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| Jaroch and Daniels Win 2006 MWC Championshp |
DaPrairie du Chien, WI - A five-fish first day basket of 18.84 pounds at the 2006 World Walleye Championship gave the Fond du Lac, Wisconsin team of Keith Daniels and Greg Jaroch a slim one pound cushion over the balance of the Cabela's MWC field, but they grabbed it and never looked back. Heavy fog delayed the start on day two, but they still put a little more distance between themselves and their competitors with two fish at 7.72 pounds, holding the lead with 2 � pounds. Beautiful blue skies along the bluffs of pools 9 and 10 of the Mississippi River meant a full day on the water without delay on the final day, and the duo secured their Championship victory with 15.48 pounds for a total of 42.04 pounds. This was the team's first Cabela's MWC victory, and to have it be a Championship was particularly sweet, paying out $25,000.
"I can hardly tell you what this means, it is so amazing," shared Daniels after all the trophies and big checks were passed out and custom Championship 14k MWC rings were placed on their fingers. "The money is nice, but the honor that comes with the title means even more. The quality of the competitors in the MWC is so great, that this really is something that words cannot describe. I can hardly believe it is all real." The cap of the event was a fine-dining Champions dinner, where all competitors relaxed for an evening of camaraderie. The anglers, each with a turn at the microphone, extended their congratulations to the new Champs.
The duo was fishing in pool 9 on a wing dam outside of the big slough. They were throwing rigs tipped with willow cats, using mosquito hooks and egg sinkers, a simple methodology that worked. They went through more than 100 hooks and over 25 dozen willow cats in the last four days. The key to their tournament success was finding wing dams that held more current than others. They were lucky enough to identify twelve such spots during their pre-fishing, but their number one spot paid off for them big time.
The winning team received a $200 additional cash bonus from Lindy for being the top finishing team that likes to strategically use a drift sock for tournament fishing along with two new Lindy Drift Control products. They also received a $100 bonus from Panther Marine Tech.
Brothers Steve and Dan Bodinger of Chilton, Wisconsin finished in second place, just 2.14 pounds back, cashing $12,000 along with big fish honors for day one, with their 7.36 walleye. A $500 Cabela's gift card was awarded for the biggest fish each day. Day two honors went to the winners, Daniels and Jaroch for their 5.78 pound walleye. Third day big fish was awarded to the father and son team of Joe and David Okada of Madison, Wisconsin for their 8.51 pound walleye. The Okadas finished in fourth place with 35.29 pounds, cashing $7,000.
The $1000 Ranger Cup bonus was awarded to Tim Harms of Owatonna, Minnesota. Harms and partner Chad Kruse, of Allison, Iowa finished in third place with 36.54 pounds for 11 fish, cashing $8,000.
A $500 Tommy Docks Comeback Award for moving up 34 places from day one to day three was awarded to Mike Tompkins and Travis MacDonald of the Green Bay/Menasha area of Wisconsin. The duo finished in sixth place cashing in $5,000 for their hard work.
Inhibitor Tough Times cash bonus of $100 was awarded to Tim Fields and Charlie Brant of Pennsylvania.
MWC sponsor Ice Armor awarded Nate Capton of Niagara Falls, NY & Dave Waldeck of Sanborn, NY with two sets of new Ice Armor cold-weather outer wear.
Farm & City Insurance Services drew Team #3, Randy Carroll of Oswego, IL and Ed Klein of Wayne, IL for two new inflatable PFDs. FCIS also offered a cash addition to the walleye conservation fund of $5 anytime an MWCer requests a quote.
Food Source Lures paid out cash and "real food" in a game for the anglers awarding $75 to Green Bay, Wisconsinites Mark Piper and Randy Blasczyk, $50 to the Stuefen brothers, Marty & Mickey from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and $25 to Kevin Carstensen of Merrill, WI and Rich Olds of Stevens Point, WI. They also paid out $25 to $40 each day to lucky members in attendance at the weigh-in for playing the Food Source Lures game.
Since no team won the $2500 contingency from Toyota, the cash will roll into next year's Championship so that $5,000 will be awarded to the top finishing team towing their tournament rig with a Toyota Tundra.
Falling Rock Walleye Club and the Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Cabela's store employees did their usual stellar championship operations work with the MWC.
Tournament Statistics
Number of Teams: 60 Number of Fish: 440
Total cash and prizes: $105,050 Total Weight: 909.19 pounds
Water Temp: 62 degrees Big Fish: 8.51 pounds
Average Weight: 2.06 pounds
Water Clarity: Stained, mildly grassy
Winning Pattern: Rigging the wing dams with mosquito hooks, egg sinkers and willow cats
Inside Tip: Mosquito hooks and locating wing dams that held more current
Next year's championship roster is now set with all the teams' points in place. The field of 59 teams will fish the Detroit River and Lake Erie, October 3-6 of 2007. The tournament will be held at the Cabela's store in Dundee, Michigan.
Cabela's is the title sponsor for the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official Sponsors are Lindy Legendary Tackle, Lowrance Electronics, North American Fishing Club, Mercury Motors, Versus, Ranger Boats, MotorGuide and Toyota. Associate sponsors are Salmo Performance Lures, Panther Marine-Tech Products, Tommy Docks, The Inhibitor, Food Source Lures, Ice Armor, Pennzoil Marine, Farm & City Insurance Services and Walleye Central.
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| MWC Championship kicks off October 5th |
Minnetonka, MN - For an entire year, teams worked at various tournaments, adding up pounds, points and prizes, with one of the goals being a coveted invitation to the Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit World Walleye Championship. The enclosed field of 60 teams will be returning to Pools 9 and 10 of the Mississippi River to compete for over $100,000 in prize money. The new Champions will take home $25,000, plus thousands more available in sponsor contingency bonuses. This grand-daddy event will be held Thursday, October 5th through Saturday, October 7th at the Cabela's store in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Everyone is invited to watch the weigh-ins beginning at 4pm each day. Fishing and boating seminars will be held at the site from 1pm to 4pm each day as well.
A special community event will be held on the water on Wednesday, October 4th as local dignitaries and citizens have been invited to fish in a pro-am day. Each two-person Championship team will take out a third person as their guest - to learn a little bit about the skills of the anglers - and for the anglers to learn a little bit about the area from their guest. The Falling Rock Walleye Club will assist MWC staff with tournament operations for inspecting boats and weighing the fish on stage.
"Getting invited to the Cabela's MWC World Walleye Championship is truly an industry honor," shared Steve Pennaz, Executive Director of the North American Fishing Club and co-host for the MWC stage. "These anglers have worked hard to get here and are privileged to compete in such a distinguished field. Competition will be tough - but you can bet every single one of these teams will be up for the challenge."
This year marks the fifth consecutive year that the Championship has been held on these two pools, with some years in low-water conditions, some in high, and everything in between. 2006 looks like another low-water challenge, which probably means the weight to win will be a little smaller.
"Past Championships on the river have shown that the ability to locate active walleyes during the anglers' pre-fishing is the key to a successful tournament, " shared Kurt Beckstrom, editor of North American Fisherman magazine and co-host with Pennaz on the MWC stage. "Teams that can pinpoint a few productive spots where they can cast jigs and cranks, or fish live bait rigs during the practice days will place high in the standings."
Additional cash prizes are being offered to the field including:
Toyota: Top finishing team towing their boat with a Toyota Tundra will win the Toyota Angler Award of $2,500.
The Ranger Cup: Top finishing Ranger Boat owner registered in the Ranger Cup program will receive $1,000
Tommy Docks Comeback Award - for the team that moves up the most from day 1 to day 3 -- $500
Ice Armor: Two new Ice Armor outwear gear suits; plus if the lucky team that is drawn for the new suits wins the tournament; $1000 bonus.
Lindy Drift Control Award: $200 cash plus two new Lindy Drift Control socks for the team that finishes the highest and uses any drift sock during the tournament.
Food Source Lures, Farm & City Insurance Services, Pennzoil Marine & Cabela's have onsite games where anglers and fans can win cash and Cabela's gift cards and other nice prizes.
The Inhibitor Tough Times Award: $100 bonus to the team that weighs the smallest basket of fish (but not a zero.)
Panther Marine Tech: $100 cash bonus for top finishing team with Panther or ElectroSteer products
The following teams have been invited to the 2006 Championship. Jay Janny, part of the reigning Team of the Year with Kim "Chief" Papineau was asked about the conclusion of their big year. "It's really been two special years in a row," shared Janny. "Last year everything came together for us - and it was my best year money-wise. This year it was such an honor to hold the Team of the Year title, but health challenges really changed our perspective. This was our worst year for prize money! Our attitude shifted to just being thankful that we could fish together at all. I'm grateful for all of it - and for every day that my friend Chief and I could be on the water together."
Team # -- Names and Hometowns
1 Jay Janny of Eagle, WI & Kim "Chief" Papineau of Escanaba, MI
2 Keith Eshbaugh of West Alexander, PA & Jeff Behr of Pittsburgh, PA
3 Randy Carroll of Oswego, IL & Ed Klein of Wayne, IL
4 Tim Waltz of Williamsport, PA & Jamie Sherman of Cambridge Springs, PA
5 Jeff Russell of Grand Haven, MI & Doug Lampen of Allegan, MI
6 Douglas Yohe of Bradford, PA & Darrin Pound of Bradford, PA
7 James Preissner of Hastings, MN & Rodney York of Centerville, MN
8 Nate Capton of Niagara Falls, NY & Dave Waldeck of Sanborn, NY
9 Don Kohl of Suamico, WI & Tom Zag of Rudolph, WI
10 Matt Davis of Marion, OH & Dan Gies of Huron, OH
11 Greg Erdmann of Green Bay, WI & John Schneider of Shawano, WI
12 Paul Kemery of Russell, PA & Alan Baumgardner of White Hall, MD
13 Matt Bobber of Appleton, WI & Bill Bobber of Appleton, WI
14 Bob Henton of Spartansburg, PA & Lance Conner of Spartansburg, PA
15 Steve Stein of Leavenworth, KS & Kenny Ludwig of Leavenworth, KS
16 Mike Bringedahl of Twin Lake, MI & Tod Conner of Hopkins, MI
17 George Gahagan of Sheboygan, WI & Russell Gahagan of Chilton, WI
18 Jeff Lash of North Lawrence, OH & Tim Joseph of Utica, OH
19 Gary Gray of Oshkosh, WI & Glenn Wangerin of Escanaba, MI
20 John Dalzot of Spring Valley, IL & Gary Dalzot of Spring Valley, IL
21 Mike Tompkins of Green Bay, WI & Travis MacDonald of Menasha, WI
22 Kevin Dahl of Muskego, WI Steve Stack of Muskego, WI
23 Kyle Harmsen of Waupun, WI & Rick Kielmann of Waupun, WI
24 Wayne Butz of Oneida, WI & Don Frederick of Appleton, WI
25 Jim Schommer of Fond du Lac, WI & Robert Schommer of Eden, WI
26 Troy Walwood of Grand Haven, MI & Robert Walwood of West Olive, MI
27 Dean Nathe of Wausau, WI & Paul Thompson of Mosinee, WI
28 Ted Stehney of Beverly Hills, MI & Les Burley of New Baltimore, MI
29 Kevin Carstensen of Merrill, WI & Rich Olds of Stevens Point, WI
30 Dan Bodinger of Chilton, WI & Steve Bodinger of Chilton, WI
31 Doug Hoster of Seneca, IL & Marc Hoster of Seneca, IL
32 Mark Piper of Green Bay, WI & Randy Blasczyk of Green Bay, WI
33 Joe Okada of Madison, WI & David Okada of Madison, WI
34 Mike Scarbrough of Waterloo, IA & Tim Ahrens of Waterloo, IA
35 Casey Bohn of Fond du Lac, WI & Tony Miller of N Fond du Lac, WI
36 Keith Daniels of Fond du Lac, WI & Greg Jaroch of Fond du Lac, WI
37 Dave Schmidt of Oshkosh, WI & Mark Zillges of Oshkosh, WI
38 Mark Ramge of Oshkosh, WI & Cary Literski of Waupaca, WI
39 Jim Swiggum of Manitowoc, WI & Tracy Virnoche of Manitowoc, WI
40 Vince Raimondi of Hoffman Estates, IL & Doug Larsen of Westmont, IL
41 Mark O'Brien of Appleton, WI & Rich Stadler of Oshkosh, WI
42 Brad Knoll of Menasha, WI & Kurt Knoll of Appleton, WI
43 Brian Sislo of Porterfield, WI & Dan Sislo of Medford, WI
44 Larry Keller of Neshkoro, WI & Chad Kropp of Neshkoro, WI
45 Gary Merkel of Arlington, IL & Bruce Merkel of Spring Valley, IL
46 Dennis Butz of Suamico, WI & Scott Allen of Green Bay, WI
47 Bruce Sesko of Lake Villa, IL & Erik Sesko of Trevor, WI
48 Tim Harms of Owatonna, MN & Chad Kruse of Allison, IA
49 Charlie Brant of Russell, PA & Tim Fields of Clarendon, PA
50 Dan Wheaton of Yorkville, IL & Ted Koplin of Yorkville, IL
51 Tony Dowiatt of Stevens Point, WI & Matt Dowiatt of Goodfield, IL
52 Jim Wahl of Eldridge, IA & Dave Nichols of Cedar Rapids, IA
53 Mark De Deker of Larsen, WI of Cathy De Deker of Larsen, WI
54 Jason Muche of Neenah, WI & Mark Hanson of Oshkosh, WI
55 Kevin Dahlhauser of Cottage Grove, WI & David Koller of Iron Mountain, MI
56 Maury Schmerbach of Dubuque, IA & Mike Glynn of Dubuque, IA
57 Kevin Jenny of Gretna, NE & Brett Vinzant of Bertrand, NE
58 Marty Stuefen of Cedar Rapids, IA & Mickey Stuefen of Cedar Rapids, IA
59 Ron Fear of Hermiston, OR & Don Skinner of Arvada, CO
60 Chad Miller of Phoenix, AZ & Carl Heller of Norfolk, NE
Cabela's is the title sponsor for the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official Sponsors are Toyota, Lindy Legendary Tackle, Mercury Motors, Outdoor Life Network (OLN), Ranger Boats, MotorGuide, Lowrance Electronics and the North American Fishing Club. Associate sponsors are Salmo Performance Lures, Panther Marine-Tech Products, Tommy Docks, The Inhibitor, Food Source Lures, Ice Armor, Pennzoil Marine, Farm and City Insurance Services and Walleye Central.
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