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| Pete Harsh Rigs Way to 4th PWT Win |
 |  |  | Pete Harsh rigged his way to a fourth PWT win |
Pete Harsh captured his fourth In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail victory at Houghton, Mich. June 28-30. He pocketed a $55,000 first prize in cash and a Lund boat with a Mercury outboard for 42.87 pounds. He was one of 60 Super Pro anglers fishing the Keweenaw Waterway in Houghton.
The Super Pro series presented by MinnKota is open only to the top-ranked PWT anglers. To stand with the first place trophy is a major accomplishment. Harsh, Sauk Centre, Minn., rigged with night crawlers in 6 to 8 feet of water (in the weeds) on Torch Lake. He remained within a tight area about 100 yards long and 50 yards wide.
Anglers scattered on the scenic waterway, fishing the canals that connected to Lake Superior, and Portage and Torch Lakes. Some were in 5 to 10 feet of water; others fished for suspended walleyes (8 to 16 feet deep in 30 foot of water) in Portage Lake.
The winning amateur/co-angler was Neil Feck, Traverse City, Mich. He won a $15,000 Mercury/Lund walleye boat on an E-Z Loader trailer. On the pro side, Bill St. Peter, Bay City, Mich., was second. He won $15,000, with 40.22 pounds by trolling Northland holographic spinner blades and crawlers in the top 16 feet of the water column. He also won the E-Cell Heavyweight $1,000 award for a 23.65 pound catch, the largest daily basket of the Johnsonville Pro-Am. The PWT limit was 5 walleyes per boat per day.
Five-time PWT winner Ron Seelhoff, Burlington, Col., was third with 37.32 pounds. He won $10,000. Day-two leader Chase Parsons, Brillion, Wis., struck out on the final day and dropped to sixth place. He won $7,000.
The Coleman Big Fish winners were Jim Muzynoski, Bozeman, Mont., and Dan Loyd, Chassell, Mich., with a 7.52-pounder. They won $1,500 and $500 respectively. St. Peter advanced 54 places (56th after day one - 1.20 pounds) to win the Coleman Cool Under Pressure award, and Todd Scherer, Mina, SD was the Cool Under Pressure amateur winner for advancing 48 places.
In the Johnsonville Brats Angler of the Year race, St. Peter took the lead by 15 points over Bill Ortiz, Richland Center, Wis. The top 10 anglers in the race qualify for the PWT Celebrity Shootout, where they will compete at Aikens Lake Lodge (www.aikenslake.com) in Manitoba to raise funds for the Boomer Esiason Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis. The top 30 will be invited to the Mercury Championship.
The Super Pro series turns to Mille Lacs Lake in Minn., Aug. 9-11, at Hunter's Point Resort. The PWT also runs a Regional Series presented by MotorGuide, with two stops remaining: Mobridge, SD July 26-28, and Escanaba, Mich., Aug. 23-25. The two Regional events still have space for amateurs/co-anglers. Check the PWT website, www.professionalwalleyetrail.com, or call 218-829-0620.
A big crowd of over 1,000 walleye fans turned out at Chassell Centennial Park to meet and greet the pros and watch the stage festivities. Executive Director Richard Baker, with the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce received a PWT Superior Achievement Award for organizing the effort to bring the PWT to Copper Country. A similar award went to Dave Mattson with the Chassell Township, for providing a terrific location for the tournament. 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 , Reef Runner and the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, 906.482.5240. |
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| Chase Parsons Maintains Super Pro Lead |
Chase Parsons, Brillion, Wis. pro angler, maintained his Johnsonville Pro-Am tournament lead at Houghton, Michigan. But, pro Pete Harsh, Sauk Centre, Minn., made things interesting. After two days, Parsons leads with 36.25 pounds. Harsh has 36.14 pounds for second.
On the third and final day, Friday, June 30, a winner will be crowned. However, the Keweenaw Waterway started producing some big fish. The E-Cell Heavyweight catch was 23.65 pounds by pro Bill St. Peter, Bay City, Mich. He moved from 56th place to 11th. A total of 18 limits came to the scales on day two, compared to 23 on day one. The fish-count was 177 on day two and 182 on day one.
The Johnsonville Pro-Am is one of four events in the Super Pro series presented by MinnKota. The 60 pros were invited to fish based on their credentials and accomplishments. They represent the top walleye anglers in North America. Parsons, age 22, is the youngest pro, and was 2005 Rookie of the Year. Harsh has three PWT victories and is eighth on the PWT all-time money list, $279,000. They have a 6-pound lead over third place pro Bobby Crow, Paterson, Wash.
The Super Pros were joined each day by amateurs/co-anglers, who fished with the pro's tackle and gear in the pro's boats. The Coleman Big Fish through two days was 7.52 pounds. Jim Muzynoski, Bozeman, Montana, and his amateur partner Dan Loyd, Chassell, Mich, landed it.
The weigh-in ceremonies took place in Chassell Centennial Park, and with a huge walleye fan base in the region, the crowds have been exceptional. The PWT visited the area in 2003 and 2004 with Mercury Championships. The final day weigh-in occurs at the Park, starting about 5:15 p.m. The pros will share their secrets and describe the tactics that worked best, where they fished and how, in a continuing effort to educate the fishing public.
Photos, pro bios, statistics and more are featured on the PWT web site, www.professionalwalleyetrail.com. The Mercury Real-Time Scoreboard runs the weights as the pros and their amateur partners cross the stage.
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 , Reef Runner and the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, 906.482.5240. |
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| Chase Parsons Takes Lead at Houghton |
|  | | Chase Parsons on Day One at Houghton |
Chase Parsons, 2005 In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail Rookie of the Year, stood at the top of the standings after day one of the Johnsonville Brats Pro-Am in Houghton, Michigan. Young Parsons caught five walleyes for 19.8 pounds, including the Coleman Big Fish at 7.42 pounds.
Parsons, fishing the elite Super Pro series presented by MinnKota, used all his tricks on the Keweenaw Waterway. He was part of the 60-boat field that includes only the top-ranked walleye pro anglers. Last year, Parsons, Brillion, Wis., cashed checks in six of seven tournaments, and was second in the Mercury Championship, winning a total of $63,000.
Pro Dave Van Oss, Appleton, Wis., netted four walleyes for second place. He had 18.55 pounds. Sauk Centre, Minn., pro Pete Harsh holds third place with 17.18 pounds. On the amateur/co-angler side, Sheldon Hatch, Perth, Ontario, leads, after fishing with Parsons. A total of 23 pros caught 5-fish PWT limits.
Anglers found walleyes, but admitted it was tougher than usual for this time of the season. Methods included jigging with live bait and Berkley PowerBait, jigging spoons, slip bobbers with bait, rigging with bait, spinners and bottom bouncers, crank bait trolling, and some finesse "secret methods" that will be revealed Friday.
The Johnsonville Pro-Am runs Thursday and Friday, June 29 and 30, with all the trophies and awards distributed immediately after the final pro weighs Friday. All activities begin at 5:30 p.m. at Chassell Centennial Park, on Pike Bay, the southern arm of Portage Lake. The Keweenaw Waterway includes Portage and Torch Lakes, with connecting shipping canals to Lake Superior on either side of the Peninsula.
The winning pro will take home a first prize of $55,000, including a Lund/Mercury/E-Z Loader walleye boat. The top amateur wins a $15,000 Lund/Mercury. The large day one crowd of walleye fans had a chance to visit with many of the pro anglers who competed in the 2003 and 2004 Mercury Championships, also on the same waterway.
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 , Reef Runner and the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, 906.482.5240. |
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