Minnetonka, MN - "We've won other tournaments, but nothing like this. This is special. Dad and me, world walleye champions. It's awesome. It's a great ending to the season."
These were the words of an emotional, teary-eyed son, Tim Minnema (Markesan, WI), after he and his father, Jim (Randolph, WI), won the 2003 Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) World Walleye Championship.
Forty-five of the country's best professional walleye angling teams competed in the championship which took place October 16-17-18 on pools 9 and 10 of the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien, WI. The field consisted of the top 40 point accumulating teams who competed during the 2002 MWC season and the top five finishing teams from the 2003 Cabela's National Team Championship. They were allowed to weigh five fish per day measuring 15 inches or more.
The highly-skilled teams faced the lowest water levels in over two decades, resulting in a lack of current which walleyes prefer, along with an abundance of baitfish. As one angler put it, "It's a tough bite. Why would the fish go after what we're using when they have a buffet of shad in front of their noses?"
All of the teams were required to launch in pool 10. Yet, a majority of teams opted to fish pool 9, which presented the added challenge of locking through the dam twice a day. Because barges are given preference to lock through first, several teams failed to return to the pool 10 check-in area on time and were penalized. Teams returning up to 15 minutes late forfeited half of their daily fish weight and lost their entire weight after that time.
The prevailing strategy was to catch five 15 inchers, then upgrade to larger fish, and pool 9 had been producing larger fish prior to the competition days. At the pro/am event held the day before the start of the championship, pool 9 surrendered the heaviest walleye of the event-a 9.67 lb. lunker caught by Bob Bodin and Scott Mann of Red Wing, MN, and their local amateur, Scott Wahl.
Employing the above tactics, the Minnemas went to work. According to Jim, "Since he was a kid, Tim loved to fish and everything and that goes with it.
He put together our game plan-where we were going to fish and what we were going to use. I'm really proud of him. Winning the championship is something that fathers dream of and now it happened to us."
WINNING CHAMPIONSHIP TECHNIQUES
Per Tim, "First off, we kept an eye on the barge traffic and were in touch with the lock master by cell phone (permitted by the rules) as to when barges might be locking through so we wouldn't get stuck in the lock and get penalized. We started below the dam in pool 9, which was mostly a sauger bite. They were small and not the quality fish to win the championship. We moved down to an area we previously located and caught a two pounder and continued to catch fish. We were trolling firetiger colored crankbaits from 27-lb. leadcore line with an 8 foot Berkley 14/6 lb. FireLine leader. For added attraction, I hand painted the bills of the lures in orange and chartreuse and some blue on the sides of the lures.
"The key to our presentation was boat speed and direction. Most of the teams were slow trolling upriver. We trolled downriver at 3- mph, which is fast when it comes to trolling. We figured, even though the fish had so much natural food available to them, the high-speed lure presentation would trigger them into striking-it worked! Dad never took his hand off the trottle on our Mercury 4-stroke kicker. He zigzagged along the breakline between 10 and 12 feet with perfection. The fish that won it for us came on the second day, a 4- pounder from pool 10 on a flat adjacent to the main channel near the Yellow River inlet."
The Minnemas allowable three day 15 fish limit totaled 29.03 lbs. For their crowning achievement, the champs collected $27,500 in cash plus $1,000 for the highest placing Ranger boat owner in the Ranger Cup tournament series.
Besides elaborate trophies they also were awarded customized gold championship rings.
Second place finishers, a mere pound from the title, were Tom Diercks (Hager City, WI), and Jim Siewert (Lake City, MN), with 28.03 lbs. worth $13,000.
Only they and the Minnemas were able to catch daily limits.
Third place went to the father/son team of George and Russell Gahagan (Sheboygan, WI). Their 14 fish weighed 27.80 lbs., earning them $9,000.
The entire field shared the $100,000 cash purse.
A total of 301 walleyes and saugers, weighing 537.99 lbs. were caught in the MWC catch and release format. Cabela's employees and members of the Falling Rock Walleye Club assisted the MWC staff in the operation of the championship.
The Cabela's MWC World Walleye Championship will be aired on Saturday, November 15, at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on The Outdoor Channel. Repeated airings will be November 17-8:30 a.m. and November 19-1:00 a.m.
Tournament coverage and related articles also appear in the North American Fisherman magazine, the official publication of the MWC. All circuit events are conducted from the Cabela's state-of-the-art, computerized mobile transport vehicle, which is specifically designed for tournament television coverage. Additionally, all MWC tournaments serve as qualifying events to the 2004 Cabela's National Team Walleye Championship.
Further championship and circuit information can be obtained from the MWC website, www.masterswalleyecircuit.com, e-mail, [email protected], or by calling the MWC, 877-893-7947. Next years schedule includes:
2004 MWC Central Division:
March 27 & 28: Illinois River, Spring Valley, IL June 26 & 27: Lake Winnebago, Oshkosh, WI September 18 & 19: Leech Lake, Walker, MN
2004 MWC Eastern Division:
May 22 & 23: Lake Ontario, Henderson Harbor, NY July 17 & 18: Lake Chautauqua, Jamestown, NY August 7 & 8: Saginaw Bay, Linwood, MI
2004 Cabela's MWC World Walleye Championship* October 13-16: Mississippi River, Prairie du Chien, WI.
*for 2003 season qualifiers
In addition to Cabela's, MWC sponsors include-Berkley Trilene, Lindy Legendary Tackle, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, North American Fishing Club, Ranger Boats, Cotton Cordell, The Outdoor Channel, MotorGuide, Yum, Daiichi Hooks, Progressive Boat Insurance, Walleye Assassin Lures, Optima Batteries, Panther Marine and the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. |
