Ponca City, Okla.—Aug. 25, 2015—Two-person walleye teams from across the Midwest will battle for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes when the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit returns to Minnesota’s Cass Lake for a regular-season qualifier presented by Lowrance Electronics Sept. 11-12.
Thanks to great walleye fishing in an iconic Northwoods setting, Cass Lake has become
a regular stop on the Cabela’s MWC trail. A variety of patterns produce fish, allowing anglers to play to their strong suits while enjoying intense competition in a professionally run format.
At last season’s Cass Lake event, for example, Minnesotans Jay Braaten and Dan Swenson fished live-bait rigs and cast jigs tipped with Berkley Gulp! Smelt to win the tournament with a two-day, 10-fish total weight of 31 pounds, 2 ounces.
Thanks to the Circuit’s lucrative paybacks, which are based on the number of teams fishing each event, Braaten and Swenson collected more than $13,000 in cash and prizes for their win. Along with the tournament payout, the MWC Big Fish Pot and sponsor bonuses from Ranger Boats, Lowrance Electronics, Abu Garcia, Zippo Outdoor Brands and Okuma add thousands more to the total winnings up for grabs.
As an added incentive, the first-place team will win a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques. And new for 2015, the creation of an option pot adds even more chances to cash in. At the recent Devils Lake qualifier, for example, tournament champions Troy Morris and Corey Heiser added $3,400 in option pot cash to their total winnings.
Adding to the excitement, all Cabela’s MWC tournaments are designated as “State Championship Qualifying Events.” Teams from the state where the event is held are eligible, along with teams from a state not hosting an MWC event in 2015 (provided at least 10 teams from their state are competing in the event). Besides bragging rights, state champions will earn a $1,000 prize package including custom trophies, custom State Champions rings by Tight Lines Jewelry, decals, a berth in the Cabela’s NTC, and a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame.
In states hosting two events, teams must fish both tournaments to be in the running, which means Minnesota teams must have fished the Big Stone Lake qualifier along with the Cass Lake event for a shot at the state title.
Teams will be allowed to weigh five walleyes measuring 14 inches and over each day, and the team with the heaviest two-day total weight will be crowned the winners. Weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public, will be held at Stony Point Resort beginning at 4 p.m. daily. As a bonus to budding tournament fans, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands will present a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after the day-one weigh-in. The first 50 youths will receive rod and reel combos courtesy of the NPAA.
Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. Deadline to register for the Cass Lake tournament is Monday, Sept. 7.
Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 14th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Abu Garcia, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Yellow Bird Fishing Products, Okuma, T-H Marine and Tight Lines Jewelry. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580)765-9031.
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