Big Erie Walleyes the Name of The Game for Max Wilson and Marc Wilson

Big Erie Walleyes the Name of The Game for Max Wilson and Marc Wilson

Presented By: Ranger Boats

Ponca City, Oklahoma – April 14, 2025 – The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit ran its second qualifier of the season on Lake Erie out of Port Clinton, Ohio where the Lake Erie Walleye Trail joined for a joint event. The City of Port Clinton is great vantage point for anglers to reach all parts of the western basin, where a majority of walleyes migrate for their spring ritual. With big weights in mind, anglers eagerly battled wind and waves on day 1 for a phenomenal showing of both pre-spawn and post-spawn giant Lake Erie walleyes. Over 30 boats weighed 30 plus pounds on day 1.

One of those teams was Max Wilson and Marc Wilson (unrelated), who had 35lbs and 2oz after day 1. Max Wilson is no stranger to the spotlight, having won 3 other MWCs in his career, and cashing checks in multiple other events on large stages. Marc Wilson is a curveball, being from Ireland where he was an athlete that played Premier League soccer. They knew they were on the right fish, making a long run alongside a few other boats. The key to their strategy was keeping on the fish that were relating to structure, while avoiding the dirty water that was creeping closer by the hour. Their technique of casting a jig and nightcrawler is a common occurrence when using live sonar, but only at the right size fish and not losing time catching all the smaller walleyes in the school. It all paid off when Max and Marc weighed in on day 2, beating the leading team by only 12 ounces with a total of 73lbs and 13oz and proving they have what it takes to be Lake Erie Champions.

KODAK Digital Still Camera

Earning a champions trophy in this Lake Erie Masters Walleye Circuit Qualifier comes with a paid berth into the 2026 National Team Championship. Max Wilson and Marc Wilson took home $13,250 in Cash, $5,700 in Option Pot Cash, the NTC prize package valued at $1000 consisting of custom NTC jerseys, custom NTC plaques, and a cash travel stipend for a total of $19,950 in cash and prizes!

Lake Erie showed its potential for many teams, their weights and respective awards follow:

2nd: Alex Reslock & Thomas Laabs, 73-01, $6,550 Cash, $3,100 Option Pot Cash

3rd: Dylan & Jesse Nussbaum, 72-00, $4,300 Cash, $2,260 Option Pot Cash

4th: Michael Sitko & Eric Schenavar, 69-14, $3,300 Cash, $1,840 Option Pot Cash

5th: John Hoyer & Pat Mcsharry, 69-03, $2,750 Cash, $1,540 Option Pot Cash,

and the Lowrance Exclusive Bonus of $750

Honorably, the 9th place team of Keith Daniels and Todd Vesperman took home the Lowrance Trolling Motor bonus of $500 for running a Lowrance Ghost or Recon trolling motor, along side their cash winnings of $1,650, and option pot winnings of $1,120.

Overall, 198 anglers competed in this event representing 15 different states and the country of Ireland, catching 911 fish for a total of 5135 pounds of giant Lake Erie walleyes. This event saw an average weight fish over 5.5 pounds throughout 174 five fish limits. Notably, the heaviest bag of fish was only an ounce shy of 40 pounds, weighing in at 39-15 caught by Adam and Jim Swisher bumping them from 68th place on day 1 to a check-cashing 14th place on day 2.

The Big Fish award on Lake Erie typically takes a true giant, and this was no exception. Day 1 was won by a walleye that weighed 9lbs and 9oz caught by Tyler Elshaug and Tanner Paine. Day 2 Big Fish crushed the field at 10lbs and 15oz, caught by Jack Winters and Scott Kozlowski. Respectively, both teams were awarded their cash prize, and the team with the heaviest fish was awarded the Salmo Java prize of an AeroPress and two bags of their signature coffee.

As part of the 2025 MWC season, anglers will vie for a coveted spot in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s World Walleye Championship in Devil’s Lake North Dakota. Teams can participate in as many events as they wish, with points earned in at least three qualifiers necessary for an invitation to the World Walleye Championship. MWC’s “Living the Dream” team, using points from four qualifiers throughout the regular season, will earn a sponsorship package valued up to $15,000 which includes a spot to compete in the National Team Championship and up to four paid MWC events.

Each MWC event has a lucrative payout which is based on the number of teams entered into that event. Overall payout 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. Ranger Cup adds $8,000, alongside the big-fish pot, option-pot and sponsor bonuses which 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 since 1984 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 2025 schedule includes six qualifiers in six states, plus berths into the 2026 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship on Devils Lake, North Dakota.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s are looking forward to their 24th season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, and Ranger Boats. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, T-H Marine and Salmo Java Coffee.

For more information, contact support@masterswalleyecircuit.com or call (580) 765-9031.

 

MWC Live Coverage

2025 Masters Walleye Circuit  – Lake Erie, Port Clinton, OH

LIVE coverage of 2025 Masters Walleye Circuit at Lake Erie – Presented by Ranger, April 11-12, 2025 at 3:15pm ET.

LIVE Leaderboard will begin updating once the weigh-in begins at each event click the BLUE link below!

LIVE Leaderboard

LIVE video will be done where a suitable internet connection can be secured lakeside and will be shown below. Live streaming video will go live a couple of minutes before the published weigh-in time for that event if we have a connection.
Check out our Live Facebook feed coverage. CLICK HERE

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Returns to Wisconsin for Lake Petenwell

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Returns to Wisconsin for Lake Petenwell

Presented by: Mercury

Ponca City, Oklahoma – April 2, 2025 – As the Masters Walleye Circuit continues through the 2025 season to the third qualifier, anglers are watching their points carefully as the Team of the Year race starts to take shape. Teams will be competing this time on Lake Petenwell in the heart of Wisconsin. Lake Petenwell is a man-made flowage that is part of the Wisconsin River that brings with it a slot limit, and a need to be strategic in the decision-making process of which to fish to weigh and when to swing for the fences.

The slot limit on Lake Petenwell restricts anglers to 3 fish per person with a minimum length of 15” and walleye may not be kept between 20-28”. 1 of those 3 fish may be over 28”. The timing of this event should be set up nicely with anglers being able to target fish in multiple spring phases with a large variety of techniques.

Tournament Director Jeff Kelm is looking forward to the second visit to Lake Petenwell, “The last time the Masters Walleye Circuit visited Petenwell, it was an emergency move due to flooding on the Mississippi River in 2023. The anglers that fished that weekend came off the water, praising the lake up and down, telling me how many fish they caught and how much fun they had. It was a no-brainer to get it on the schedule as soon as I could.”

Event specifics include a 7:00 am (CST) take-off each day given safe light conditions, and live weigh-ins both happening at Petenwell County Park Boat Launch in Arkdale, WI at 3:00 pm on May 2-3, 2025. Spectators are welcomed to join in person as the weigh-in is free and open to the public, or follow the action live online at masterswalleyecircuit.com or on the official Facebook page, facebook.com/MastersWalleyeCircuit.

Registration for this tournament on the Petenwell Lake, out of Arkdale, Wisconsin closes on Monday, April 28, 2025. Teams that are interested in signing up should visit:

www.masterswalleyecircuit.com/registration

or call

Federation National Office at (580) 765-9031.

As part of the 2025 MWC season, anglers will vie for a coveted spot in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s World Walleye Championship in Devil’s Lake North Dakota. Teams can participate in as many events as they wish, with points earned in at least three qualifiers necessary for an invitation to the World Walleye Championship. MWC’s “Living the Dream” team, using points from four qualifiers throughout the regular season, will earn a sponsorship package valued up to $15,000 which includes a spot to compete in the National Team Championship and up to four paid MWC events.

Each MWC event has a lucrative payout which is based on the number of teams entered into that event. Overall payout 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 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 since 1984 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 2025 schedule includes six qualifiers in six states, plus berths into the 2026 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship on Devils Lake, North Dakota.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s are looking forward to their 24th season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, and Ranger Boats. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, T-H Marine and Salmo Java Coffee.

For more information, contact support@masterswalleyecircuit.com or call (580) 765-9031.

Illinois River Kickstarts the ‘25 Season with Maney and Wick as Champions

Illinois River Kickstarts the ‘25 Season with Maney and Wick as Champions

Presented By: Lowrance

Ponca City, Oklahoma – March 24, 2025 – The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit returned to Spring Valley, Illinois to fish the Illinois River for annual start to the season. With much better weather patterns than previous years, although not stable, anglers were excited to compete in the March sunshine. Day one started off with a bang, as local legend Steve “Pinky” Sandor and his son Adam Sandor took a healthy half pound lead with the largest bag of the event at 15 pounds and 7 ounces in their 31st appearance at Spring Valley to compete with the MWC.

Hot on their tail in second place with 14 pounds and 14 ounces after day 1 was the Wisconsin team of Tyler Maney and Thor Wick. Having fished a few Spring Valley tournaments as far back as the FLW days, they had a good understanding of how the Illinois River lays out. They were fishing a large clam bed that is well known but had the area of Red Can to themselves. Pulling three-ways with custom painted floating Rapalas was their ticket to success, catching one or two fish a pass and doing it again. They sorted and upgraded pre-spawn female saugers to steal the lead early on day 2 with a 10 pound 15 ounce bag, for a total of 25 pounds and 13 ounces that was enough to hold on to first place through weigh-in.

Earning a champions trophy in this Illinois River Masters Walleye Circuit Qualifier also comes with a paid berth into the 2026 National Team Championship. Tyler Maney and Thor Wick took home $12,400 in cash, the NTC prize package valued at $1000 consisting of custom NTC jerseys, custom NTC plaques, and a cash travel stipend, and the Ranger Cup bonus of $8,000 for a total of $21,400 in cash and prizes!

Additionally, many teams had very respectable weights and took home awards as well:

2nd: Chris Clemmons & Robert Hausler, 24-14, $6,100 Cash, $5,700 Option Pot Cash, and a

Brand New Lowrance Ghost Trolling Motor Valued at $3749

3rd: Corey Blair Kevin Hanson, 24-13, $4,150 Cash, $3,100 Option Pot Cash, and the

Lowrance Exclusive Bonus of $750

4th: Adam Sandor & Steve Sandor, 24-05, $3,150 Cash, $2,260 Option Pot Cash

5th: Dan Johnson & Walter Price, 24-05, $2,600 Cash, $1,840 Option Pot Cash

6th: Michael Martin Jr & Dusty Culjan, 23-07, $2,300 Cash, $1,840 Option Pot Cash, and the

Lowrance Ghost or Recon Trolling Motor Bonus of $500

Overall, 93 two-man teams competed in this event representing 9 different states, catching 653 fish for a total of 1261 pounds of healthy Illinois river sauger, saugeye, and walleye.

The Big Fish award on the Illinois River is consistently won by a team that manages to find a pre-spawn walleye. Day 1 was won by a walleye that weighed 6lbs and 9oz caught by Ryan Feldott and Brandon Samolitis. Day 2 Big Fish was held by Dan Johnson and Walter Price with a healthy 4lbs and 12oz. Respectively, both teams were awarded their cash prize and a sponsorship package from Salmo Java consisting of two aero presses, coffee, and hats.

As part of the 2025 MWC season, anglers will vie for a coveted spot in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s World Walleye Championship in Devil’s Lake North Dakota. Teams can participate in as many events as they wish, with points earned in at least three qualifiers necessary for an invitation to the World Walleye Championship. MWC’s “Living the Dream” team, using points from four qualifiers throughout the regular season, will earn a sponsorship package valued up to $15,000 which includes a spot to compete in the National Team Championship and up to four paid MWC events.

Each MWC event has a lucrative payout which is based on the number of teams entered into that event. Overall payout 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 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 since 1984 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 2025 schedule includes six qualifiers in six states, plus berths into the 2026 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship on Devils Lake, North Dakota.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s are looking forward to their 24th season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, and Ranger Boats. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, T-H Marine and Salmo Java Coffee.

For more information, contact support@masterswalleyecircuit.com or call (580) 765-9031.