech holds on to win the 23rd annual Saginaw Spirit Shiver on the River Walleye Contest

By Adam Smith | The Saginaw News
February 13, 2010, 9:36PM

Drew Brees won the Super Bowl and he’s going to Disney World.

Bryan Rouech is the 23rd annual Saginaw Spirit Shiver on the River Walleye Contest winner with a catch weighing 11.305 pounds, and he won’t be bumping into the New Orleans Saints quarterback anytime soon. He has a different celebration in mind.

“I’m hoping that my cousin from Minnesota will see that I won and invite me to be on his fishing show,” said the 49-year old Saginaw resident.

Rouech’s cousin is Babe Winkelman, the host of Babe Winkelman’s Good Fishing program that airs nationally on the Versus Network.

“First place is awesome. It’s a great feeling,” said Rouech. “Just being in the top 10 would have been great. I guess I’ve been pretty lucky this year.”

The top 25 places for the $5,000, two-week event will receive prize money, with Rouech earning a check for $1,000. All prizes will be awarded at a Saginaw Spirit game to be determined, with each recipient receiving two complimentary tickets to the game.

The first-, second- and third-place finishers will have their walleye mounted by Mid-State Taxidermy, LLC.

Chesaning’s Larry Byrne finishes as the runner-up to Rouech with a catch of 11.025 pounds, while Donald Lee of Au Gres (10.965) weighed in just in time to finish third. Bay City’s Tanner Botwright (10.095) placed ninth with a 10.095-pounder caught the final day of the contest, while Bay City’s Larry Bullock Jr. cracked the top 25 with a 10.045-pound walleye on Saturday that was good for 11th place.

Rouech finished 16th in last year’s contest, and left nothing to chance this year by looking to improve on his lead with fishing trips on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. He made his catch on Monday, and survived a scare when the E&J VSOP Brandy Leaderboard added what at that time were new second-, third- and fourth-place walleye in spite of winter weather storms that pounded the area on Tuesday.

“That had me shaking in my boots,” said Rouech. “I didn’t think it would last and I tried not to think about it until the contest was over.”

Reports of a fellow fisherman and acquaintance of Rouech’s threatening his lead with an 11-plus pounder on Friday ended up weighing in at 9.7 pounds when brought to Gander Mountain.

“I didn’t find out about it until (Saturday), when I called Gander Mountain and they said I was still in the lead,” said Rouech.

Leaderboard

1. Bryan Rouech, Saginaw 11.305

2. Larry Byrne, Chesaning 11.025

3. Donald Lee, Au Gres 10.965

4. Jim Wrona, Saginaw 10.820

5. Joe Schmidt, Montrose 10.700

6. Greg Gengler, St. Charles 10.525

7. Jeff Badour, Bay City 10.240

8. Tim Bristol, Saginaw 10.140

9. Tanner Botwright, Bay City 10.095

10. Don Leuenberger, Saginaw 10.070

11. Larry Bullock Jr., Bay City 10.045

12. Gib Felmlee, Bay City 9.745

13. Mark Andrzejewski, Kawkawlin 9.685

14. Scott Bowman, Bay City 9.64

15. Zachary Bierlien, Richville 9.53

16. John Coursey, Saginaw 9.520

17. Brett Maser, Au Gres 9.505

18. Owen McCullen, Saginaw 9.405

19. Dan Buchanan, Mount Clemens 9.075

20. Thomas Rhode, Au Gres 9.025

21. Larry Bronz, Saginaw 8.825

22. Matthew Blossey, Bay City 8.78

23. Mike Faber, Unionville 8.655

23. Herschel Richardson, Midland 8.570

25. Ed Behrmann, Auburn 8.560

25. Scott Valley, Bay City 8.48

26. Randall Krakowski, Bay City 8.36

27. Timothy Campbell, Saginaw 8.280

28. Joe Bryce, Saginaw 8.235

29. Jason Comer, Saginaw 8.225

30. Nick Geikas, Bay City 8.205

31. Jason Carlin, Bay City 8.095

32. Jeff McGregor, Saginaw 8.02

33. Luke Super, Bay City 8.0

34. Mark Merritt, Essexville 8.000

35. William Davis, Vassar 7.985

36. Gary Korthals, Bay City 7.980

37. Craig Haske, Reese 7.970

38. Earl Dupnis, Frankenmuth 7.95

39. Jeff Jones, Kawkawlin 7.945

40. Ron Skrocki, Saginaw 7.9

41. Doug Chartier, Auburn 7.72

42. Marc Van Wormer, Munger 7.720

43. Thomas Lyvere, Saginaw 7.630

44. Jeremy Caldwell, Bay City 7.615

45. Chad Feldotte, Saginaw 7.52

46. Robert Bular, Mayville 7.41

47. Kevin Kowalski, Freeland 7.445

48. Pete Barber, Essexville 7.420

49. Fred Gies, Standish 7.345

50. Will Knoll, Bay City 7.100

51. Jimmy Hauxwell, Clio 7.090

52. Mike Tilot, Hemlock 7.060

53. Matt Rowloft, Bay City 7.025

54. Joe Childs, Linwood 6.990

55. Zach Schultz, Munger 6.985

56. John Shevchenko, Saginaw 6.905

57. Michael Kanuszewski, Freeland 6.835

58. Andrew Michalak, Pinconning 6.750

59. Dave Appleby, Bay City 6.725

60. Eric Castles, Flint 6.680

61. Paul Liss, Essexville 6.665

62. Eric Biskner, Bay City 6.595

63. Kirk Horden, Bently 6.590

64. Patrick Ryan Jr., Chesaning 6.545

65. John Trinklein, Saginaw 6.505

66. Tom Miller, Kawkawlin 6.470

67. Randall Bassett, Vassar 6.45

68. Brandon Thomson, Birch Run 6.415

69. Jeff Kelly, Freeland 6.395

70. Andrew Walter, Auburn 6.390

71. Rod Chaperon, Bay City 6.380

72. Adam King, Saginaw 6.375

73. Robert Wright, Saginaw 6.335

74. Dawn Rivard, Bay City 6.330

75. Tom Pembroke, Bay City 6.285

76. Gary Fisher, Kawkawlin 6.125

77. Raul Gonya, Saginaw 6.11

78. Dennis Hart, Columbiaville 6.020

79. Ralph Flathan Jr., Beaverton 6.020

80. Chris Berent, Saginaw 6.020

81. Reid Richardson, Waterford 6.005

82. Gregory Burnett, Saginaw 5.940

83. Jesse Bayn, Merrill 5.920

84. Blaine Vennix, Kawkawlin 5.885

85. Jason Yaklin, Freeland 5.880

86. Scott Beyer, Kawkawlin 5.875

87. Shannon Robinson, Standish 5.820

88. Chad Noonan, Bay City 5.495

89. Michael Mahlon, Bay City 5.48

90. Raymond Eddy II, Saginaw 5.250

91. Jerry Blake, Saginaw 5.245

92. Steve Zamora, Saginaw 5.200

93. Steve Ross, Farmington Hills 5.195

94. Jeff Paul, Saginaw 5.165

95. Taylor Meyette, Midland 5.095

96. Bill Irmen, Bay City 5.090

97. Jerry Barcia, Pinconning 5.060

98. Matt Dood, Saginaw 5.040

99. Randy Long, Bay City 4.970

100. David Lee, Bay City 4.965

101. Steven Arndt, Sanford 4.930

102. Scott Feldotte, Kawkawlin 4.925

103. Danny Perez, Saginaw 4.895

104. William Gutzwiller II, Freeland 4.83

105. Adam Thiel, Midland 4.825

106. Chad Price, Saginaw 4.825

107. Steve Metiva, Saginaw 4.820

108. Robert Eddy II, Saginaw 4.765

109. Daryl McBride, Bay City 4.75

110. Neil Allen, Flint 4.705

111. Kent A. Shields, Carrollton 4.675

112. Todd Newman, Saginaw 4.630

113. Todd Weltzer, Saginaw 4.55

114. David Gutzwiller, Bay City 4.520

115. Don Watz, Bay City 4.485

116. Kevin Yurgens, St. Charles 4.47

117. Doug Kolka, Bay City 4.47

118. Andrew Geshauser, Freeland 4.46

119. Shawn Leach, Bay City 4.46

120. Rick Horstman, Saginaw 4.410

121. George Schoenmeyer, Saginaw 4.170

122. Steven Bude, Bay City 4.145

123. Dave Hozzska, Saginaw 4.12

124. Nathan Shinauer, Saginaw 4.090

125. Christopher Lutz, Saginaw 4.070

126. Gabe Tacey, Bay City 4.06

127. Charles Mulholland, Saginaw 4.06

128. David Manier, Vassar 3.915

129. Mitch Nowak, Kawkawlin 3.76

130. Jay Kipfmiller, Bay City 3.750

131. Ed Greenhoe, Bay City 3.680

132. Toby Downey, Bay City 3.675

133. John Graczyk, Flint 3.66

134. John Mgenski, Saginaw 3.600

135. Casey Daly, Northville 3.57

136. Joe Delorge, Bay City 3.57

137. Matthew Means, Carrollton 3.520

138. Bradley Bridgewater, Linwood 3.5

139. Brandon LeBlane, Saginaw 3.470

140. Mike LeMere Jr., Bay City 3.420

141. Neal Marsh, Saginaw 3.390

142. Walter Nalevayko, Saginaw 3.340

143. Michael Beckman, Saginaw 3.280

144. Jimmy Proderat, Bay City 3.235

145. Darrel Volway, Saginaw 3.215

146. Craig Tilley, Hemlock 3.180

147. Kevin Wasalaski, Saginaw 3.055

148. Hose Hernandez, Saginaw 2.890

149. Albert Ramirez, Chesaning 2.865

150. Dale Schoenmeyer, Saginaw 2.710

151. Mark Mazden, Deford 2.620

152. James Tomlinson, Pinconning 2.230