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| Merrill, Wis. Pro Angler Wins $50,000 |
Wisconsin pro anglers captured the top four spots at the Mercury Pro-Am, the first tournament of the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail
2006 season. They were fishing the Regional Tournament series presented by MotorGuide at Winneconne, Wis.
Winning $50,000, and the title was second-year pro Tom Gatzke, Merrill. On stage, he said, "During my rookie season, I made rookie mistakes. It really feels great to be in this position." He is fishing the entire Regional Series, and knows that with events in North Dakota, South Dakota and Michigan, he still has much work to make the Mercury Championship. Winning $15,000 for second was Ken Van Oss, Chilton. Third place money of $13,000 went to Tom Kemos, Oconomowoc, and fourth was Oshkosh pro Greg Golliher who won $10,000.
Gatzke won with 27.63 pounds; Van Oss had 23 pounds; Kemos weighed 22; and Golliher netted 20 pounds. With the tougher than normal spring-bite, the catch was much lighter than expected. "This was the peak time of the year - on average - and should have been great," said tournament chair and river guru Doug Nelson, Winneconne. "This could be one of those times when you should have been here tomorrow."
Gatzke vertical jigged near Partridge Lake at Fremont most of the time. He leads the Tommy Docks Regional Champion Race. He really increased his average place finish from his rookie year when his best finish was 72nd on the St. Mary's River. Many top finishes came from the Wolf River, where jigging played a critical role. Some anglers trolled the reefs on Lake Winnebago, while some slip-bobbered the Winnebago rocks.
Pro Brad Davis, Jackson, Wis., and amateur partner Jeff Roberts, New London, Wis., won the $2,000 Coleman Big Fish award with a 5.99-pounder.
Coleman Cool Under Pressure winners were pro Pete Harsh, Sauk Centre, Minn., and Scott Peterson, Berlin, Wis., for advancing the most places. The E-Cell
Heavyweight $1,000 award of 11.30 pounds went to Van Oss.
The PWT Pro-Am format means amateurs/co-anglers fish with three different pros during the tournament, with the pros providing all gear and tackle. Under the boat-weight format, the daily catches count for both partners. The PWT circuits with eight total tournaments still have a few amateur slots open. To find out more, check out the PWT website, www.professionalwalleyetrail.com.
The tour heads west to Chamberlain, SD, in two weeks, then to Devils Lake, ND in late May. The walleye pros continue through many states in an effort to qualify for the Mercury Championship. In addition to the stage ceremonies, the PWT Outdoor Festival treated fans to the Dock Dogs, and youngsters had fun at the air rifle shooting gallery, the catfish tank and the rock-climbing wall. These festivities will occur at most PWT tournaments this year.
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. PWT promotional partners include:
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, Tommy Docks, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, E-Village, Kwik Pfyt, Raymarine, Rapala, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing's Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Yellow Bird, Beckman, Drift Control, Gemini Sport Marketing, 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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| Wisconsin Pros Lead at Winneconne PWT |
Wisconsin pro anglers took commanding leads after day two of the Mercury Pro-Am in Winneconne, Wisconsin. They were among the full-field of 120 In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail pro anglers fishing the first stop of the Regional Tournament Series presented by MotorGuide.
Day two, Thursday, April 20, dawned bright and sunny with temperatures rising to nearly 80 degrees. It proved to be one of the best spring days in Winneconne, which has seen an unusual spate of dry weather.
Water flows in the Wolf River and conditions on the big lakes have favored the fish rather than the fishermen. Local event coordinator Doug Nelson, Winneconne, has watched the fishing for decades. He said, "This is the slowest walleye action I've seen for this week ever."
However, Merrill pro Tom Gatzke weighed a day two limit of 11 pounds for a total weight of 20.12 pounds. He leads second place pro Ken Van Oss, Chilton, by 1.37 pounds, and third place pro Tom Kemos, Oconomowoc, by five pounds. Pro Brad Davis, Jackson, is seven pounds back, and fifth place pro Ryan Standke, Oshkosh is one-half pound behind Davis.
The PWT is a Pro-Am, with amateurs fishing three days with three different pros in a boat-weight format. The leading amateur is Dan Gosenheimer, Wild Rose, Wis. If his lead holds, he will win a Lund walleye boat rigged with a Mercury outboard worth $15,000. The winning pro earns $50,000. The top 30 pros and amateurs win more than $200,000 in cash and merchandise.
Davis leads the Coleman Big Fish list with a 5.99-pounder on day one. Van Oss leads the E-Cell Heavyweight race with his day one 11.30-pound catch. Anglers landed thousands of walleyes, but they were from the last two year-classes (6 to 8 inches and 12 to 13 _ inches). On day one, they brought 150 fish to the scales, and on day two, they upped the catch to 238.
Two pros were disqualified from the tournament for inadvertently going faster than "no-wake" through no-wake zones. The PWT penalty was a disqualification from the competition for not abiding by this rule. They were Jeff Taege, Rhinelander, Wis., and Bruce Samson, Minnetrista, Minn.
Both pros will be returning for the Super Pro event at Chamberlain, SD.
Winneconne's Waterfront Park was a busy place with kids, dogs and families enjoying the PWT Outdoor Festival. Kids of all ages enjoyed the leaping Dock Dogs (www.dockdogs.com), the rock-climbing wall, the catfish
pond and the air rifle shooting gallery. These free Festival activities
will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. The stage ceremonies with pros and amateurs spilling their secrets takes place starting at 3 p.m., with awards ceremonies immediately following.
The Mercury Pro-Am will be followed by three Regional events, and four Super Pro tournaments. Amateurs may still enter some events. Check the PWT website at www.professionalwalleyetrail.com for details.
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. PWT promotional partners include:
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, Tommy Docks, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, E-Village, Kwik Pfyt, Raymarine, Rapala, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing's Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Yellow Bird, Beckman, Drift Control, Gemini Sport Marketing, 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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| Ken Van Oss Takes Day 1 Lead at Merc Pro-Am |
With a solid day on the Wolf River, In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail pro Ken Van Oss, captured the lead of the Mercury Pro-Am. The Chilton, Wisconsin angler landed a 5-walleye limit of 11.30 pounds, and showed his skills to a large crowd at Waterfront Park in Winneconne.
Van Oss fished a special jigging technique that he said he would reveal Friday afternoon during the final weigh-in. PWT pros cross the stage beginning at 3:15 p.m. Thursday and Friday. They come to the scales with their amateur partners who learn from three different pros at each tournament.
This is the first tournament of the Regional Series presented by MotorGuide. Holding second is Merrill, Wisconsin pro Tom Gatzke with 8.93 pounds. In third is pro Tom Kemos, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, with 8.49 pounds.
Two Oshkosh, Wisconsin anglers scored fourth and fifth. Ryan Standke is in fourth with 8.15 pounds and Greg Golliher is fifth with 6.88 pounds.
The PWT Outdoors Festival running in conjunction with the Mercury Pro-Am offers the fun-to-watch Dock Dogs, air-rifle shooting for youngsters, a rock-climbing wall and a catfish tank. These activities are free of charge and families are invited to participate. They open at 11 a.m. daily at Waterfront Park.
The Coleman big fish of the tournament, through day one, weighed 5.99 pounds for pro Brad Davis, Jackson, Wisconsin and Jeff Roberts, New London, Wisconsin. Even though the top five pros are Wisconsin anglers, fishermen from 18 states and Canada participated.
The Regional series moves to Devils Lake, ND in May, followed by Mobridge, SD in July and Escanaba, Michigan in August. The PWT also conducts a Super Pro series of four tournaments. Some amateur openings exist in a few events. Contact the PWT at their website:
www.professionalwalleyetrail.com. A Mercury Real-Time Scoreboard runs during weigh-ins and posts results immediately as anglers weigh their catches.
Wisconsin DNR biologist Kendall Kamke said, "This catch doesn't represent the system, because the weather and water-flow did something to the fish that doesn't normally occur. This should be the hot-bite for Winneconne."
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. PWT promotional partners include: 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, Tommy Docks, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, E-Village, Kwik Pfyt, Raymarine, Rapala, Pflueger, Ram rod holders, Gerbing's Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Yellow Bird, Beckman, Drift Control, Gemini Sport Marketing, 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 Gearing Up for Winneconne |
Winneconne, Wisconsin becomes the center of the walleye universe this week. It's walleyes and dock dogs. It's boats and rock wall climbing.
It's jigs and air rifles. It's the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail Regional tournament series presented by Motor Guide. And, in Waterfront Park, it's also the PWT Outdoors Festival.
Fishing and Festival activities get underway Wednesday, April 19.
The three days of fun will occur through Friday, April 21. The Festival begins at 11 a.m. each day, and includes a catfish tank. The Mercury Pro-Am anglers cross the stage beginning at 3 p.m. On Friday, the top pro wins a $50,000 prize including a $25,000 check and a $25,000 Lund/Mercury walleye boat. The top-ranking amateur wins a $15,000 Lund/Mercury walleye boat.
The full field of 120 PWT pro anglers and their amateur/co-angler partners will be fishing upstream and downstream from Winneconne. They could be on Lake Winnebago, Lake Butte des Morts, Lake Winneconne, Lake Poygan or the Fox and Wolf Rivers. During the week leading up to the event, anglers experienced a slower than normal bite. Some attributed it to low water and almost no current. Others to the fact that the walleyes migrated further upstream than usual and encountered a bountiful supply of forage and remained. Another theory is that more walleyes remained in Lake Winnebago and spawned there.
PWT 2004 Mercury Champion Scott Glorvigen said, "This will be a grind-out type of tournament, with five bites a day being a premium. I sort of like it that way. But, it could break wide-open any day."
Daily scores will be posted on the PWT website at the Mercury Real-Time Scoreboard, www.professionalwalleyetrail.com, immediately after the anglers weigh their catches. Information about the popular and spectator-friendly Dock Dogs competition is posted on www.dockdogs.com.
Local dog owners can test the jumping abilities of their dogs during the "open" periods . All dogs must be on leashes.
A catfish tank will be open for fishing, also. The first 12 youngsters who catch tagged fish win Shakespeare rods and reels. These family activities are free of charge. The weigh-in is also free, and all anglers should plan to attend one of the days, but especially the final day when the winners tell their secret spots and tactics. |
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| We Love Winneconne PWT Anglers Proclaim |
The In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail touring pros and their amateur/co-angler partners are finalizing details for the season-opening tournament at Winneconne, Wis. Based on the mild winter and past experience there, the pros are anxious to return.
Winner of the 2004 event, Tommy Skarlis, with three April wins, said on stage, "We love Winneconne." He said the volunteers were very helpful
and the downtown park was a great site. Returning to defend his victory,
Skarlis said he might chase some of the larger walleyes a bit earlier this year.
Winneconne boasts hundreds of thousands of walleyes that pass through, swimming upstream to spawn in the Wolf River. They will have completed this cycle when the PWT arrives, and some will be moving downstream. Resident fish in the Wolf and Fox Rivers will be targeted, as will those in the Winneconne-area lakes: Poygan, Winneconne and Butte des Morts. Lake Winnebago, long known as Wisconsin's Walleye Factory, is also within tournament boundaries.
The PWT competition takes place April 19-21, with weigh-in festivities at Winneconne's Waterfront Park, just downstream from the Main Street bridge. A Festival with a rock-climbing wall, Dock Dog competition and other events will also take place all three days, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The family-oriented Festival begins at 11 a.m., and the weigh-in begins at 3 p.m.
This event, the Mercury Pro-Am, is part of the Regional Series presented by MotorGuide. In the Regionals, the PWT doors are open to all pro anglers including those fishing all four Regional tournaments -- and about 80 anglers are doing just that. They fish to win and to qualify for the year-end no-entry fee Mercury Championship.
Anglers with less time may compete in one, two or three Regionals.
At Winneconne, in addition to the top touring pros, many of the best tournament anglers with local roots have already applied. They will cross the stage with their daily amateur partners and talk about their experiences, which is why the weigh-in festivities are so popular.
The winning pro tows home a 19-foot Lund boat with a Mercury outboard valued at $25,000, plus a check for $25,000. The top amateur wins a Mercury-powered Lund boat valued at $15,000. More than $200,000 will be paid out in cash and merchandise prizes after the final day at Winneconne.
Additional Regional events will take place on Devils Lake, May 24-26, Lake Oahe, July 26-28, and Bay de Noc, Aug. 23-25. The world's top 60 pro anglers fishing the PWT Super Pro series presented by Minn Kota start in May in South Dakota. They fish twice in Minnesota, then face an intriguing challenge at Michigan's Upper Peninsula Keweenaw Waterway in Houghton.
For entry information, site details, Mercury Real-Time scoring at tournaments and photos, check the PWT web:
www.professionalwalleyetrail.,com. Call 218-829-0620 to enter.
2006 PWT Special Awards
Coleman Big Fish: $2,000 per tournament
E-Cell Heavyweight: $1,000 per tournament
Johnsonville Brats Angler of the Year: $25,000
Tommy Docks Regional Champion: $5,000
Optima Top Gun: $5,000
Mercury Top Amateur: $4,000
Realtree Sportsman of the Year: $500
Norb Wallock Memorial Teaching Award: $500
Coleman Cool Under Pressure: $100 per tournament, pro & am
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. PWT promotional partners include: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel, Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota, Trilene, Blue Fox, PowerBait, Johnsonville Brats, Northland Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman, Storm, Tommy Docks, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, E-Village, Kwik Pfyt, Mack's Lure, Raymarine, Rapala, Pflueger, RAM, Gerbing's Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Plano, Stowmaster.net, Navionics, Yellow Bird, Beckman, Drift Control, Gemini Sport Marketing, Yo-Zuri, Reef Runner and the Village of Winneconne. |
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