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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Northfield Minnesota’s Jack Baker has served as the MWC Tournament Director since February of 2017 and was well on his way to the 2021 season opener at Spring Valley, Ill when an opportunity from his past as a golf pro surfaced. Unknown to many MWC anglers, Jack Baker was a professional in the golf industry for years and as it happened the golf facility in Bemidji Minnesota found itself in need of just such a professional and reached out to Jack with a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“It was a tough decision to make.” Jack lamented. “I thoroughly enjoy both sports and while I will miss seeing all the anglers and friends that I have made on the MWC circuit, the opportunity and timing to move to Bemidji were right for myself and my family. It all came together very fast and it quickly became clear that Spring Valley would be my last event. But, in the end, I knew MWC was in good hands so it was the right move to make.”

“Jack came to us in 2017 with experience as a tournament director in the ice fishing world to take on MWC. He stepped up and filled the role and earned the angler’s respect. I can’t ask for more than that from our tournament directors”, stated Robert Cartlidge, President at the Federation National Office. “We are thankful for Jack’s dedication to the sport and his service to MWC. While we will certainly miss him, we wish him all the best in his new position.”

The Masters Walleye Circuit just kicked off the ’21 tournament season with the largest season opener field it has had in a number of years and 2021 registrations look to keep that momentum going. So, MWC has tapped someone who will provide a smooth transition and who the anglers already know and trust. That person will be Jeff Kelm the MWC Emcee and tournament manager for the last four years. Kelm will fill out the 2021 season starting with the April 16-17 event presented by Lowe Equipment at Port Clinton.

  “Jeff is as solid as they come and knows what it takes to run MWC already, he does a great job for us now and will in the future.” Cartlidge stated. “Jeff has also competed at the very highest levels in the ice fishing world earning multiple spots on Team USA representing the US in international competitions across the globe. This means as a former top-level competitor himself he “gets it” from an angler perspective too which is an asset.”

“I have been blessed to get to do some incredible things in my life and this opportunity to lead the MWC will sit at the top of that list.” Kelm Stated. “I have loved the circuit from the second I arrived at Spring Valley in 2017 and I look forward to taking it far into the future. I thank Jack for his leadership and mentoring in the last four seasons and wish him all the best. Now it’s time to get to work alongside the Toughest Anglers on Planet Earth!”

Kelm will lead MWC and continue to emcee events as the National office is already at work filling out a team and tournament staff positions to support him. He can be reached via email at jeff@federationangler.com and on the tournament hotline at 580.716.4291