Colter and Hernesman Pull Off a Huge Win to finish off the 2022 MWC Season on Cass Lake Presented by Ranger Boats

Colter and Hernesman Pull Off a Huge Win to finish off the 2022 MWC Season on Cass Lake

Presented by Ranger Boats

Cass Lake, MN – Sept 20, 2022 – Going into the last Bass Pro Shops Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) qualifying event at Stony Point Resort on Cass Lake, not only was there more than $63,500 in cash and prizes on the line for just the 74 teams from 11 states who competed for the Cass Lake Payout, this event would also decide the 2022 Team of the Year and the more than $22,500 dollars in cash and prizes that goes to the top 10 teams in the MWC Team of the Year Standings.

For some of the anglers, the pressure was building from all sides to do well.

It was a real battle between all of the teams that made the trek to the north woods of Minnesota. Cass Lake is an extremely healthy fishery and there are a lot of fish from every year class present in the system with a lot of food for the walleyes to eat. Almost every team was able to find fish to bring across the stage. As is always the case, one team stood out and found some of the biggest fish that this famed lake has to offer. Sean Colter (Grand Rapids, MN) and Dave Hernesman (Cohasset, MN) were able to bring in a very impressive two-day total of 37-15 lbs. Coulter and Hernesman are no strangers to the lake having won a MWC qualifier event here once before and knew how to make these fish and where to find them this time of year. On the stage after day two, the duo shared with the crowd how they targeted their winning fish. They used a mixture of a few different techniques that are classic fall presentations: rigging, jigging, and slip bobbers. The key was watching their Lowrance electronics and how the fish were reacting to the offerings and adjusting accordingly.

Along with a couple shiny 1st place trophies, Colter and Hernesman’s 37-15 lbs. bag took home a grand total of a nearly $16,000 that included a $1,000 NTC price package, $3,822 Option Pot cash, a $1,000 Lowrance bonus, a couple Okuma reels worth $200.

Here’s a look at how the rest of the top 5 teams faired after this weekend:

2nd  Will Pappenfus and Stephen Roller 36-09 lbs. $5,530 cash

3rd Dylan Maki and Joe Bricko 35-10 lbs. $3,750 cash, $2,750 option pot

4th Andrew Soderholm and Ben Hittle 33-05 lbs. $2,650 cash, $1,750 option pot

5th Tyler Wolden and Brock Anderson 32-14 lbs. $2,150 cash, $1,250 option pot

The anglers caught a total of 541 walleyes that weighed 1,314-14 lbs. combined. Big fish of the weekend was caught by Mike Dorris and Douglas McDonough that weighed 7-09 lbs. The biggest sack of the weekend was caught by the winners, Colter and Hernesman on day two of the event, totaling 20-02 lbs.

Wayne Butz and Joseph Sommers from Abrams, WI and Stevens Point, WI were leading the national MWC Team of the Year race coming into this last qualifier. Right on their heels and only 5 points behind the leaders was the 2021 Team of the Year, Dan Johnson and Larry Rhodes, who were looking to repeat their accomplishment.

The competition was stiff for this prestigious award that highlights the most consistent anglers on the circuit all year between the top teams. Leading into this final event. Wayne Butz, a seasoned tournament veteran competed this year with a new and upcoming walleye slayer, Joseph Sommers. The combination of Wayne’s years of experience from fishing professional events across the country and Joe’s unmatched drive and willingness to learn, took them to the top of competitive field in team walleye fishing. The central Wisconsin duo’s tenacity and drive rewarded them the title of Team of the Year for the 2022 Masters Walleye Circuit season.

Rounding out the top 10 in the MWC Team of The Year Standings:

2nd  Larry Rhodes and Dan Johnson – 592 pts

3rd Tom and Scott Albrecht – 590 pts

4th Dan Stier and Carl Adams – 566 pts

5th Kevin Dahl and Travis Pisarek – 563 pts

6th Joe Miller and Mark Barden – 534 pts

7th Peter and Ted Mart – 530 pts

8th Casey Williams and Kent Leibhart – 527 pts

9th Mike Dorris and Douglas McDonough – 521 pts

10th Kaiden Dorris and Mark Schoning – 513 pts

 

Cass Lake aways draws a great crowd at the daily weigh ins as the surrounding community shows up in support of this event. The anglers and their families appreciate the support and cheering fans throughout the weigh in and during the final awards ceremony where at total of $86,562 in cash and prizes was awarded to the anglers.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments and as an inductee into the freshwater fishing hall of fame, has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing for the past 38 years and has directly donated hundreds of thousands and helped raise millions of dollars to support walleye & conservation programs nationwide. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2023 schedule published online and includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus a berth into the 2024 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 21st season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, Church Tackle, FishLab, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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MWC Finishes Up 2022 Qualifying Season on Cass Lake Presented by Ranger Boats

MWC Finishes Up 2022 Qualifying Season on Cass Lake

Presented by Ranger Boats

Ponca City, Okla. – August 31, 2022 – The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC), is set to make its 7th and final stop of the 2022 season at Stony Point Resort on Cass Lake, MN, presented by Ranger Boats. Cass Lake has become the customary final stop of the season that anglers and families look forward to attending every year. On September 16th and 17th, starting at 3:30pm CT each day MWC anglers will bring their best 5 walleyes across the stage for one final shot at qualifying for the 2023 World Walleye Championship and a chance to bring home a hefty paycheck, a spot in the 2023 NTC, along with multiple bonus awards and you can follow it all live at MastersWalleyeCircuit.com and on our facebook page www.facebook.com/MastersWalleyeCircuit.

 

“The staff and anglers look forward to coming up here every year.” Said Jeff Kelm, the MWC tournament director. “Anglers bring their families to enjoy a nice stay in the north-woods and many even come earlier than normal to enjoy the camaraderie and take in everything the area has to offer. From seeing the beginning of the fall color change to even enjoying a little perch fishing between the hunt for walleyes. Stony Point Resort offers an experience not seen at many locations on the tournament trail and everyone loves it.”

 

Those competing in the event get to experience the start of a classic fall walleye bite on a destination fishing lake in northern Minnesota. The fish are starting to move shallower and the water temps and air temps are starting to cool off. Anglers will have more than 16,000 acres of water to cover and can target these walleyes many different ways as the fish start to put the feed bags on in preparation for the upcoming winter months. Teams will take off at 7:30 a.m. each day on Sept. 16-17 from the canal by Stony Point Resort in search of the winning bag.

 

Teams have been competing all year for the coveted Team Of The Year (TOY) title. With this being the last qualifying event for 2022, every point they can improve themselves will count big. Each Team is allowed to count their (4) best events of the season to accumulated TOY points, the team with the most points is awarded the Team of the Year title. This title shows who is the most consistent all year long among all teams that fish MWC and comes with a MWC “Living The Dream” Team of the Year, sponsorship package valued at $10,000 consisting of: Fully paid entry fee into the 2023 bass Pro Shops Cabela’s NTC including lodging provided for up to 6 nights at location of our choosing, Fully paid TOY team entry fees into a maximum of (4) 2023 MWC events, including TOY lodging at a location of our choosing for a maximum of 5 nights and a travel expense stipend of $400.00 per event. Custom Team of the Year jackets & trophies. The 2022 TOY will also get a last chance berth into 2022 WWC on the bay of Green Bay out of Oconto, WI on Sept. 29th thru Oct. 1st, 2022 if they are not already qualified. The top 10 teams in the final Team Of The Year standings will all receive a payout of varying amounts in cash and prizes.  Here is a current list of the top 10 teams that are in the hunt before Cass Lake for the 2022 Team Of The Year titles, we will see if they can hang on to their spots.

1st Wayne Butz and Joseph Sommers 597 pts

2nd Larry Rhoads and Dan Johnson 592 pts

3rd Tom and Scott (John) Albrecht 590 pts

4th Kevin Dahl and Travis Pisarek 563 pts

5th Peter and Ted Mart 530 pts

6th Mike Dorris and Douglas McDonough 521pts

7th Joe and Chris Kujawa, 491pts

8th Steve and Jeremy Skupien 452 pts

9th Nick Dabrowski and Travis Dulude 450 pts

10th Adam Hume and Mike Karner 446 pts

 

Registration is still open through midnight on Sept. 12 for this final qualifying event of the 2022 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit. Cass Lake always draws a large crowd and many anglers from across the walleye world. If you’re interested in joining us, you can sign up today at MastersWalleyeCircuit.com. We hope you can come and join us in the fun!

Each MWC event has a lucrative payout which is based on the number of teams entered into that event, and is awarded to 20% of the field, providing more inspiration to sign up and join the fun. In addition to a hefty check, the first-place team also earns a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s National Team Championship (NTC) prize package including: paid entry, a travel stipend, team jerseys, and plaques. Additionally, the big-fish pot, option-pot and sponsor bonuses from Ranger Cup, Lowrance, Okuma, and T-H Marine Atlas Awards will add thousands more for distribution among the field.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments and as an inductee into the freshwater fishing hall of fame, has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing for the past 38 years. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2022 schedule included seven qualifiers in six states, plus berths into the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship in Pierre, SD and as always pays back well over 100% of entry fees in cash and prizes every season.

The 2023 MWC qualifying schedule was released in July and it posted to the website at MasterWalleyeCircuit.com , start making YOUR plans to fish with us in 2023!

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 21st season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and The Walleye Federation. Associate sponsors include: Church Tackle, Okuma, Power-Pole, FishLab and T-H Marine. For more information, email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Tyson Keller and Brandt Becker Pull Off a Come From Behind Win on SoDak’s Lake Oahe!

Tyson Keller and Brandt Becker Pull Off a Come From Behind Win on SoDak’s Lake Oahe!

Presented by Lowrance

Gettysburg, South Dakota – August 21, 2022 – The stage was set and some walleyes in South Dakota’s Lake Oahe came out to play for the second to final stop of the 2022 season on Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Master’s Walleye Circuit (MWC) tournament schedule. The anglers during this event took off on Friday morning with many options on the table. Some teams decided to make long runs north on the Missouri River and some decided to make long runs south while others were able to find some fish within eyesight of the Hwy 212 bridge just down river of the take-off location at West Whitlock State Park. Tyson Keller and Brandt Becker, from Pierre, SD, were one of those teams that decided to make a really long run on game day to find their fish. With plenty of time on the water over the last few weeks, Keller and his long-time friend and fishing partner, Brandt Becker, only brought in two fish on day one but they were two Oahe Giants that weighed in at 17-03 pounds and landed them in a tie for fourth place, there were only four-5 fish tournament limit brought to the scales on day 1.

Day two started with it being anyone’s event to win, the right five fish limit could propel more than a third of the field into the lead. There were only 6 five fish limits brought in on day however Keller and Becker had one and it was the largest of the event at 27-01 propelling them into the lead with 44pounds and 4 ounces. A huge win on Lake Oahe at the 6th stop of the 2022 MWC season.

In South Dakota anglers are only allowed to keep one walleye per person over 20 inches per day with a limit of 4 fish per person. The Oahe winners stated “The fish over 20 inches were easier to find that those under it seemed. They were just doing different things and wanted different presentations.” Keller continued. “We had to work around and trust our electronics and gut instincts and grind it out.” It was a mix of vertical jigging, casting, and trolling both hard baits and live bait to get the right fish to eat. All of that hard work and intuition paid off for them. The winners were rewarded with a top prize of almost $23,000 which included $9,700 cash, a $1,000 NTC prize package, $3,850 for the Option Pot, along with a $7,000 Ranger Cup Bonus, $1,000 Lowrance Bonus and (2) Okuma Reels for taking the win at the 6th stop of the 2022 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC on Lake Oahe, presented by Lowrance.

Here’s a look at how the rest of the top 5 teams faired after this weekend:

2nd  Travor Diegel and Paul Steffen 38-06, $4,870 cash and $2,800 option pot

3rd Chris Haines and Ben Brown 34-02, $3,350 cash $2,060 option pot

4th Tom and Scott Albrecht 30-15, $2,500 cash and $1,500 option pot

5th Chad and Lane Thomas 30-11, $2,000 cash and $1,200 option pot

The total payout for the Lake Oahe event was $58,498 that paid out 12 places between 63 teams. The anglers caught a total of 190 walleyes that weighed 676-06 lbs combined. Big fish of the weekend was caught by Casey Williams and Kent Leibhart that weighed 12-04 lbs. The biggest sack of the weekend was caught by the winners, Keller and Becker with a weight of 27-01 lbs.

Everyone who traveled for this tournament was met with excellent accommodations. The city of Gettysburg, SD, including the local businesses and eager to help local residents, along with the staff of West Whitlock State Park were instrumental in getting this event planned and executing those plans. A huge THANK YOU is owed to all of the local businesses and folks that lent a helping hand in making this event possible!

Cass Lake is coming up! Registration is still open for the final event of the 2022 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit on Cass Lake in Minnesota! Cass Lake always draws a large crowd and many anglers from across the walleye world. If you’re interested in joining us, you can sign up at MastersWalleyeCircuit.com! Registration ends on September 12th. We hope you can join us!

NEWS FLASH! The 2023 MWC schedule is also published already and posted online at MastersWalleyCircuit.com now is the time to start making plans to fish with us in 2023 and save those dates!

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments and as an inductee into the freshwater fishing hall of fame, has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing for the past 38 years and has directly donated hundreds of thousands and helped raise millions of dollars to support walleye & conservation programs nationwide. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2022 schedule included seven qualifiers in six states, plus a berth into the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 21st season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, Church Tackle, FishLab, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

 

2022 MWC Heads out to the Wild West Waters of Lake Oahe for Big SoDak Walleyes! Presented by Lowrance

2022 MWC Heads out to the Wild West Waters of Lake Oahe for Big SoDak Walleyes!

Presented by Lowrance

Ponca City, Okla. – August 1, 2022 – The anglers and staff of the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit have had a little time to take a breath since the last MWC event over on Lake Huron back in June. Now we’re well rested and ready for the ride way out west to the famed waters of Lake Oahe near Gettysburg, SD.

Anglers will have an area of roughly 370,000 acres to find the biggest walleyes this system has to offer. Lake Oahe is a walleye factory that never seems to disappoint! During the afternoon on both August 19th and 20th, anglers will bring the top 5 walleyes each day to the scales on West Whitlock RD. The weigh in for each day will start at 3:00 p.m. for this event, presented by Lowrance.

Lake Oahe has a special set of regulations that anglers must follow when deciding which fish, they want to bring to the scales. Each participant may only have one walleye over 20 inches in their possession each day. That means, of the five coming across the stage each day, anglers will have to find the heaviest fish possible under 20 inches to plump up that bag. Last year’s winners brought over 39 lbs. of walleyes to the stage and were still two fish short of a two-day limit. We’ll have to wait and see if someone will crack that 40 lb. or better mark this year!

Daily live weigh-ins will be held at West Whitlock in Gettysburg, SD beginning at 3:00 on August 19th and 20th. We welcome everyone to watch the weigh-ins live, online, at masters walleyecircuit.com or on our Facebook page facebook.com/MastersWalleyeCircuit.com.

Each MWC event has a lucrative payout which is based on the number of teams entered into that event, and is awarded to 20% of the field, providing more inspiration to sign up and join the fun. In addition to a hefty check, the first-place team also earns a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s National Team Championship (NTC) prize package including: paid entry, a travel stipend, team jerseys, and plaques. Additionally, the big-fish pot, option-pot and sponsor bonuses from Ranger Cup, Lowrance, Okuma, and T-H Marine Atlas Awards will add thousands more for distribution among the field.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments and as an inductee into the freshwater fishing hall of fame, has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing for the past 38 years. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2022 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus berths into the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship. Registration is now open for all events, and the registration deadline for the Lake Oahe tournament is close of business Monday, August 15th. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for full details.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 21st season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, Church Tackle, FishLab, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.