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| Johnson and Lawrence by a Nose at Lake Chautauqua Pair Wins Cabela's MWC Walleye Tourney With 23.88 Lbs |
Jamestown, NY-By the slimmest of margins, a scant .69 of a pound, New Yorkers Larry Johnson (Corfu) and Jason Lawrence (Binghamton) topped a 36 team field to win the Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit tourney held July 17-18 on New York's Lake Chautauqua at Jamestown. After weighing a hefty first day five fish limit of 17.12 lbs., which put them at the top of the leaderboard, they added two more walleye on day two for a 23.88 lb. total and the victory. Their first MWC win, at this Outdoor Channel sponsored tournament, earned them $8,500.
"I thought we blew it. Good thing we had a good first day. I'm going to pay off my boat with my share of the winnings," explained a relieved and happy Johnson. He continued, "I fish this lake a lot, for fun and tournaments, it's my home lake. This is one of the toughest bites I've ever experienced. We usually troll but the fish weren't having any of that, so we switched to jigging the weeds."
Lawrence said, "We fished two areas, Chaney Point and Smith Boys Marina in the southern half of the lake. The water was seven to nine feet deep and you could only see about two feet down. We cast lightweight jigs, 1/16 to 1/4 ounce tipped with crawlers parallel to the weedline until the sun was fully up. After that time, we moved into the weeds and vertical jigged the pockets. Chartreuse and green were our best colors. It's a tough and demanding way to fish but it sure paid off."
Second place finishers, also from New York, were brothers Wade (Bemus Point) and Bob Oram (Franklinville) with nine fish weighing 23.19 lbs. worth $4,200. They also jigged the Smith Boys Marina area but used orange and gold 1/8-ounce jigs.
Third place went to the Bradford, PA brother team of John and Mike Maholic. Their eight fish weighed in at 20.27 lbs., earning them $2,000. Like the previous teams, they jigged the weeds with crawlers but found success at the Shaney's Point area of the lake.
The top six teams shared the $17,300 cash purse. An additional $1,350 was paid in big fish prize money. Pennsylvanians Fred Lorenzo (Kane) and Mike Pura (Johnsonburg) took day one big fish honors and $675 for their 6.22 lb.walleye, while Fred Forsythe (Coudersport, PA) and Peter Lewis (Webster, NY) collected the same amount the second day with a 5.81 lb. walleye.
Richard Nagy and Bill Pinskey (Mt. Pleasant, PA) won $1,000 for the highest finishing Ranger Boat owner team in the Ranger Cup series. They finished sixth for an additional $600. Tournament teams donated $540 to the MWC Conservation Fund which will be used for fishery related projects in states where MWC tournaments are held.
The Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau and the Chautauqua County Sports Fishing and Hunting Promotions assisted the MWC staff in tournament operations. |
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| New York's Lake Chautauqua to Host Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit Tourney July 17-18 |
Minnetonka, MN-Picturesque Lake Chautauqua located in southwestern New York at Jamestown will be the setting for the second stop of the new east division of the Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit. The Outdoor Channel cable television network titled event will take place July 17-18 at Long Point State Park.
Kristine Houtman, MWC Director of Events and Sponsorships, explains, "We started our new East Division at Henderson Harbor on Lake Ontario in May. Those that have participated are very excited about competing in a first class team walleye tournament venue. Team entry fee is $600, and the payback is better than 80%.
"There are also daily big fish pot cash prizes, and the highest placing registered Ranger boat owner will be awarded $1,000 from the Ranger Cup tournament incentive program. Teams earn points according to their tournament finish, which determines qualification for the $100,000 no entry fee MWC World Walleye Championship. The top five teams in the MWC Challenge as well as the Central and East Divisions will receive cash awards. We invite the public to join us for the weigh-ins each day. They're entertaining and you can pick up a lot of walleye-catching tips from the teams."
Heading the Lake Chautauqua field will be New Yorkers Bob Hollingsworth (Kenmore) and Jim Navis (Grand Island), winners of the Lake Ontario Henderson Harbor MWC east division opener. Glenn and Carol Chenier, a husband/wife team from Gladstone, MI who compete in the central division, is the reigning MWC Team of the Year. Glenn is teamed with Jim Whitson of Lapeer, MI for this event. Whitson won the Outdoor Channel sweepstakes promotion, which is an all expense paid entry into the tournament and the opportunity to fish with Glenn.
Craig Robbins of Frewsburg, NY, tel. 716-357-4569, e-mail, [email protected] will serve as the local tournament director. The Chautauqua County Sports Fishing & Hunting Promotions Club will assist the MWC staff in tournament operations.
Boats will be flighted from the Long Point State Park launch at 7:00 a.m. daily. Weigh-ins start at 3:00 p.m. Teams are allowed to weigh five fish per day, measuring 15 inches or better.
The Outdoor Channel will feature the tournament, allowing teams to receive national media recognition. Tournament coverage and related articles also appear in the North American Fisherman magazine, the official publication of the Cabela's MWC.
Further tournament and circuit information including entry forms or website registration can be obtained at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com, or by calling the MWC toll free at 877-893-7947.
In addition to Cabela's, MWC sponsors include-Lindy Legendary Tackle, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, North American Fishing Club, Ranger Boats, Smithwick Lures, Cotton Cordell, The Outdoor Channel, MotorGuide, Daiichi Hooks, Panther Marine, Lure Eyes, Xtreme Sports and Walleye Central.Com. |
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