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| Van Oss Adds 2nd PWT Victory in 'Short' Saginaw Bay Event |
For the second time in In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail history, a tournament has been shortened to only one day. The Lund Pro-Am on Saginaw Bay was canceled June 30 and July 1 due to weather.
The Day One results had Dave Van Oss in first place, and he claimed the $64,000 victory. This is his second PWT win. Van Oss, Appleton, Wis., started fishing the PWT in 1997, and won the Lake St. Clair competition that season.
His amateur/co-angler partner Wayne Jesionowski, Hinckley, Ohio won the $17,000 Lund/Mercury/E-Z Loader boat. A total of $300,000 was distributed Friday afternoon. The top 40 amateurs claimed merchandise prizes, and the top 50 pro anglers won cash. (Pros from 41st place to 50th place) DOW Chemical cash.
Second place pro, Mike Gofron, Antioch, Ill, now leads the Johnsonville Brats Angler of the Year race. Gofron is a past Angler of the Year and extended his PWT record to 31 top-10 place finishes. He won $20,000 for second. Bill St. Peter, Bay City, and winner on Saginaw Bay two years ago, finished in third place. He won $13,000.
Johnnie Candle, Devils Lake, ND claimed the Coleman Big Fish $1,000 honors with a 9.46 pound, 32-inch walleye. Fourth place pro ($11,000) Jim Carroll, Minot, ND, earned the Navionics Spot on the Spot $500 award for fishing a big-fish pattern within the area of a couple football fields in Saginaw Bay's 800,000 acres. "I kept running back and going through the fish - really slow, with dual drift socks under my bow - 6/10ths of one mph," he said.
Rookie pro Chase Parsons, Appleton, Wis., with his best pro finish ever, 6th and $9,000, was also awarded the Gerbing's Hot Pro $1,000 honors. Chase, son of respected PWT pro Gary Parsons, Glidden, Wis., has checks for 18th and 41st place finishes this year. He leads the Rookie of the Year race.
The 2004 Mercury Champion, Scott Glorvigen, Grand Rapids, Minn., won the Dave's Ka-Boom Close Call award of $500 for 51st place, and extended his string of cashing PWT checks to 11 tournaments.
PWT tournament directors sent anglers from Veterans Park in downtown Bay City each of the last two days of competition, but were forced to call them back. On the second day, a severe line of thunderstorms with hail, strong winds and lightening was forecast to strike the Bay. Before that occurred, all boats were alerted. On day three, the seas were fishable at start-time, but forecasts were blown out the window. A strong west wind quickly pushed swells to a level that forced PWT officials to call the day for safety.
The PWT will return to Michigan with an August 24-26 tournament in Sault Ste. Marie. Amateurs/co-anglers who want to fish with and learn from the pros may still enter. Go to the PWT web, www.professionalwalleyetrail.com, or call headquarters, 218-824-2542. The "Soo" offers some of the most varied walleye tactics of anywhere in the walleye-world.
The next tour stop is on Lake Oahe at Mobridge, SD, where the walleye populations are plentiful.
The PWT works closely with the Bay Area (CVB: 989-893-1222) and these business partners: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel, Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota, Trilene, Frenzy, Blue Fox, Powerbait, Johnsonville Brats, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman, Storm, Boat Buckle, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt, E-Z Loader, Raymarine, Rapala, Matzuo, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing's Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Save Phace, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Access Roll-up Cover, Yellow Bird, DOW Chemical, Dave's Lures, The State Bank Group, Yo-Zuri and Reef Runner. The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America's leading producer of targeted media. |
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| PWT Cancels Lund Pro-Am Day Two |
Mother Nature spoke and the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail listened. Directors canceled day two of the Lund Pro-Am Thursday, June 30.
A severe line of thunderstorms stretched north to south across Michigan, and was headed towards Saginaw Bay, where 120 of the best walleye pro anglers were busy catching walleyes. The forecast called for 35-knot winds, hail and lightning to move across the Bay. At 9:20 a.m., the day was officially canceled.
Prior to that, PWT camera crews were busy filming the pros and their amateur/co-angler partners, because the walleyes were really biting. Even though seas were less than two feet, winds pushed those higher on the drive to headquarters. All boats were required to check in once they arrived at Veterans Park in downtown Bay City.
A special 3:30 p.m. media session will be conducted at the PWT stage. Lund Pro-Am leader Dave Van Oss, Appleton, Wis., and other top-ranked pros will be present.
Day three will be held Friday, July 1, with weigh-in ceremonies starting at 3:30 p.m. at Veterans Park. Approximately $300,000 in cash and merchandise prizes will be awarded immediately following weigh-in. Walleye fans are invited to attend and learn where the pros fished, what they used, and all their secrets.
The PWT works closely with the Bay Area CVB: 989-893-1222) and these business partners: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel, Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota, Trilene, Frenzy, Blue Fox, Powerbait, Johnsonville Brats, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman, Storm, Boat Buckle, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt, E-Z Loader, Raymarine, Rapala, Matzuo, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing's Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Save Phace, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Access Roll-up Cover, Yellow Bird, DOW Chemical, Dave's Lures, The State Bank Group, Yo-Zuri and Reef Runner. The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America's leading producer of targeted media. |
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| Pro Dave Van Oss Takes Day One PWT Lead on Saginaw Bay |
Saginaw Bay walleyes of all sizes were biting on day one of the Lund Pro-Am. In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail anglers weighed their fish at Veterans Park in downtown Bay City, Mich., and veteran pro Dave Van Oss, Appleton, Wis. captured the lead with 30.87 pounds.
The PWT is a pro-am, and fishing the Lund Pro-Am with Van Oss was amateur/co-angler Wayne Jesionowski, Hinckley, Ohio. Van Oss is a past PWT winner (1997-Lake St. Clair, Mich.). In second place is PWT pro Mike Gofron, Antioch, Ill, who has the most top-10 finishes, 30, of any PWT pro. He fished with amateur/co-angler Chris Wysong, Holland, Mich. for 29.28 pounds.
Most PWT anglers trolled the Bay with either spinners and live night crawlers or Gulp! or PowerBait artificial night crawlers from Berkley. A few anglers stuck with traditional crankbait trolling, with Hot 'N Tots, Reef Runners and Yo-Zuri lures getting the nod. The walleye fans at the park were told that at Friday's weigh-in and awards ceremony, they would learn all the secrets.
PWT pros share the tricks they learned, the colors that produced best, the lengths of line, trolling speed, lures, and other details, such as where they fished. The weigh-in will take place beginning Thursday and Friday, June 30 and July 1, at Veterans Park.
Before the festivities, the DOW Chemical youth contest winners received their prizes on the PWT stage. More than 200 youngsters were involved, and they earned a boatload of prizes. They later gathered autographs from the pro anglers.
The Coleman Big Fish, 9.46 pounds, was worth $1,000 for pro Johnnie Candle, Devils Lake, N.D., and Charles Campbell, Nelsonville, Ohio. A total of 533 fish were weighed, an average of nearly 4.4 fish per boat. The PWT limit of 5-fish per boat was realized by 75 percent of the field. The average walleye weighed 3.78 pounds. Anglers on stage told repeatedly about the thousands of small walleyes in the Bay (millions was a number used by several) from the two best hatches ever in 2003 and 2004. "It's the future of the Bay," Van Oss said.
Photos, results, statistics along with immediate results are posted on the PWT website, www/professionalwalleyetrail.com.
The PWT works closely with the Bay Area CVB: 989-893-1222) and these business partners: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel, Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota, Trilene, Frenzy, Blue Fox, Powerbait, Johnsonville Brats, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman, Storm, Boat Buckle, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt, E-Z Loader, Raymarine, Rapala, Matzuo, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing's Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Save Phace, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Access Roll-up Cover, Yellow Bird, DOW Chemical, Dave's Lures, The State Bank Group, Yo-Zuri and Reef Runner. The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA, America's leading producer of targeted media.
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