Spring Valley Becomes “Sauger Central” for Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit

  • Filed under MWC News

  • February 19, 2020

Spring Valley Becomes “Sauger Central” for Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit 

Presented by Lowrance

Ponca City, Okla.—February 19, 2019 — The city of Spring Valley and the Illinois River welcome the MWC anglers for the 34th time in the last thirty-six years of the circuit, as they start the new season March 20-21, 2020.

The team-format, two-day event, presented by Lowrance, has historically seen teams from over ten different states, with a wide range of experience from rookie tournament anglers to world champions. Many make this a fun family event, while others get right to work settling in for the season-long MWC points race.

Tournament director Jack Baker loves the wide variety of angler’s experience and equipment seen at this event each season. “This is so fun to come here, you see father-sons, mother-sons, father-daughters, grandparents and grandkids all working really hard to win. Of course, you have many of the great fishermen that follow us across the country each year eager to get the season rolling. You have aluminum and glass boats working on every advantage you can find to catch the right fish on this river. The Spring Valley Boat Club is great to work with and MWC will once again be helping from a conservation standpoint and working with the Illinois DNR who will collecting eggs from all the fish NWC weighs in for the hatchery and for restocking.”

Being a good neighbor to the local economy and to local fisheries conservation programs has always been a priority for MWC events and Spring Valley is certainly no exception. MWC events have literally pumped millions of dollars into the local area economy along with millions of Sauger eggs into Illinois DNR hatchery’s and waterways over the last 34 years.

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 at the Spring Valley Boats Club are free and open to the public beginning at 4:00pm both days March 20, 21.  If you can’t make it in person you can watch the weigh-ins live, online, at masterswalleyecircuit.com or on our Facebook page.

For the area youth, immediately after the day-one weigh-in on Friday, we offer a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic in conjunction with the National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA). The first 50 youth will receive a free rod-and-reel combo!

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 Illinois River tournament is close of business Monday, March 16. 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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Kujawas Take the Title in the 35th Annual Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s World Walleye Championship in 2019 at Oshkosh, WI. Presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s

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 35th 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 5th 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 3rd place spot and Olsen and Carrol had 1 fish which put them in 4th 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:

2nd: 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

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

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

5th: 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.

2019 World Walleye Championship Set And Ready To Go Day1 Happens Tomorrow weigh in live at 3:00pm central.

Registration & welcome banquet for the 2019 World Walleye Championship is complete, 38 of the very best walleye angler teams in the world are in Oshkosh, WI and ready to get started tomorrow morning. Will there be the very first 3 peat winners? Only 2017 and 2018 back to back World Champions Tommy Skarlis and Jeff Lahr can tell us.

Or maybe it will be the reigning team of the year Max Wilson and Isaac Lakich who are here and on a roll. OR anyone of the other 36 teams in the event as anyone of them can win, anywhere, on any day.

They are here and ready to defend their World Champions title and claim a part of the whopping $123,000+ dollars total payout in cash and prizes! including over $25,000 for first place and $10,000 for second place, a total of 330% payback for this event!

Check out all the registration pics and TOY pics on our facebook page HERE

2019 MWC World Walleye Championship Set for Oshkosh, WI Oct. 3-5 Presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s

  • Filed under MWC News

  • September 25, 2019

2019 MWC World Walleye Championship Set for Oshkosh, WI Oct. 3-5

 Presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s

Ponca City, Okla. — September 25, 2019 — The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) will cap off their 35th anniversary season in Oshkosh, WI, October 3-5, as the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau hosts teams from across North America at the 2019 World Walleye Championship (WWC).

Jack Baker, tournament director, believes Lake Winnebago is a great place to hold a championship. “The Winnebago system is really packed with fish right now, but this will also challenge these anglers at this time of year. These are the best-of-the best teams from last season, they will find them.”

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.

Payout at the World Walleye Championship will once again exceed over $100,000 in cash and prizes, thanks in part from Ranger Boats and the $1,000 Ranger Cup Bonus, Lowrance and their $500 Carbon/HDS Live bonus, $500 Airwave Seat Pedestals, T-H Marine Atlas Awards, custom made trophies and the always flashy championship gold rings.

As a bonus benefit to all MWC anglers as well as all TWF members nationwide, Official Sponsor Lowe Equipment Attachments offers a 20 percent discount off the MSRP on all its auger, trenching and grapple products available through Midwest Attachments, LLC. For information on that program, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com/tournaments/contingencies.

Daily live weigh-ins at the Menominee Park, are free and open to the public beginning at 3:00pm all three days October 3,4,5.  If you can’t make it in person you can watch the weigh-ins live, online, at masterswalleyecircuit.com or on our Facebook page.

For the area youth, there is something for you immediately after the day-two weigh-in on Friday, we offer a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic in conjunction with the National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA). The first 50 youth will receive a free rod-and-reel combo!

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.