Fishing World Loses Shannon Kehl

Walleye world loses a legend

Kehl lost in tragic car accident

By Brett Carlson - 24.Jun.2008

The sport of professional walleye fishing lost a true legend early Sunday morning. Veteran walleye pro Shannon Kehl of Menoken, N.D., was killed in a single-vehicle accident while traveling west on Apple Creek Road in Burleigh County.

According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the 39-year-old Kehl went off the road at 3 a.m., struck a culvert and rolled over. The wreck was reported at 5:30 a.m. by a passing Burlington Northern train.

Kehl was in the midst of his seventh season on the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour. After three regular-season events, he was poised to qualify for the season-ending championship on his home waters of the Missouri River in Bismarck, N.D. In 2005, Kehl finished second at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the Mississippi River in Moline, Ill. With five top-10 finishes and nearly $150,000 in career FLW Outdoors earnings, Kehl was one of the best walleye pros in the game.

In 1996, he won the PWT Angler of the Year award as a rookie. Kehl also won the PWT event on Saginaw Bay in 1996 and another PWT qualifier on Lake Cumberland in 2005.

“The passing of Shannon Kehl is tragic to say the least,” said Sonny Reynolds, director of walleye operations for FLW Outdoors. “Not only did the walleye industry lose a great competitor, we also lost a great friend. The thoughts and prayers of FLW Outdoors are with