The Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit staff received notice today at 11:51am after a meeting of the various Mayors in and around the Spring Valley area, the Illinois Public Health Dept., and the local County Sheriffs dept that the MWC Spring Valley event scheduled for March 20-21 will have to be cancelled.

Therefore, we have no choice but to CANCEL the March 20-21 Spring Valley, IL event.

We are very sorry for the hardship on our anglers as we have 80 teams registered so far with registrations still coming in and we know some teams are already there practicing.  WE will attempt to reschedule, however to be clear we are NOT sure we can reschedule. The DNR do not need the fish for their hatchery after they have spawned and our open dates are very limited. If we reschedule for early April we run the risk of the state of Illinois extending their bans and rules and cancelling us again.   BUT we will do what we can and if we reschedule and you cannot attend, we will gladly issue a refund. So stay tuned for that information forth coming as soon as we can put it together.

For future reference, all indications prior to today were that this event was a go and would be held. With that in mind and with your safety always being the first concern we had\have developed special procedure’s to limit interaction and group gatherings by utilizing “call in” check in via the phone systems, instead of check-in in person, then streaming the rules meeting\briefing online and holding it outside in open air and by using smaller and extra flight times, extra weigh in tanks and other restrictions keep all groups to less than 50 persons at a time per CDC rules and all people at least 6 foot apart in the weigh in tanks. Plus limiting it to only one partner bringing fish up, etc. and we will likely continue those special procedures for other events at least through the end of April or as long the COVID-19 situation is in place by federal, state or local officials.

But with conditions changing and the Illinois officials requiring shutdowns of all bars and restaurants in the state to any “in person” dining and with the other rules now in place, we are not able to hold the Spring Valley event March 20-21 as planned.

It is no one’s fault the local community has to err on the side of caution and while we are disappointed of course we support and will honor their decision for everyone’s best interest. In the grand scheme of life it is unpleasant to cancel an event no one is happy, but not as unpleasant as getting sick and in the end we will all get to fish another day just not this weekend at Spring Valley.

As a reminder, and as health experts have publicly advised there is no reason to panic, the chances of contracting and certainly dying from COVID-19 is very small according to health experts. According to the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) for most people, the immediate risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus that causes COVID-19 is LOW.  Based on the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on everyday prevention of any viral infection, such as the flu or Covid-19 we HIGHLY recommend the following tips:

• STAY HOME – when sick or living with a sick person.
• DISTANCE – stay at least 6 feet away for other persons
• COVER – the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
• OFTEN – Wash your hands OFTEN with soap and water.
• ROUTINELY – clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
• LIMIT – face-to-face contact or Hand to face or eyes contact.
• CONSULT a healthcare provider as needed.

Full text of the Official Communication to us on cancelling is below.

—

From: SPRING VLY
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2020 11:51 AM
To: Robert
Cc:

Subject: Re: Spring Valley MWC

Based on recommendations from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Center for Disease Control, it has been determined that in the interest of public health and safety the Spring Valley MWC Tournament scheduled for March 20-21, 2020 be canceled.

Thank you.

Regards,

City of Spring Valley, IL 

—-

Again, we are sorry for the inconvenience, we greatly appreciate your continued support of MWC and of Spring Valley. We wish each of you safe travels and to stay safe and we hope to see you on the circuit in 2020 as it would be our honor to have you there!

MWC Staff

Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Oshkosh, Wisc. — October 7th, 2019 — Less than favorable weather and water conditions greeted the 76 anglers of the 2019 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) World Walleye Championship (WWC) in Oshkosh, WI. October 3-5.  The World Walleye Championship is the most sought-after title in all of walleye fishing, it is steeped in walleye history and the 35-year long list of winners is a virtual “Who’s Who” of the walleye world. Competition in the World Walleye Championship is elite, every team must earn their way in by finishing atop the pile on the Masters Walleye Circuit which is among the very best in the country.  In this 35^th annual, after three days of scratch-it-out fishing, the Lake City, MN team of Chris and Joe Kujawa found out what it meant to be crowned champions and add their names to that list of Champions.   

Multiple inches of rain fell in the area that feeds the Winnebago system, Tuesday night into Wednesday, just before the start of the WWC, creating muddy fast water in the rivers and clarity issues in Lake Winnebago, fishing was brutally tough.

On Thursday, day 1 of the event, the east side of the lake was muddy, the water was rising fast and the water temps were dropping fast, in short, the walleye were not eating. The veteran team of Don Olsen Oak Grove, MN and Randy Carroll, Oswego, IL. lead the entire championship field by pulling 4 fish from the main lake that weighed 7-07, father son team of Mike and Kaiden Dorris, Madison, SD was right behind them with only 2 fish for 7-03 and the big fish of the day was caught by Tim and Tom Ahrens, Waterloo, IA. the 5-07 walleye was their only fish and still landed them in 5^th place. Day 1 standings showed that only 29 fish were brought in. The Kujawa’s knew that after catching just one small fish on day 1 they were going to need a little luck on their side for the spot they were fishing to come around and make a run at the title.

On Friday, day 2 of the championship event, things starting clicking for the Kujawa’s. They caught the only limit of the day or of the event for that matter up to that point. Five walleyes that weighed 11-14 propelled them to the top of the standings. Mike and Kaiden Dorris brought in one fish but it was big fish of the day at 5-08 and enough to hold down their second-place spot. Kevin Day, Waupun, WI. and Keith Daniels, Fond Du Lac, WI. pushed 3 fish for 10-05 across the scales and jumped into the 3^rd place spot and Olsen and Carrol had 1 fish which put them in 4^th after day 2. The results were that in true championship fashion, the final day would tell the story.  It was anyone’s game on day 3, either catch fish or lose your spot.    

Saturday, day 3, was overcast with wind, and more rain. The Kujawa’s buckled down and sealed the deal.

“We were doing something that we have never done before, pulling flies shallow for these fish in the river” said Joe Kujawa after their win on Saturday. “We caught a legal fish there during pre-fishing, and that’s the only plan we had going in.” The brotherly duo spent a lot of time on the water getting ready for the event, not something out of the norm for these two.  

The Kujawas are a fishing family. Growing up near Lake Pepin on the Mississippi River, Chris and Joe learned a lot from Dad and take pride in the amount of family time they get in the boat. As a premier team on the MWC for the last two seasons, the substitute anglers that Chris and Joe have use are still Kujawas, fishing hard and fishing well are in the blood.  

Chris and Joe weighed a weighed 26-00 after three days of competition and rode home with $26,220 in cash and prizes, including the $20,000 first-place cash payout, $1,200 in custom championship rings, $500 Lowrance bonus, $500 AirWave certificate, Power Pole Pro II ($1,600), Motorguide XI5 ($1,600) and Lowrance Elite TI 7 ($820).

The rest of the top five teams:

2^nd: Mike & Kaiden Dorris 18-15, $8,000 cash, Power Pole ($1,600), Ranger Cup Bonus ($1,000), TH Marine Loc R Bar ($259), $150 BPS/Cabela’s Gift Cards

3^rd: Jeff Lahr & Tommy Skarlis 18-04, $5,000 cash

4^th: Greg Whitson & mark Campeau 15-15, $3,000 cash

5^th: Mark Lemke & Walter Price 15-00, $2,500 cash

All together the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit awarded $123,150 in cash and prizes in Oshkosh. Teams qualified for this opportunity to fish in the WWC by points while fishing the 2018 MWC regular season events across the country, including the Illinois River, Detroit River, Lake Francis Case, Lake McConaughy, Lake Erie, Lake of the Woods, St. Mary’s River and Cass Lake.

123 fish weighed a total of 278lbs- 03ozs during the three-day event. Dan Johnson and Larry Rhoads took home “Big Fish” honors with their 8-01 walleye on Friday. Members of the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh fishing team presented the NPAA’s Youth and Family Fishing Clinic Friday afternoon, immediately following the weigh-in and gave away fishing rods to attendees.

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 35 years and is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. For more information visit masterswalleyecircuit.com.

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 18th 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: AirWave Pedestals, Church Tackle, MotorGuide, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.