Shakoor, Zarembski Win Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Lake Erie Tournament

Presented by Ranger Boats

Lorain, Ohio.—May 6, 2018—Ali Shakoor and Brian Zarembski brought nearly 90 pounds of sag-bellied Great Lakes walleyes to the scale to win a big-fish shootout at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s regular season tournament on Lake Erie out of Lorain, Ohio, May 5-6, 2018.

“This is incredible,” said Shakoor, of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, moments after the dust settled in a wild finish that saw the top five teams all bring in more than 80 pounds, and the top 10 weights all break the 75-pound barrier. “I grew up watching fishing tournaments on TV with my dad, and to win one is really rewarding. I’ve been fishing the MWC five or six years now, and have had a fantastic time since day one. These guys are extremely good anglers. It’s an honor to win this.”

“This is a great feeling,” added Zarembski, of Avon Lake, Ohio. “We’ve been in the top 10 a couple of times and had a shot, but never won. We had four good fish this morning by 10 o’clock and then the bite died. I thought it was going to slip away, but then the big fish started biting again.”

Presented by Ranger Boats and hosted by Visit Lorain County and the Lorain Port Authority, the two-day tournament launched from Black River Wharf and weighed in at Black River Landing. The event was originally set to start on Friday, May 4, but tournament officials kept the anglers on shore due to gale-force winds on the big lake.

Shakoor and Zarembski topped the leaderboard on day one with a 5-fish MWC limit weighing 44 pounds, 10 ounces. They finished strong with a 44-pound, 6-ounce day two limit for an 89-pound total weight.

With massive numbers of post-spawn walleyes migrating eastward down the lake, many anglers tapped the trolling bite. Shakoor and Zarembski were no exception. They pulled crankbaits along a deep breakline in 38 to 42 feet of water and said that a pair of steeper drop-offs were particularly productive.

Keeping their lures at the lower end of the water column was also a factor. “During prefishing, the walleyes had perch and zebra mussels in their stomachs, so we knew they were feeding on the bottom,” said Shakoor. “So that’s where we ran out crankbaits.”

Zarembski noted that adjusting their speed depending on whether they were trolling with or against a subtle current was also key. “We trolled 1.8 mph in one direction and 1.4 mph going the other way,” he said.

Shakoor and Zarembski collected $11,900 in cash and prizes for their efforts, including the $9,700 first-place cash payout, $500 Lowrance Electronics contingency, $500 AirWave certificate, $200 Okuma Reel bonus and a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid entry into the Cabela’s NTC, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Rounding out the top five were:

2nd: Bret Berkey, Matt Lecon, 88-06, $4,800 cash

3rd: Sam Cappelli, William Gaffney, 84-10, $3,350 cash plus the $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus

4th: Jason Fischer, Barry Henning, 83-06, $2,600 cash

5th: Zak Jobes, Bryan Fisher, 82-02, $2,050 cash
In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $46,528 in cash and prizes.

A total of 595 walleyes weighing a whopping 3,378 pounds, 1 ounce crossed the scale during the event. Big fish was an 11-pound, 4-ounce giant caught by Tom Nordyke and Thomas Nordyke, Jr. Adding to the fun, the Cabela’s MWC and National Professional Anglers Association presented a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after the day-one weigh-in, with participating youths receiving rod-and-reel combos courtesy of the NPAA.

North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments, the Cabela’s MWC has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing since 1984. Operated under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2018 tournament schedule includes eight qualifiers in seven states, plus the 2019 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for updates, official rules and registration information.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is enjoying its 17th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Bass Pro Shops, 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.

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Lovro, Henle Win Cabela’s Masters  Walleye Circuit Lake Francis Case Tournament

Presented by Mercury Marine

Platte, S.D.—April 28, 2018—Doug Lovro and Todd Henle of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, put together a pair of solid limits to win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s regular season tournament on Lake Francis Case out of Platte, South Dakota, April 27-28, 2018.

Presented by Mercury Marine and headquartered at Snake Creek Recreation Area, the two-day tournament pitted 82 teams from across the Walleye Belt against one another in an all-out battle for Great Plains bragging rights and a share of the MWC’s generous payout.

Fishing their first-ever MWC event, Lovro and Henle brought in a 5-fish MWC limit weighing 13 pounds on day one. The weight put them in second place, just an ounce behind leaders Jim Klages and Randy Zeman, who sacked a 13-pound, 1-ounce limit. Lovro and Henle followed up with a 10-pound, 7-ounce limit on day two to claim the victory with a 23-pound, 7-ounce total weight.

“It’s awesome we ended up on top,” said Lovro, who noted they were the last team to weigh in. “We had a solid limit but it was still nerve-wracking right up to the end.”

“This is incredible,” added Henle. “It was an exciting finish that went down to the wire.”

The winners’ go-to tactics included pitching jigs and minnows along shoreline riprap and trolling crankbaits on leadcore line in deeper water. “We ran an hour up the lake to Chamberlain to pitch jigs for our ‘unders,’” said Lovro, explaining that teams were only allowed one walleye over 20 inches per angler. “Then we trolled crankbaits in 20 to 35 feet of water along the edge of a drop-off near Platte.”

Henle added that light jigs were key to their pitching program. “We rigged a minnow on a 1/32-ounce jig, cast it to the bank and let the minnow swim back to deeper water,” he explained. “Most of our fish came from shore out to 5 or 6 feet of water.”

Lovro and Henle collected $18,658 in cash and prizes for their efforts, including the $12,300 first-place cash payout, $3,658 from the option pot, $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus, $500 AirWave certificate, $200 Okuma Reel bonus and a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid entry into the Cabela’s NTC, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Rounding out the top five were:

2nd: Travis Sanger, Jared Mohnen, 22-08, $6,000 cash plus $2,758 from the option pot

3rd: John Mohnen, Scott Mohnen, 22-01, $3,700 cash plus $1,686 from the option pot and $500 Lowrance Electronics contingency

4th: Matt Degeest, Randy Rozeboom, 21-04, $2,750 cash plus $958 from the option pot

5th: Brian Tordsen, Jim Perry, 21-01 $2,250 cash plus $785 from the option pot
In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $58,875.50 in cash and prizes.

A total of 471 walleyes weighing 905 pounds, 9 ounces crossed the scale and were released back into Lake Francis Case during the event. Adding to the fun, the Cabela’s MWC and National Professional Anglers Association presented a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after the day-one weigh-in, with participating youths receiving rod-and-reel combos courtesy of the NPAA.

North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments, the Cabela’s MWC has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing since 1984. Operated under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2018 tournament schedule includes eight qualifiers in seven states, plus the 2019 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for updates, official rules and registration information.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is enjoying its 17th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Bass Pro Shops, 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.

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Heavyweight Walleyes Expected When The Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Samples Lake Erie’s Phenomenal Fishery May 4-5

Presented by Ranger Boats

Ponca City, Okla.—April 25, 2018—Mighty Lake Erie and its unrivaled trophy walleye fishery will set the stage for a high-stakes, big-water battle when the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit visits the incredible Great Lakes fishery for a two-day, team-format tournament out of Lorain, Ohio, May 4-5, 2018.

Launching from Black River Wharf and presented by Ranger Boats, the two-day, team-format event offers anglers a chance to sample Erie’s walleye bounty while enjoying the thrill of competing for thousands in cash and prizes in a professionally run setting.

“This event is going to be a lot of fun for MWC anglers and fans,” said Cabela’s MWC Tournament Director Jack Baker. “Strong year-classes going back to 2003 have Lake Erie loaded with walleyes of all sizes, including an amazing number of trophies weighing well over 10 pounds. In fact, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources believes the lake could produce a new state record walleye this season, eclipsing the existing benchmark of 16.19 ounces. We’d love to weigh a monster like that on the MWC scale.”

Weather permitting, teams will enjoy two full days of competition on the Ohio waters of Lake Erie. Teams will be allowed to bring their best five fish to the scale each day, and the team with the highest two-day total weight will be crowned the Lake Erie champions.

The Cabela’s MWC’s lucrative payouts, which are based on the number of teams entered in each event, provide even more inspiration to join the fun. In addition, the MWC big-fish pot, option pot payouts and sponsor bonuses including Ranger Cup, Lowrance Electronics, Okuma, AirWave and T-H Marine Atlas Awards add thousands more to the total. Plus, the first-place team wins a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Such winnings quickly add up. At the recent Detroit River MWC tournament, for example, winners Steve and Dan Bodinger were rewarded with a $14,700 payday, while the top 20 percent of the field shared more than $47,565 in cash and prizes.

Teams fishing three or more tournaments also compete for coveted berths in the championship, which is comprised of the top point-accumulating teams from the previous year’s season and offers payouts based on the previous year’s participation. Teams that qualify in 2018 will fish the 2019 championship, set for October 3-5, 2019 on Wisconsin’s incomparable Lake Winnebago System.

Teams fishing at least four MWC qualifiers also compete for Team of the Year awards, including a $10,000 sponsorship package and thousands more in cash and Cabela’s Cash cards, as well as fully paid entries into a full season of great walleye action.

As an added bonus, Official Sponsor Lowe Equipment Attachments offers all Cabela’s MWC anglers a 25 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.

Walleye fans of all ages are invited to catch the excitement and watch the trophy walleyes come in at the daily weigh-ins, which begin at 3 p.m. at Black River Landing. If you can’t make it in person, watch the weigh-ins live, online, at masterswalleyecircuit.com.

Adding to the excitement, the Cabela’s MWC and National Professional Anglers Association will present a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after the day-one weigh-in. The first 50 youths will receive rod-and-reel combos courtesy of the NPAA.

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North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments, the Cabela’s MWC has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing since 1984. Operated under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2018 tournament schedule includes eight qualifiers in seven states, plus the 2019 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship. Registration for 2018 events is now open, and the deadline for registering for the Lake Erie tournament is Monday, April 30 at 4 p.m. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for updates, official rules and registration information.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is entering its 17th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Bass Pro Shops, 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.

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