Miller and Fisher secure over $24,500 in Geneva, Ohio on Lake Erie Presented By: Ranger Boats
Geneva, Ohio — July 15, 2024 — The dedicated anglers of the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Presented by Ranger Boats battled it out on Lake Erie on July 12-13. The winners, Mike Miller (Medina, OH) and Bryan Fisher (Ravenna, OH), were confident in their game plan for the event, as long as they could navigate to their spots. With a strong pre-fish, they were hoping to get lucky enough to weigh nearly 35 pounds of walleye per day. With the weather cooperating on day 1, they beat their goals weighing 36lbs of Erie Gold to be sitting in first place at the end of the first day. Having a slight lead heading into day 2, the pressure was on to land another big bag, and they did just that. Anchoring their day 2 bag with Fisher catching a giant walleye weighing 12lbs, they crushed all expectations weighing a whopping 44lbs and 2oz to secure their first-place finish with a total of 80lbs and 2oz.
Being Ohio locals, both are seasoned anglers on Lake Erie. They have fished many events on the
lake, and currently participate in the Lake Erie Walleye Trail, with which this was a joint event.
They made a relatively long run east during pre-fishing, covering roughly 35 miles of water in
their Ranger boat. They weren’t the only ones in the area, so they knew other teams would be
weighing bags in the mid 30lb range.
They won the event trolling Bill Lewis Baits on lead-core line. Sorting through roughly 25 fish
per day, the stars aligned, and they knew they were in it to win when a 12-pounder hit the boat.
In their first MWC win, they have become Lake Erie Champions, and also secured a spot in the
2025 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s National Team Championship (NTC) on Lake Francis Case
in Pickstown, SD. Mike and Bryan took home the $10,000 powered by Dakota Lithium, $8,000
for Ranger Cup, $3,700 in Option Pot cash, $1,000 Lowrance HDS Pro/Active Target bonus, the
NTC prize package, valued at $1,000, including paid entry, custom NTC jerseys, custom NTC
qualifier plaques and cash travel stipend, pairing all that with the Okuma Reels bonus for a grand
total over $24,500 in cash and prizes.
The remaining of the top five weighed great bags and earned awards as well:
2nd: Andrew Harmon & Ronnie Rhodes 70-09, $4,800 cash
3rd: Steve Vandemark & Jerry Fox Jr. 69-07, $3,300 cash and $2,550 option pot cash
4th: Ryan Buddie & Jason Kopf 69-05, $2,400 cash and $1,500 option pot cash
5th: Gary Kisel & Alex Kisel 65-13, $1,800 cash and $1025 option pot cash
Over 120 anglers from 12 states and 1 province caught 599 fish weighing a whopping 3,248lbs,
for an average of over 5lbs per fish. Although the Big Fish pot is paid out multiple places each
day, the largest of the event was Miller and Fisher’s 12-pound walleye. The Dakota Lithium
Comeback Award winners were Francis Ball and Tom Nordyke, receiving (3) Dakota Lithium
batteries and chargers valued at over $4,200 for their jump from 38th to 22nd place on day 2.
Each MWC event has a lucrative payout which is based on the number of teams entered in that
event. New for 2024 is a GUARANTEED minimum $10,000 first place prize powered by
Dakota Lithium at every event. Overall payout is still 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, Dakota Lithium, and Okuma 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 40 years. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all
walks of life. The 2024 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus berths into the 2025
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship in Alexandria, MN.
Registration is now open for all events. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for full details.
Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s are in their 23rd season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye
Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Lew’s Fishing,
Dakota Lithium, and Ranger Boats. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, Church
Tackle, FishLab, Okuma, and T-H Marine. For more information,
email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com or call (580) 765-9031
