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| Stowmaster Pro Brad Davis Wins PWT at Cass |
Cass Lake proved everything the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail anglers said it would be, "A great fishery with thousands of spots to catch walleyes."
Competition among the PWT Super Pro anglers in the Optima Batteries/Berkley Pro-Am, presented by Minn Kota, was intense over the Sept. 4-6 period. Winning the pro $86,000 first prize was Brad Davis, Jackson, Wis. This was his first PWT victory, after many top 10-place finishes. Like many anglers, he precisely positioned his boat on key breaks (23 to 30 feet), and dragged live chubs in areas where he knew walleyes traveled. His 38.13-pound winning weight was two pounds better than Gil Mollet, Jefferson, SD, who won $20,000 for his efforts. He also fished live bait. Both concentrated on the north end of the main lake.
The weather opened stormy on day three requiring a safety delay of 30 minutes. Rain driven by a north wind, and temperatures 30 degrees colder than on day two, forced anglers to concentrate even more to stay positioned on walleye producing areas.
Perry Good, Brainerd, Minn., won $18,000 for third with 34.73 pounds, based on the Dow Chemical Company Heavyweight catch of the Pro-Am, 17.34 pounds on the third day. He also tied with John Butts, Dryden, Ontario, for the Coleman Cool Under Pressure honors. Both advanced 21 places. Good mostly rigged night crawlers in the northwest corner of the lake.
Two father-son duos were in the top 10. Gary Parsons and son Chase finished fifth and sixth. Dan and Danny Plautz were eighth and tenth. Both fathers beamed about the opportunity to fish with their sons, and how much fun it was to be together on tour. The Parsons netted $26,000, and the Plautz take was $21,000.
Gary Parsons, Glidden, Wis., won the coveted Johnsonville Angler of the Year title, and $35,000 ($25,000 from Johnsonville and $10,000 from Mercury) for finishing first after six PWT tournaments among the world's top walleye anglers. "This was a tremendous year; everything fell into place," he said. It did with money finishes at each tour stop and five top 10-place trophies for $137,000 in total winnings. He becomes the first PWT pro with three Johnsonville Angler of the Year titles.
Parsons will lead the field at the Mercury Championship, presented by the Dow Chemical Company, set for May 16-18, 2008 in Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River, Michigan. The top 30 pros in the Johnsonville Angler of the Year race qualified, along with the top 20 in the MotorGuide Regional series.
Mike Gofron, with a seventh place finish, extended his record number of top 10 finishes to 34. Pro Bruce, "Doc" Samson, Minnetrista, Minn., and amateur David Wegener, Ashland, Wis., won the Coleman Big Fish honors with a 6.96-pounder. Samson won $1,500 and Wegener won $500.
Amateur Dave Kegler, Hubertus, Wis., won the Lund 1675 boat with a Mercury 60-hp outboard, valued at $19,000, for ranking first among all amateurs. Wayne Linstad, Bemidji, Minn., was second, and the highest local amateur angler. He won a Mercury 9.9-hp outboard and a $1,500 rebate certificate from Mercury. The second through sixth place amateurs also won valuable Mercury rebate certificates.
The PWT honored host Stony Point Resort and the Palace Hotel and Casino with Superior Achievement Awards for their great hospitality. Froggy's Bait Shop in Cass Lake received a similar award for the efforts of Dean Phillips and Donny Ellis for their ingenuity and craftsmanship (and tender loving care) at releasing nearly 90 percent of all walleyes that came across the stage.
The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Baxter, Minnesota, and InterMedia, America's leading producer of targeted media. PWT promotional partners include: Mercury Marine, Lund Boats, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, Optima Batteries, Minn Kota, Realtree, MotorGuide, Johnsonville Brats, Outdoor Channel, Coleman, Northland Fishing Tackle, The Dow Chemical Company, StowMaster, Reef Runner, Yo-Zuri Quality Lures, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt Mud Flaps, Yellow Bird Planer Boards, Allstar Graphics, Internationional Truck, Ram Mounts, Element Edge, Pflueger, Plano Tackle Systems, E-Cell, Cannon, Fin-Tech Tackle, Do-It Molds, Cass Lake Chamber of Commerce, 800.356.8615, Palace Casino & Hotel, 877.972.5223 and Stony Point Resort, 218.335.6311. |
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| Davis Holds Top Spot at PWT Super Pro |
The top three Super Pro anglers at the Optima Batteries/Berkley Pro-Am have all captured second place finishes, but never an In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail victory. They are one day away from that feat. Fishing on northern Minnesota's famed walleye factory, Cass Lake, the three pros have stitched two great days together in the final Super Pro event of the season, presented by Minn Kota.
Holding first place with a two-day total of 27.77 pounds is Brad Davis, Jackson, Wis. He has been in the game for many years, and has second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh place trophies, but has not stepped into the winner's circle. Chase Parsons, Brillion, Wis., has racked up 27.12 pounds, and as the youngest pro, won the PWT 2005 Rookie of the Year title, and placed second in the Championship that season. He has several top 10 finishes, including a sixth this year, already netting $16,819 in prize money. Jefferson, SD pro Gil Mollet has second and third place trophies, and a third at Mille Lacs two months ago for $13,000. He has 25.72 pounds for third place, following a 15.80-pound catch on day two.
The Coleman big Fish of the tournament, 6.89 pounds, was caught by Jay Weber, Annandale, Minn., which vaulted him to fourth place overall with 25.15 pounds. He was fishing with amateur Rob Rehms, Ankeny, Iowa. A number of five-pound plus walleyes came to the scales, but anglers talked of the dozens of walleyes they landed each day.
Typical patterns ranged from lead core crank bait trolling to live bait rigs with chubs, leeches and night crawlers. Chubs were the favored tactic. Boat control was lesson number one learned by the amateurs, according to their comments on stage. The Optima/Berkley Pro-Am continues for the final day Thursday, Sept. 6, with the weigh-in ceremonies at Stony Point Resort, just east of Cass Lake on Highway 2.
The final standings will reward the winning pro with an $86,000 payday, while the top amateur wins a Lund 1675 walleye boat with a 60-hp Mercury outboard valued at $19,000. Currently, Wayne Linstad, Bemidji, Minn., leads the amateur race. In addition, the Johnsonville Angler of the year will be crowned with a $35,000 cash prize. The top 30 in the Super Pro series will be invited to the Mercury Championship, presented by the Dow Chemical Company on Saginaw Bay in May 2008.
The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Baxter, Minnesota, and InterMedia, America's leading producer of targeted media. PWT promotional partners include: Mercury Marine, Lund Boats, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, Optima Batteries, Minn Kota, Realtree, MotorGuide, Johnsonville Brats, Outdoor Channel, Coleman, Northland Fishing Tackle, The Dow Chemical Company, StowMaster, Reef Runner, Yo-Zuri Quality Lures, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt Mud Flaps, Yellow Bird Planer Boards, Allstar Graphics, International Truck, Ram Mounts, Element Edge, Pflueger, Plano Tackle Systems, E-Cell, Cannon, Fin-Tech Tackle, Do-It Molds, Cass Lake Chamber of Commerce, 800.356.8615, Palace Casino & Hotel, 877.972.5223 and Stony Point Resort, 218.335.6311.
2.5223 and Stony Point Resort, 218.335.6311. |
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| Davis Holds on for PWT Super Pro Win at Cass |
 |  |  | Brad Davis and his well-earned reward |
Since 2002, PWT Pro Brad Davis had posted PWT finishes of 2nd, 3rd, 4th 5th, and sixth place, but the all-important win seemed just out of reach. That streak came to an end Thursday when Davis defended the slim lead he carried into day three with an 10.36 lb limit (38.13 total) to win the PWT Super Pro in Cass Lake, MN.
Gil Mollet, who made a big jump to third on day two with a 15.80 lb limit, weighed another 10.42 lbs on the final day (36.14 total) to move up one spot to second.
Perry Good came out of nowhere with 17.34 lbs on day three, the largest basket of the tournament, to take third.
Mark Gwizdala registered double-digit weights each of the three days to finish fourth with 34.13 lbs.
The rest of the top fifteen are as follows:
Chase Parsons (5th, 33.72 lbs)
Gary Parsons (6th, 33.35 lbs)
Mike Gofron (7th, 33.30 lbs)
Danny Plautz Jr (8th, 32.68 lbs)
Jay Weber (9th, 32.12 lbs)
Dan Plautz Sr (10th, 31.79 lbs)
Bruce Samson (11th, 31.61 lbs)
Sheldon Meidinger (12th, 31.17 lbs)
Pat Neu (13th, 30.71 lbs)
Ron Seelhoff (14th, 30.71 lbs)
Mark Martin (15th, 30.68 lbs)
Parsons Wins Third PWT Angler of the Year
Gary Parsons fought off perrenial AOY candidate Mike Gofron to win his third PWT Angler of the Year title, and unprecedented feat on the PWT. Parsons finished 9th at Missouri River, Won the Winnebago Chain Event in April, finished 28th at Mille Lacs in May, 8th at Wabigoon in July, and 9th last month at Bay de Noc.
Meidinger Wins Toyota Rewards
Sheldon Meidinger finished 12 to take home $3,000.00 in Toyota Tundra Rewards cash as the highest placing Toyota Tundra owner. Meidinger has won $5000.00 worth of Toyota Rewards in 2007, having won the Mille Lacs Rewards in May. |
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| PWT- Brad Davis Wins PWT at Cass, Parsons AOY |
Cass Lake proved everything the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail anglers said it would be, "A great fishery with thousands of spots to catch walleyes."
Competition among the PWT Super Pro anglers in the Optima Batteries/Berkley Pro-Am, presented by Minn Kota, was intense over the Sept. 4-6 period. Winning the pro $86,000 first prize was Brad Davis, Jackson, Wis. This was his first PWT victory, after many top 10-place finishes. Like many anglers, he precisely positioned his boat on key breaks (23 to 30 feet), and dragged live chubs in areas where he knew walleyes traveled. His 38.13-pound winning weight was two pounds better than Gil Mollet, Jefferson, SD, who won $20,000 for his efforts. He also fished live bait. Both concentrated on the north end of the main lake.
The weather opened stormy on day three requiring a safety delay of 30 minutes. Rain driven by a north wind, and temperatures 30 degrees colder than on day two, forced anglers to concentrate even more to stay positioned on walleye producing areas.
Perry Good, Brainerd, Minn., won $18,000 for third with 34.73 pounds, based on the Dow Chemical Company Heavyweight catch of the Pro-Am, 17.34 pounds on the third day. He also tied with John Butts, Dryden, Ontario, for the Coleman Cool Under Pressure honors. Both advanced 21 places. Good mostly rigged night crawlers in the northwest corner of the lake.
Two father-son duos were in the top 10. Gary Parsons and son Chase finished fifth and sixth. Dan and Danny Plautz were eighth and tenth. Both fathers beamed about the opportunity to fish with their sons, and how much fun it was to be together on tour. The Parsons netted $26,000, and the Plautz take was $21,000.
Gary Parsons, Glidden, Wis., won the coveted Johnsonville Angler of the Year title, and $35,000 ($25,000 from Johnsonville and $10,000 from Mercury) for finishing first after six PWT tournaments among the world's top walleye anglers. "This was a tremendous year; everything fell into place," he said. It did with money finishes at each tour stop and five top 10-place trophies for $137,000 in total winnings. He becomes the first PWT pro with three Johnsonville Angler of the Year titles.
Parsons will lead the field at the Mercury Championship, presented by the Dow Chemical Company, set for May 16-18, 2008 in Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River, Michigan. The top 30 pros in the Johnsonville Angler of the Year race qualified, along with the top 20 in the MotorGuide Regional series.
Mike Gofron, with a seventh place finish, extended his record number of top 10 finishes to 34. Pro Bruce, "Doc" Samson, Minnetrista, Minn., and amateur David Wegener, Ashland, Wis., won the Coleman Big Fish honors with a 6.96-pounder. Samson won $1,500 and Wegener won $500.
Amateur Dave Kegler, Hubertus, Wis., won the Lund 1675 boat with a Mercury 60-hp outboard, valued at $19,000, for ranking first among all amateurs. Wayne Linstad, Bemidji, Minn., was second, and the highest local amateur angler. He won a Mercury 9.9-hp outboard and a $1,500 rebate certificate from Mercury. The second through sixth place amateurs also won valuable Mercury rebate certificates.
The PWT honored host Stony Point Resort and the Palace Hotel and Casino with Superior Achievement Awards for their great hospitality. Froggy's Bait Shop in Cass Lake received a similar award for the efforts of Dean Phillips and Donny Ellis for their ingenuity and craftsmanship (and tender loving care) at releasing nearly 90 percent of all walleyes that came across the stage.
The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Baxter, Minnesota, and InterMedia, America's leading producer of targeted media. PWT promotional partners include: Mercury Marine, Lund Boats, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, Optima Batteries, Minn Kota, Realtree, MotorGuide, Johnsonville Brats, Outdoor Channel, Coleman, Northland Fishing Tackle, The Dow Chemical Company, StowMaster, Reef Runner, Yo-Zuri Quality Lures, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt Mud Flaps, Yellow Bird Planer Boards, Allstar Graphics, Internationional Truck, Ram Mounts, Element Edge, Pflueger, Plano Tackle Systems, E-Cell, Cannon, Fin-Tech Tackle, Do-It Molds, Cass Lake Chamber of Commerce, 800.356.8615, Palace Casino & Hotel, 877.972.5223 and Stony Point Resort, 218.335.6311. |
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| Young Gun Danny Plautz Takes PWT Super Pro Lead |
Cass Lake in northern Minnesota provided the setting for the top 52 pro walleye anglers. They were competing in the Optima Batteries/Berkley Pro-Am, part of the Super Pro Series presented by Minn Kota.
When the dust (or water) settled, one of the youngest pros on tour, Danny Plautz, Milwaukee, Wis., sat on top of the day one leader board. He fished with amateur Curt Holt, Lino Lakes, Minn., for a PWT limit of five walleyes that weighed 16.92 pounds, which leads the Dow Chemical Company Heavyweight standings. Their Coleman Big Fish weighed 6.50 pounds, a quarter-pound heavier than the second largest walleye by second place pro Marty Glorvigen. The Grand Rapids, Minn. pro weighed 15.03 pounds, fishing with Pequot Lakes, Minn amateur Mark Wallin.
Plautz' father with the same name, Dan Plautz, Muskego, Wis., sits in third place with 14.40 pounds. He fished with amateur Jerry Graske, Geneva, Ill. The youngest pro on tour, Chase Parsons, Brillion, Wis., is in fourth place with 14.26 pounds, while fishing with amateur Joe Roach, Edina, Minn.
Parsons� father, Gary, the leading Johnsonville Angler of the Year going into the Super Pro weighed slightly over 10 pounds, about the same as second and third place Angler of the Year pros Mike Gofron, Antioch, Ill., and Pat Neu, Forestville, Wis., respectively. The Angler of the Year receives $35,000, with $25,000 from Johnsonville Brats and $10,000 from Mercury Outboards, if the pro has driven a powerful Mercury all season.
Cass Lake proved to be a fish-catching system with walleyes swimming from the weed edges out to 30 feet deep. Anglers on the PWT stage at Stony Point Resort, just east of the community of Cass Lake on Highway 2, talked about landing dozens of fish. In fact, 87 percent of the pro-am partnerships caught limits.
Days two and three take place Wednesday and Thursday, beginning about 4:30 p.m. at Stony Point. Many displays are available for walleye fans, and the pros share their winning tactics and secrets at the final awards ceremony Thursday.
The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications Network headquartered in Baxter, Minnesota, and InterMedia, America's leading producer of targeted media. PWT promotional partners include: Mercury Marine, Lund Boats, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, Optima Batteries, Minn Kota, Realtree, MotorGuide, Johnsonville Brats, Outdoor Channel, Coleman, Northland Fishing Tackle, The Dow Chemical Company, StowMaster, Reef Runner, Yo-Zuri Quality Lures, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt Mud Flaps, Yellow Bird Planer Boards, Allstar Graphics, Internationional Truck, Ram Mounts, Element Edge, Pflueger, Plano Tackle Systems, E-Cell, Cannon, Fin-Tech Tackle, Do-It Molds, Cass Lake Chamber of Commerce, 800.356.8615, Palace Casino & Hotel, 877.972.5223 and Stony Point Resort, 218.335.6311. |
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| Davis Leads Day Two at Cass |
|  | | Brad Davis and Co-Angler head out on Day Two |
Day Two at Cass brought changes in the weather and the leaderboard, as hot humid weather and strong south winds had many day one leaders scrambling to relocate mobile Cass Lake walleyes.
Super Pro Brad Davis remained consistent amongst all the flip-flopping, posting 13.84 lbs (27.77 total) to take a slight lead over Chase Parsons, who weighed 12.86 lbs (27.12 total) to climb into second place.
Gil Mollet registered the day's big weight of 16.10 lbs (26.02 total) to move into third.
Jay Weber sits in fourth on the strength of the day's largest walleye, a 6.89 lb'er, adding 12.97 lbs (25.15 total) to his day one weight of 12.18 lbs.
Marty Glorvigen, second after day one, slid to fifth with 8.49 lbs (23.52 total).
Mark Martin (11.17 lbs, 23.42 total), Danny Plautz (5.16 lbs, 22.08 total), Ron Seelhoff (9.21 lbs, 21.91 total), Dan Plautz (7.29 lbs, 21.69 total), and Pat Neu (11.12 lbs, 21.67 total) complete the top ten.
Visit WalleyeFIRST.com for continuing LUND BOATS coverage featuring video, images, updates and live audio from the 2007 PWT Super Pro Final Day at Cass Lake, MN. |
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| Plautz Leads PWT at Cass Lake |
The Plautz family made their case early at Cass Lake, MN, securing two of the top three spots after day one of the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail Super Pro.
Danny Plautz, JR leads all anglers with 16.92 lbs of Cass Lake walleye. Father Dan Plautz Sr holds third with 14.40 lbs.
|  | | Marty Glorigen holds second at Cass Lake |
Marty Glorvigen sits between them in second place with 15.03 lbs.
One-half of another father-son duo, Chase Parsons, is in fourth with 14.26 lbs.
Brad Davis (5th, 13.93 lbs), Ron Seelhoff (6th, 12.70 lbs), Daryl Christensen (7th, 12.36 lbs), Mark Martin (8th, 12.25 lbs), Jay Weber (9th, 12.18 lbs), and Larry Snow (10th, 11.91 lbs) round out the top ten.
There are many patterns producing walleyes on Cass Lake, and pros used many different techniques to secure their day one limits. Specific techniques and patterns will be revealed more as days two and three approach.
Visit WalleyeFIRST.com for continuing LUND BOATS coverage featuring video, images, updates and live audio from the 2007 PWT Super Pro at Cass Lake, MN. |
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