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| Milk Men Newhoff and Hammargren Take Lead with 17.94 |
Big saugers were absent for most teams on Day 1 of the inaugural event of the 2005 Cabela's MWC season. The Illinois River produced a fair share of fat fish over the last few weeks, like a 7.9-pounder caught a few weeks back. Doug Newhoff and Neil Hammargren worked a milk-run strategy today, which landed them at the top of the heap. Hot on their heels in 2nd are Illinois River wizards Randy Carroll and Ed Klein with a 16.15 pound limit.
The rest of the Top 5 includes Bradley West and Jeff Adams in 3rd with 15.43, Jim and Jake LaPine in 4th 15.19 and in 5th George and Russell Gahagan.
Most anglers spoke of diminished numbers of bites and fewer fat fish. The blame was put squarely on cooler than expected weather and water temperatures which were not on the rise at the same speed as earlier in the week.
The modest, but pumped up crowd of fans gathered early and stuck around to watch all 220 teams weigh-in. The air temperatures hovered in the upper thirties with a bothersome drizzle that made the day feel like winter in Seattle. But the rain didn't dampen the MWC anglers as they strode across the stage in a slow assembly line fashion awaiting their destiny.
Newhoff Wants 15 More
Doug Newhoff feels his team is in position to take this tournament, if he can find another 15 pounds of fish.
"We really didn't have one specific concentration of fish today," he said. "I think we need another 15 pounds tomorrow to make a run at this tournament."
He burned fuel today in search of fish.
"Since we didn't have a concentration of fish in one place, we had to make a milk-run," he said. "We caught fish in the six different locations we tried. We fished from the Peru Flats to about as far south as we could run."
Carroll Blue Collar Man
Randy Carroll has a reputation as one of the premier trollers on the Illinois. He sure didn't live up to that status today. He turned into the working man's jigger.
"We really had to grind it out today and went jigging," he said. "We went blue collar and worked hard for the fish we caught. I wanted to troll, but the water has been a little too muddy for that to be effective."
They went through 9 keepers today to come up with their limit. Tomorrow, leadcore may become a factor.
"If that water clears up just a little, we may breakout the leadcore and start trolling," he said. "If that is the case, we're gonna have some fun."
 |  |  | Russell Gahagan, cursed by the camera, but still came through |
Camera Curse for Gahagans
Russell and George Gahagan weighed a 15.13-pound limit to move into 5th place and within reach of a victory, if their fish cooperate tomorrow. Hopefully, no cameramen will be within site.
"We ended up with 8 legal fish," said Russell Gahagan. "The funny thing was that a TV cameraman was in the boat with us. We couldn't catch a fish. As soon as he left the boat we landed two keepers."
Dave's Ka' Boom stickbaits were the bait of choice for them today. Top colors included firetiger, pink and white and chartreuse. They used them on a pole-lining setup.
"We pole-lined today," he said. "One of the big reasons we hooked and caught our fish was a Lake Michigan Dipsey snubber we put on our heavy line. Since there is basically no stretch with this gear, the rubber snubber is the shock absorber that helps the fish stay hooked."
Mini-Bites
Ranger/Mercury pro (and half of the 2004 MWC Team of the Year) Rick Zachowski feels the bite is tough because the fish are in transition. "We are here a week too early," he said. "You can find fish both shallow and deep. The water temperature was 45 today; it only rose a degree overnight. Up until today, the temps had been rising at a quicker pace. I think the action will be better on the river next week."
Gina Gasser is hopeful there will be enough fish tomorrow. "We only had 6 keeper bites all day," she said. "We are pole-lining breaklines upriver."
Rob Stratton was on the cookie cutter committee. "The bite was fantastic," he said. "We must have caught 30 keepers today. The problem was they were all cookie cutters; all the same size."
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| Carlson and Schrimf Win Cabelas MWC Illinois River Opener - Mother Nature Sets Pace |
Minnetonka, MN - Keith Carlson and Curt Schrimpf of Goodhue, MN overcame a swollen Illinois River, strong winds, a pounding rain and 219 other teams to win the Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit 2004 season opener, held March 27-28 at Spring Valley, IL. Their ten fish MWC allowable limit, which totaled 21.58 pounds, was worth $28, 512. It was the veteran team's first circuit victory.
According to Carlson, "We were hoping for a top ten finish and we wind up winning the tournament. This is awesome!" He continued, "We trolled a variety of floating type crankbaits in various colors from 17 pound test leadcore line, between 80 and 100 feet behind the boat at two miles per hour, upriver near the dam. On Saturday we thought we hit the mother lode because we had our five fish limit by 11 a.m., but we didn't land a fish the rest of the day."
Schrimpf added, "Sunday was even a tougher day until we got onto a pattern. We discovered that as the water level kept rising from the rain, the fish got closer to the shoreline. We caught our first fish at 11 a.m., the second at 1:30 p.m., a double a half-hour later and our fifth fish 35 minutes before the weigh-in. We lost two fish and one was huge, but we won anyway. My head is still spinning."
Second place went to Paul Fournier and Ryan Olson of Andover, MN whose pole lining technique produced 21.28 pounds and $13,200. They also trolled crankbaits upriver but used stiff 6 1/2 foot musky action rods and baitcasting reels spooled with 65-pound test line and 1-1/2 pound bottom bouncing weights. The floating style crankbaits are run off leaders attached to the main line. The heavy weights maintain a vertical angle of the lures that occasionally tick the bottom and trigger the fish into striking.
Third place went to the Illinois team of Dave Kleszyk (Oakbrook Terrace) and Dave Zurawski (Plainfield). They jigged up 21.02 pounds and collected $10,032. The duo fished just north of the Barto Landing weigh in site with 3/4 ounce jigs tipped with large fathead minnows and a tailless plastic grub in 11 feet of water.
First day tournament leaders with 14.46 pounds were Barb and Danny Plautz of Muskego, WI. They are the first mother and son team to fish the MWC. Their eleventh place finish earned them $1,478 plus $1,395 in big fish prize money.
The top 35 teams shared the $107,014 cash purse. An additional $7,974 was paid in big fish prize money. Scott Steil of Richmond, MN won $1,000 for the highest finishing Ranger Boat owner in the Ranger Cup series.
Tournament Statistics
Number of teams: 220
Number of fish: 838
Total cash and prizes: $115,988
Total weight: 1721.1 lbs.
Water temp: 51 to 55 degrees
Big fish: 5.76 lbs.
Water level: Up 6 feet
Winning pattern: Trolling crankbaits
Water clarity: 2 to 6 inches
Inside tip: Fished shoreline
Openings exist in the remaining 2004 MWC tournaments. Entry fee is $600 per team. Further tournament information can be obtained at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com, or by calling the MWC toll-free at 877-893-7947.
2004 Cabela's MWC Remaining Schedule
MWC Central
Oshkosh, WI, Lake Winnebago, June 26-27
Walker, MN, Leech Lake, September 18-19
MWC East
Henderson Harbor, NY, Lake Ontario, May 22-23
Jamestown, NY, Lake Chautauqua, July 17-18
Linwood, MI, Saginaw Bay, August 7-8
In addition to Cabela's, MWC sponsors include-Lindy Legendary Tackle, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, The Outdoor Channel, North American Fishing Club, Smithwick Lures, Cotton Cordell, MotorGuide, Daiichi Hooks, Panther Marine, Lure Eyes, Xtreme Sports and Walleye Central.Com. |
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| Cabelas MWC Central Division Opener March 27 - 28 Lindy Legendary Tackle Tourney Fills in One Day |
Minnetonka, MN - For more than five months, Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit anglers have been suffering from non-tournamentitis. Their cure is at hand however, and soon rods will be bending, reels will be spinning and the familiar cry of, "Fish on!" will fill the air.
Cabela's MWC competition begins March 27 & 28 with the Lindy Legendary Tackle Team Tournament to be held on the Illinois River at Spring Valley, IL. This is the 18th consecutive year that the Spring Valley Walleye Club (SVWC) is hosting the event, which signifies the official end to the annual cabin fever season. The 220-team field filled in one day with a sizeable waiting list. Teams will be competing for over $107,000 in cash with over $28,000 going to the winners.
At first glance, newcomers to the Illinois River find it hard to believe that this off-colored, barge filled waterway is considered the finest sauger fishery in North America. It surrenders its share of walleyes as well. Local DNR biologist Mike Cochran oversees the fishery and credits the Clean Water Act of 1973 with improving the water quality on the Illinois. The results he states, is a riverway that can support large numbers of forage fish which sauger, walleye and other game fish feast upon. Predators get fat on shad, emerald shiners and other minnows. Four-pound saugers are common to the system. Thanks to the DNR's annual fish stocking program which is augmented by the gathering of eggs and sperm from tournament caught fish and supported by monetary donations from the SVWC as well as the MWC Conservation Fund, the future remains bright for this prolific fish-producing body of water.
Last year's event was won by John Broncato (Coal City, IL) and Mark Meravy (Shorewood, IL) with a nine fish catch totaling 31.56 lbs. They quick trolled three-way rigs up-river between 10 and 12 feet of water along the main channel lip, downstream from the clam bed area. Their rigs consisted of minnow-imitating crankbaits on a 40-inch leader. They also used 1 to 1 1/4 ounce jigs tipped with plastic baits on an 8-inch dropper. Unlike most major rivers such as the Mississippi, the Illinois lacks wing dams, closing dams and riprap shorelines, which serve as fish holding current breaks. The Starved Rock Dam is the most obvious visible river structure lying within tournament boundaries which end at the Henry Bridge, but angler boat traffic below the dam can be gunnel to gunnel. The downriver side of bridge abutments, barge-docking facilities, barges tied-off at the bank, or anything that breaks the river's flow will create a fish holding eddy. Besides the dam area, tournament hot spots include the mouth of the Vermilion River, Peru flats, DePue clam beds and the Hennepin flats. Hot lures include Lindy Techni-Glo and Electric Fuzz-E-Grub jigs tipped with minnows and Cotton Cordell Grappler Shad crankbaits. Daily Illinois River fishing and water conditions are posted on the SVWC website, www.spring-valley-walleye.org.
Local tournament director, Mike Hurless, may be reached at 815-664-5487. Further tournament information can be obtained at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com, or by calling the MWC toll-free at 1-877-893-7947. Openings exist in the remaining 2004 MWC tournaments, although the Winnebago tournament is nearing capacity at this time. Entry fee is $600 per team.
MWC Central
Spring Valley, Illinois River, March 27-28
Oshkosh, WI, Lake Winnebago, June 26-27
Walker, MN, Leech Lake, September 18-19
MWC East
Henderson Harbor, NY, Lake Ontario, May 22-23
Jamestown, NY, Lake Chautauqua, July 17-18
Linwood, MI, Saginaw Bay, August 7-8
In addition to Cabela's, MWC sponsors include-Lindy Legendary Tackle, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, The Outdoor Channel, North American Fishing Club, Smithwick Lures, Cotton Cordell, MotorGuide, Daiichi Hooks, Panther Marine, Lure Eyes, Xtreme Sports and Walleye Central.
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| CABELAS MWC MERCURY MARINE-PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE SEASON OPENER MARCH 22-23 |
Minnetonka, Minn. - The Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) will open its 2003 tournament season with the Mercury Marine/Progressive Insurance teamwalleye tournament March 22-23 on the Illinois River at Spring Valley, Ill. This marks the 17th consecutive year that the Spring Valley Walleye Club (SVWC) is hosting the circuit opener.
According to Kristine Houtman, MWC Events Director, 69 teams signed up tofish all four tournaments this year, putting an immediate dent in the200-team fields. The Spring Valley tourney filled quickly, with a waitinglist, resulting in a decision to increase the tournament field to 220 teams. The cash payout will also be increased to $108,000 with $30,000 going to the winners. The top 35 teams will share the full prize money as follows:
1st Place - $30,000
2nd Place - $13,000
3rd Place - $9,500
4th Place - $7,000
5th Place - $5,500
6th Place - $4,500
7th Place - $3,500
8th Place - $3,000
9th Place - $2,500
10th Place - $2,000
11th - 15th Place - $1,650
16th - 20th Place - $1,350
21st - 25th Place - $1,000
26th - 35th Place - $750
for a total of $108,000 assuming 220 boats
Additionally, the highest-ranking team that drives a Ranger boat will be awarded $1,000 from the Ranger Cup tournament series promotion. The winning team using Cotton Cordell or Yum brand products, mentioned on stage, will be awarded $300 in products. Spring Valley's Barto Landing will serve as tourney headquarters for SVWC tournament director, Mike Hurless, and his 200 plus volunteers. Fishing hours will be 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.
Founded in 1984, the MWC is the oldest and largest professional team walleye tournament venue in the country. Circuit anglers vary in age from their teens to the eighties and hail from New York to Colorado. In fact, 440 anglers will compete from the following states:
Colorado: 3
Florida: 1
Iowa: 29
Illinois: 150
Indiana: 5
Kansas: 2
Michigan: 18
Minnesota: 74
Missouri: 2
Nebraska: 1
New York: 2
Ohio: 2
Pennsylvania: 4
South Dakota: 2
Wisconsin: 145
Family participation and conservation is stressed at the events. Monies from every entry fee are placed into the MWC Conservation Fund, then directed to fishing projects in states where MWC tournaments are held. In this tournament, $3300 will be earned for Illinois projects.
Local Spring Valley anglers John and Gary Dalzot are seeking a four-peat. They have won the last three MWC Illinois River tournaments. Their 2002 ten fish limit of 38.18 lbs. was worth $25,000. A total of 1,422 fish weighing 3,508 lbs., a 2.47-lb. average, were caught. The heaviest fish came in at 5.65 lbs. caught by Pat Cavins of Green Bay, WI and Bob Winkler of Neenah, WI.
The Illinois River is famous for producing large numbers of fish, mostly saugers. A tournament record of 1,825 fish were caught in the 1996 tournament.
Vertical jigging minnows while slipping the current is the most popular technique of Illinois River anglers. However, trolling bottom-bouncing crankbaits also produces heavy catches. Most of these fish are taken when a slow S trolling pattern is employed over the main river channel breaks. Overall angling success depends upon water depth, clarity and current speed. The Dalzots fished the main channel between the Starved Rock Dam and the Hennepin Bridge in depths between 15 and 17 feet. They used 2/6 pound Berkley green FireLine and 3/8 ounce orange jigs tipped with minnows.
Up-to-the-minute river conditions can be obtained from the MWC and SVWC websites, www.masterswalleyecircuit.com and www.spring-valley-walleye.org. Both sites also furnish statistics of past Illinois River tournaments, as well as lodging, restaurant, bait shop and boat launch information.
This season's tournaments and Championship will be featured on The Outdoor Channel television network, allowing teams to receive national media recognition.
Tournament coverage and related articles will also appear in the North American Fisherman magazine, the official publication of the MWC. All circuit events will be conducted from Cabela's state-of-the-art, computerized mobile transport vehicle, which is specifically designed for tournament television coverage. Additionally, all MWC tournaments will serve as qualifying events to the 2004 Cabela's National Team Championship.
2003 CABELA'S MASTERS WALLEYE CIRCUIT SCHEDULE
March 22-23 Illinois River Spring Valley, Ill.
May 17-18 Big Stone Lake Ortonville, Minn.
September 13-14 Bays de Noc Escanaba/Gladstone Mich.
September 27-28 Lake Pepin/Miss.River Lake City, Minn.
World Walleye Championship: Top 40 teams from the 2002 MWC season, plus top
five teams from the Cabela's National Team Championship:
October 16-17-18 Mississippi River Prairie du Chien, Wis.
Tournament entry forms can be downloaded from the MWC website or by contacting the MWC, 12301 Whitewater Dr., Minnetonka, MN 55343 or phone toll free, 877-893-7947.
In addition to Cabela's, MWC sponsors include Berkley Trilene, Lindy Legendary Tackle, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, North American Fishing Club, The Outdoor Channel, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Cotton Cordell, Flambeau, MotorGuide, Panther Marine, Daiichi Hooks, Yum Lures, Optima Batteries, Walleye Assassin Lures and the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame
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| CABELA'S MWC ANNOUNCES 2003 ILLINOIS RIVER OPENER DATE CHANGE |
Minnetonka, Minn. - Per mutual agreement between the Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) and the Spring Valley Walleye Club (SVWC), the 2003 Illinois River circuit opener will be held at Spring Valley, Ill. on March 22-23. The tournament had originally been scheduled for March 29-30.
Kristine Houtman, MWC Events Director, stated the date change is more accommodating for the anglers, sponsors and technical support teams and will not conflict with other scheduled walleye tournament venues in the new time frame.
"We are happy to be starting the year off at Spring Valley, and the dates are a good work-around for those who fish other walleye circuits. The community has always been extremely accommodating for the MWC, something that truly shines through with their willingness and flexibility to change dates. Thanks to everyone for being a team player on this," said Cabela's External Relations Manager, Chris Bahl.
This year's tournament marks the 17th consecutive year that the Spring Valley Walleye Club has hosted the MWC opener. SVWC Executive Director Bill Guerrini states that the tournament is a springtime ritual that is fully supported by the community and the local fisheries office of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Mike Hurless, SVWC Tournament Director, added that he and his 200 club volunteers are looking forward to next year's event, which circuit anglers have often remarked is their favorite stop on the tour.
2003 Cabela's MWC Schedule
March 22-23 - Spring Valley, Ill., Illinois River
May 17-18 - Ortonville, Minn., Big Stone Lake
Sept. 13-14 - Escanaba/Gladstone, Mich., Bays de Noc
Sept. 27-28 - Lake City, Minn., Lake Pepin/Mississippi River
Oct. 16-18 - Championship, Prairie du Chien, Wis., Mississippi River
The 2003 Cabela's MWC brochure containing tournament registration forms and circuit rules will be mailed to MWC members the first week of December. Anglers may also register via the Internet at www.MastersWalleyeCircuit.com or by calling the MWC toll free at 1-877-893-7947 after December 15, 2002.
In addition to Cabela's, the 2003 MWC sponsors include: Ranger Boats, Berkley Trilene, Lindy Legendary Tackle, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury, North American Fishing Club, Cotton Cordell, Yum, Flambeau, Panther Marine, Daiichi, Walleye Assassin and Optima Batteries.
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