What’s a half-pound of walleye worth?

For Madison Lake angler Nate Brunz, it was $3,356.

That was the difference between the first place and second place prize in the co-angler division of a Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Event held on Class Lake near Bemidji, June 11-14.

Brunz, 22, finished the four-day tournament with a total catch of 53 pounds, 7 ounces; he was edged out of the top spot by Kevin Bruer of Hopkins with a total weight of 53 pounds, 15 ounces.

First place was worth $10,000; nevertheless, Brunz’s second-place finish was still worth $6,644 — not exactly pocket change.

What’s more, on the final day of the tournament, Brunz was paired with the eventual professional division winner, Scott Steil of Richmond. For his finish, Steil brought home a cool $100 grand.

Fishing is nothing new to Brunz. “I guess I started fishing when I was two and competitively when I was 14,” he said.

He comes from a fishing family. His dad, Bob, regularly competes in the FLW circuit in the co-angler division; his uncle, Tom, regularly competes in the profession division of the FLW walleye tournament circuit.

“This is my second year of fishing in the FLW tour,” Brunz said. According to walleye tournament stats, he has finished in the top 10 in four of the eight Wal-Mart FLW events he has participated in, good for $12,644 in winnings.

Typically, the way the four-day tournaments are held, fishermen competing in the co-angler division are randomly paired each day with a different professional to fish for a combined boat weight.

The full field of boats compete in the three-day opening round for one of 10 final round positions based on their total catch from the previous three days.

After his first three days, Brunz already was in second place, though down by several pounds.

In the final 10-team round, he was paired with Steil. “As a co-angler, you’re basically along for the ride and let the pro make all the decisions,” Brunz said.

Nevertheless, he made a contribution to the cause in a big way. “The first fish I caught was a five-pounder,” he said. “It’s a no-cull tournament and a team can only keep two fish over 20 inches.” No culling means that fish kept cannot be released in exchange for a bigger caught later.