JANUARY 23, 2012—Competitive walleye anglers have a new dual tournament option on South Dakota’s legendary Lake Oahe this season, thanks to a partnership between the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit and 2012 Cabela’s Regional Walleye Championship.
Set for July 28-29, the epic High Plains walleye showdown will be headquartered in the Spring Creek area of the lake near Pierre. This will be a Saturday-Sunday tournament, with no foul-weather day. Due to the location of the event, there are a number of options for pulling in boundaries in case of bad weather or high winds.
The Cabela’s Regional Walleye Championship is a collaboration between state walleye tournament organizations including The Fishing Crew (South Dakota), Colorado Walleye Association, Kansas Walleye Association, Nebraska Walleye Trail, Wyoming Walleye Stampede and Texas Walleye Association. Top teams from each organization receive invitations to the championship, which in 2011 paid out more than $36,000 including $10,000 to first place.
Now in its 28th season, the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is the longest-running professional walleye tournament circuit in the United States. Its Lake Oahe tournament is one of nine 2012 qualifiers, in which two-person teams compete for great payouts and coveted invitations to the 2013 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship. A full field of 200 MWC teams at Oahe would yield more than $100,000 in payouts, including $30,000 cash for first place—plus over $4,000 in sponsor contingencies from Cabela’s Angler Cash, Ranger Cup, Lowrance Electronics, Berkley Baits, Okuma and U2/The Oxygenator.
Under the RWC-MWC partnership agreement, 25 Cabela’s MWC teams will be invited to fish the Regional Walleye Championship; all RWC anglers will be invited to fish the MWC side of the event, which is open to two-person teams regardless of club or sponsor affiliation.
Of the MWC’s 25 allotted invitations to the RWC, the top 15 point-accumulating teams from the Circuit’s 2011 West Division will be invited to fish; 10 additional spots will be offered to teams fishing at least 3 MWC events in 2012 (including the Oahe tournament). These will be offered first-come, first-served basis to teams registered for the event. Additional details on location of rules meeting, launch and weigh-in will be announced shortly.
Teams may register for the Cabela’s MWC Lake Oahe tournament by mail, fax, or online until midnight (CST) on Sunday, July 22. Complete rules, links for online registration and printable registration forms are posted under the “Registration” tab at masterswalleyecircuit.com. For more information, email: events@masterswalleyecircuit.com.
Cabela’s MWC teams that fish at least three 2012 qualifying events compete for 45 coveted invitations to the no-entry-fee 2013 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship at Bays de Noc, Michigan, which offers more than $100,000 in cash payouts including a $25,000 first-place check. Teams that fish four qualifiers also compete for the title of MWC Team of the Year, which pays $13,500 cash to the top point-accumulating team, and the top 10 teams are expected to collect a total of more than $40,000 cash.
Teams that sign up for three or more Cabela’s MWC tournaments before noon (CST) on February 15 enjoy added perks. Considered “Premier Teams,” these earlybird entries have great odds of making the Championship, as Premiers are allotted 25 of the 45 total points-based berths (and are eligible for all 45). Premiers are also allowed to use convenient installment billing options, enjoy priority entry in all events, and qualify for the Okuma Premier Contingency, which awards $1,000 in great Okuma tackle packages at each qualifier.
The 2012 Cabela’s MWC qualifying tournament schedule is as follows:
March 24-25, Illinois River at Spring Valley, Illinois
April 13-15, Detroit River at Trenton, Michigan
April 27-29, Pueblo Reservoir at Pueblo, Colorado
May 18-20, Lake Erie at Huron, Ohio
May 31-June 1, Mille Lacs Lake at Isle, Minnesota (held in conjunction with first two days of Cabela’s National Team Championship, which concludes June 2)
June 29-July 1, Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh, Wisconsin
July 28-29, Lake Oahe, South Dakota (held in conjunction with the 2012 Cabela’s Regional Walleye Championship)
Aug. 24-26, St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sept 14-16, Cass Lake Minnesota at Stony Point Resort
Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 11th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, Lowrance, NBC Sports Television Network and the North American Fishing Club. Associate Sponsors include: Berkley Trilene, Okuma, O2 Marine Technologies, Reflections, Worldwide Marine Insurance, The Walleye Federation and RPM Outdoor Sports.
