Johnson and Rhoads Breeze to a Win on Lake Huron

 Presented by Lowe Equipment Attachments

Oscoda, Mich — July 20, 2020 — When Dan Johnson (Fayetteville,OH) and Larry Rhoads (Milford, OH) found themselves facing a mighty Southwest wind on Lake Huron Friday afternoon, they knew they had to make every cast count and more importantly, every bite. Launching out of the AuSable River for the two-day Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit, presented by Lowe Equipment Attachments, Dan and Larry headed south toward Saginaw Bay to find what they needed to hoist the trophy at the end of the weekend.

“We finally had consistent wind and weather both today and yesterday.” Said Larry after Saturday’s weigh-in at the AuSable River Harbor. “We only caught nine fish today and I knew Steve (Vandermark) and Jerry (Fox Jr.) were on good fish too, the same program actually.” Dan and Larry lead after day one with a Friday weight of 19-01 and knew they would need a little luck to keep the lead. “The camera guy (Kevin) was our good luck charm, I think. We didn’t catch many after he left our boat.”

The event was the first of its kind for the communities of Oscoda/AuSable, MI. Originally scheduled for the Detroit River in April of 2020 the Masters Walleye Circuit was forced to move and reschedule selecting Oscoda as the replacement destination for the Michigan event. “The atmosphere in town was exciting, every single marquee in town had a message to our anglers wishing them luck and welcoming them to town. “Jeff Kelm, tournament announcer said. “They had volunteers handing out free coffee and donuts at the launch, free hot dogs at weigh-in, everyone in town was asking “what can we do to help and when are you coming back?”

Dan Johnson and Larry Rhoads weighed a total of 35-11 and brought home over $13,400 in cash and prizes, including the $7,200 first-place cash payout, $3,200.50 option pot cash, $500 Lowrance bonus, $500 AirWave certificate, $200 in Okuma reels, a TH Marine Atlas Awards bonus and 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.

The rest of the top five teams:

2^nd: Steve Vandemark & Jerry Fox Jr. 34-04, $3,700 cash, $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus

3^rd: Kevin Dahl & Travis Pisarek 30-08, $2,450 cash, $2,000 option pot cash

4^th: Rodger Riggs & Jason Kopf 29-10, $1,600 cash, $1,250 option pot cash

5^th: Dennis Pisha & Tyler Schuiteman 29-07, $1,500 cash

All together the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit awarded $29,080.50 in cash and prizes at Oscoda/AuSable, MI.

252 fish weighed a total of 725 lbs. 09 oz. during the event.

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 36 years and is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2020 schedule includes 7 qualifiers in seven states, plus the 2021 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship.

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 19th 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, Berkley, Church Tackle, Soft Steel, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

Ponca City, Okla. — July 13, 2020 — Lake Huron may be listed as #2 on greatest of the “Great Lakes”, but July 17-18 anglers of the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) will consider it the #1 thing they need to beat on their way to a trophy, presented by Lowe Equipment Attachments.

Launching out of the lakeside town of Oscada, MI, competitors will have the entire U.S. side of Lake Huron to explore, with many of them searching the northern edge of famed Saginaw Bay. “I anticipate seeing a 50/50 split in anglers going to the south, towards Saginaw Bay and the others going north, getting closer to waters they may have fished in years we have launched out of the St. Mary’s River.” Says Jack Baker, MWC Tournament Director.

This tournament was scheduled in early April of 2020 due to the cancellation of the Detroit River event for Covid 19 safety precautions. “Fortunately for us, Oscoda is a fishing town and they welcomed the chance to host us on the first phone call!” Said Jeff Kelm, tournament emcee. “I’m excited for this small community to get the chance to show off to the walleye world. With a large launch and an abundant walleye population, plus an active CVB/Chamber of Commerce taking care of anglers, this is going to be fun.”

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 from Ranger Cup, Lowrance, Okuma, AirWave and T-H Marine Atlas Awards add thousands more for distribution among the field.

Qualified teams from the 2020 season earning points in at least three qualifiers compete for coveted berths in the 2021 World Walleye Championship, set for October 2021 on the Mississippi River in Lake City, MN. 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 the Ausable Harbor beginning at 3:00pm both days July 17, 18.  We encourage you to watch the weigh-ins live, online, at masterswalleyecircuit.com or on our Facebook page facebook.com/MastersWalleyeCircuit.

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 36 years. MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2020 schedule includes seven qualifiers in seven 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 Huron tournament is close of business Tuesday, July 14. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for full details.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 19th 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, 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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New Town, ND — July 13, 2020 — After a long absence from Lake Sakakawea, the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) presented by Ranger Boats, teamed up with 4 Bears Casino to reignite the circuit’s relationship with the historic lake. While the views all around the reservoir are incredible, the results of the two-day tournament for Dan Stier (Mina, SD) and Dennis Bense (Bismark, ND) were equally impressive.

Each of the two mornings at take-off, as their boat rolled past the MWC staff, tournament announcer, Jeff Kelm called out the team’s boat number and their names, and each morning Dan Stier would echo back “The Dream Team”. Dan elaborated on that nickname on stage after weighing over 29lbs of fish on the second day of competition. “Dennis and I have a pretty unique thing going, each time we team up and fish a tournament together, we usually end up winning it.” When asked how they caught a total of 55-08 on Friday and Saturday, Stier said the team did what they knew what to do best, fishing creek chubs in deep water.

Of course, no great story comes without a little adversity. After securing the win, Dennis shared a story with the crowd about losing a potentially tournament winning fish out of the net at the back of the boat. “I am really relieved, I let one get out of the net today that would have been about a two-pound upgrade and I would have never have heard the end of it we didn’t win.” Fortunately for both Dennis and Dan, the two pounds were not a necessity after besting second place by over 10 pounds.

Dan Stier and Dennis Bense take home $14,400 in cash and prizes, including the $7,700 first-place cash payout, $3,500 option pot cash, $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus, $500 Lowrance bonus, $500 AirWave certificate, $200 in Okuma reels and 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.

The rest of the top five teams:

2^nd: Craig Kolden & Benjamin Leidholm 45-15, $3,850 cash

3^rd: Jason Feldner & Mike Peluso 44-02, $2,550 cash, $2,500 option pot cash

4^th: Matthew Liebel & Tory Hill 43-05, $2,000 cash

5^th: Grant Miller & Cole Frenzel 42-13, $1,500 cash, $1,500 option pot cash

All together the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit awarded $34,506.50 in cash and prizes at 4 Bears Casino and Lodge in New Town, ND.

361 fish weighed a total of 1,195 lbs. 11 oz. during the event.

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 36 years and is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2020 schedule includes 7 qualifiers in seven states, plus the 2021 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship.

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 19th 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, Berkley, Church Tackle, Soft Steel, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.