Dreams Come True for Kelly and Wind at Big Stone Lake

Presented by Ranger Boats

Ortonville, Minn. — April 27, 2021 — For years as the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) made a stop in Ortonville, MN, a young Ryan Kelly would ride his bike past the granite slab in Ortonville City Park chronicling the wins of some of the giants in the sport of walleye fishing. Kelly grew up witnessing the storied event each time it arrived with a dream, one day, his name would be added to the impressive list of MWC tournament winners. Presented by Ranger Boats, on the shores of Big Stone Lake, Ryan Kelly (Ortonville, MN) and his partner, Keenan Wind (Onamia, MN), forever secured their names in Big Stone lore as 2021 winners.  

The “Toughest Walleye Anglers on Planet Earth” gritted though a cold front bite on Big Stone Lake, but through it all 5-8lb fish were common. “This community and it’s history with the MWC keeps us coming back.” Said tournament director, Jeff Kelm. “Even on a tough bite, the big fish a number of these teams found rivaled big fish weights at Lake Erie just last week as multiple 8-pound fish were weighed at both events!”

Ryan and Keenan used their Lowrance Live units to search out fish in amongst the 64 boat, 10-state field both Friday and Saturday. The pair managed to land four fish to take the lead on Friday weighing 14-01, a day where most teams found only one fish to bring to the scales. On Saturday, they knew they needed to keep up that pace in order to take home a win. Fortunately for them, their three-fish 6-9 basket on Saturday, was enough to keep them at the top.

Ryan always hoped to be standing where he watched some of the most influential walleye anglers to ever fish a tournament, but he never imagined it would happen the way it did. With a two-day weight of 20-10, and passing the mandatory polygraph given at the end of the event, the duo took home over $15,000 in cash and prizes including a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s National Team Championship prize package, $1,000 Lowrance bonus, $3,348 in option pot cash and custom trophies.

Rounding out the top-five remaining teams:

2^nd: Doug and Mark Galant 15-13, $4,900 cash, $2,300 option post cash and $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus

3^rd: Rick and Dillion Robinson 12-02, $3,546 cash and $1,600 option pot cash, Okuma Bonus ($200 Okuma reels)

4^th:  Tom and Scott Albrecht 11-15, $2,550 and $900 option pot cash

5^th: Brian Steichen and Shawn Carl 11-08, $2,100 cash

The 54 fish weighed a total of 205 lbs. 05 oz. during the event. The Berkley Big Fish of the event was 8-06 caught by Tom and Scott Albrecht.

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 37 years. MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2021 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus the 2021 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship. Registration is now open for all events, and the registration deadline for the Lake Winnebago tournament is close of business Monday, May 17th. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for full details.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 20th 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, Berkley Fishing, Okuma, Power-Pole, Soft Steel and T-H Marine. For more information, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Same Weight, Different Day for Lemke, Price to Win at Lake Erie

Presented by Lowe Equipment Attachments

Port Clinton, Ohio. — April 21, 2021 — It’s often touted that in order to maintain a high level of excellence, you must be consistent. With back-to-back weights of 31-01 both Friday April 16 and Saturday April 17, Mark Lemke (Dexter, MI) and Walter Price (Lowell, MI) took home a close win on the shoreline of Lake Erie, in Port Clinton, OH. The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC), presented by Lowe Equipment Attachments, had 238 participants from 18 states fishing for their share of the nearly $100,000 prize purse.  On the second and final day, the Masters Walleye Circuit partnered with the LEWT, a Ranger Boats sponsored local circuit, to weigh their anglers on the MWC’s big stage, for a total of 322 participants at Port Clinton.

By weighing a total of 62-02 Lemke and Price nearly secured a sweep of first-place event and contingencies monies, including the $15,400 first place check and $5,800 option pot bonus. The team also won a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package, including paid entry into the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s NTC, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Utilizing their Lowrance LIVE units in Walter’s Ranger boat, they targeted fish in deeper water on one of the Islands in Lake Erie. Conditions on Thursday prior to the event were similar to those of the first day of competition. Breezy winds and rolling waves took some of the fun out of practicing on Thursday, but Lemke and Price stayed the course and it paid off. “We actually found those fish on Thursday, in the wind.” Commented Mark. “They were higher in the water column on Thursday and Friday, then Saturday they went deeper when things settled down.” The pair knew this was the program they needed to stay on, but at mid-day on Saturday they lacked the winning fish. “The last couple hours, we had finally figured out to run the baits deeper for the larger fish and filled the bag then.”

After fishing the circuit for nearly a decade, this is the team’s first MWC win. They were awarded over $30,000 in cash and prizes including the aforementioned first-place prizes and NTC bid, along with the all-new $7,000 Ranger Cup bonus, $1,000 Lowrance bonus, $200 in fishing reels from Okuma and two custom trophies.

Rounding out the top-five remaining teams:

2^nd: Peter and Ted Mart 61-13, $6,700 cash

3^rd: Todd Vesperman & Keith Daniels 61-00, $4,400 cash and 2^nd place option pot bonus of $3,300

4^th:  John Bouvette & Cliff Newby 60-05, $3,500 cash

5^th: Nicholas & Gary Zart 59-05, $3,000 cash and 3^rd place option pot bonus of $2,300

The 1160 fish weighed a total of 5616 lbs. 10 oz. during the event. The Berkley Big Fish of the event was 9-09 caught by Joe Wickey and James Calvisky and largest 5-fish limit weighed was handed in by Patrick Hugget and Jason Goebel at 33-09.

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 37 years. MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2021 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus the 2021 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship. Registration is now open for all events, and the registration deadline for the Lake Winnebago tournament is close of business Monday, May 17th. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for full details.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 20th 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, Berkley Fishing, Okuma, Power-Pole, Soft Steel and T-H Marine. For more information, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Tradition Continues as the Master’s Walleye Circuit Readies for Big Stone Lake

Presented by Ranger Boats

Ponca City, Okla. — April 13, 2021 — For generations of Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) anglers, many stories start with “This one year at Big Stone…” In this 2021 MWC season, the tradition continues of an early spring event along the southern shore of the 12,000-acre lake. Presented by Ranger Boats, this year’s event and its participants looks to leave a mark at this historic venue.  

While driving around Ortonville, a stop on the must-see list is the large granite stone that stands in honor of the long-time connection between Ortonville, Big Stone Lake, and the MWC. Listed on the stone are winners from tournaments past. The late great Tommy Skarlis, Terry and John Oakes, Steve Lotz, and others have their names engraved forever on the large rock, which also bares a previously used MWC logo and a salute to Sonny Arndt, the local tournament director, from 1991-1998.

President of the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit, Robert Cartlidge, spoke about what makes this location a traditional location for early-season events. “One unique thing about fishing Big Stone lake, besides its central location and the way Ortonville has welcomed MWC anglers to town for years, is the fact that since it is a border water with South Dakota. It opens earlier than anything else in Minnesota to walleye fishing, so we can hold an event there earlier than anywhere else in Minnesota.”

With winter-weary anglers ready to drop boats in the water, this tournament opportunity gives those in the “great white north” a springboard into a bountiful season on one of the Midwest’s most popular fishing destinations.

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, travel stipend, team jerseys, and plaques. Additionally, the big-fish pot, option pot, and sponsor bonuses of up to $7,000 from Ranger Cup, a $1,000 Lowrance bonus, Okuma Fishing reels, Berkley Fishing Big Fish package, Lowe Equipment Cash up to $500, and T-H Marine Atlas Awards adds more for distribution among the field.

Qualified teams from the 2021 season earning points in at least three qualifiers compete for coveted berths in the 2022 World Walleye Championship, set for October 2021 on the bay of Green Bay in Oconto, WI. Those earning points in at least four qualifiers compete for Team of the Year honors, including a $10,000 sponsorship package and thousands more in cash and prizes to the top 10 teams in the final “best of 4” final standing each year.

Daily live weigh-ins will be held at Ortonville City Park beginning at 3:00 pm both days April 23-24.  We encourage you to watch the weigh-ins live, online, at masterswalleyecircuit.com, or on our Facebook page facebook.com/MastersWalleyeCircuit. Immediately following the weigh-in on Friday, April 23^rd, the MWC and National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) will host a Kids & Family Fishing Clinic, with free fishing rods available for 50 children in attendance.

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 the 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 37 years. MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2021 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus the 2021 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship. Registration is now open for all events, and the registration deadline for the Big Stone Lake tournament is close of business Monday, April 19th. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for full details.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 20th season as title sponsor of the Master’s Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include; Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, and The Walleye Federation. Associate sponsors include; Church Tackle, Berkley Fishing, Okuma, Power-Pole, Soft Steel, and T-H Marine. For more information, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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