Dempsey, Kaprelian Win Cabela’s Masters  Walleye Circuit Green Bay Tournament

Presented Mercury Marine

Oconto, Wisc.—August 4, 2018— A day-two midday flurry propelled Wisconsin’s Ryan Dempsey and Jake Kaprelian to the top of the leaderboard in a big-fish shootout at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit tournament on Green Bay of Lake Michigan out of Oconto, Wisconsin, August 3-4, 2018.

“It feels really good to with this,” said Dempsey, of Green Bay. “We struggled until 11:30 today, then the bite turned on when we made one last pass before making a move to try for smaller fish just to cash a check. We were done by 1 o’clock.”

“It was a grind both days,” added Kaprelian, of New Berlin. “We were fishing a lukewarm bite a long run from the launch, gambling we’d get the right bites from big fish and be able to capitalize on them. Thankfully, the rewards were worth it.”

Presented by Mercury Marine and headquartered at Breakwater Park, the two-day event featured 84 two-person teams from 12 states.

Dempsey and Kaprelian brought in a 5-fish MWC limit weighing 32 pounds, 9 ounces on day one. The weight put them solidly in fourth place. They added a 38-pound, 14-ounce limit on day two for a 71-pound, 7-ounce tournament total. They reported trolling spinner rigs and crawlers on day one, and catching most of their day-two fish on banana-style crankbaits. Shallow structure rising out of deep water was key both days.

Dempsey and Kaprelian collected $16,822 in cash and prizes for their efforts, including the $11,500 first-place cash payout, $3,822 cash from the option pot, $500 Lowrance Electronics bonus, $500 AirWave certificate, 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: Keith and Mike Kavajecz, 68-05, $6,100 cash plus $2,750 cash from the option pot

3rd: Paul de Voss, Rob Lampman, 66-03, $3,900 cash plus the $200 Okuma reel bonus

4th: Jake Becker, Chris Rice, 64-14, $2,850 cash

5th: James Peterson, Greg Josephs, 60-07, $2,350 cash plus $1,750 cash from the option pot

Sixth-place finishers Daniel Woodke and Steve Meyer won $2,000 cash plus the $1,000 Ranger Cup contingency and $1,250 from the option pot. In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $62,752 in cash and prizes at the event.

A total of 692 walleyes weighing 3,146 pounds, 2 ounces crossed the scale during the tournament. Big fish was an 11-pound, 6-ounce trophy caught by Jason Merkley and Dustin Kjelden. 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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Hunts Win Cabela’s Masters Walleye  Circuit Lake Of The Woods Tournament

Presented by Ranger Boats

Baudette, Minn.—July 14, 2018—Hard-fishing Minnesota brothers Ken and Jon Hunt put together two solid caches to win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s regular season tournament on Lake of the Woods out of Baudette, Minnesota, June 13-14, 2018.

Presented by Ranger Boats and headquartered at scenic Border View Lodge, the two-day event featured 74 anglers from seven states fishing in two-person teams for their share of the MWC’s lucrative payout.

“This is great,” said Ken, of Owatonna. “We’ve fished together all our lives and been tournament partners a long time. Winning this together is really special.”

“There were a lot of good fishermen in this tournament, so we feel very fortunate to come out on top,” added Jon, of Elk River.

It was the first MWC tournament for both brothers, who agreed finding the mother lode of hungry walleyes on massive Lake of the Woods was one of the keys to victory. “We used our Lowrance HDS Gen 3 electronics to hunt them down,” said Ken. “We found a large school over a mile long and were able to stay on them throughout the tournament.”

“We fished spinner rigs behind bottom bouncers and crankbaits on leadcore,” added Jon. The brothers weighed in an MWC limit of four fish weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces on day one, then added a 12-pound, 1-ounce limit on day two for a 25-pound, 6-ounce total weight.

The Hunts collected $12,900 in cash and prizes for their efforts, including the $7,200 first-place cash payout, $3,000 cash from the option pot, $1,000 Ranger Cup 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: Guy Dittel, Marshal Monk, 23-15, $3,600 cash plus $2,220 cash from the option pot

3rd: Craig and Cathy Feierabend, 22-08, $2,300 cash plus $1,500 cash from the option pot

4th: Kevin and Eric McQuoid, 22-04, $1,650 cash

5th: Jamey and Sean Westman, 21-07, $1,200 cash plus $750 cash from the option pot

In 17^th place, Curt Hall and John Thelen collected the $500 Lowrance Electronics contingency. In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $31,450 in cash and prizes.

A total of 246 walleyes weighing 553 pounds, 14 ounces crossed the scale during the event. Big fish was an 11-pound, 4-ounce trophy caught by Guy Dittel and Marshal Monk. 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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Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Heads North
For Lake Of The Woods Showdown July 13-14

Presented by Ranger Boats

Ponca City, Okla.—June 27, 2018—Walleye anglers who enjoy fast action, exciting competition and hefty payouts are invited to join the fun when the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit ventures north to sample the legendary walleye fishery of Lake of the Woods with a regular season tournament presented by Ranger Boats July 13-14.

Headquartered at scenic Border View Lodge out of Baudette, Minnesota, the two-day event offers two-person teams a chance to test their skills while competing for thousands in cash and prizes in the MWC’s time-tested, professionally run format.

“The Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, area is very excited to welcome the MWC,” said Joe Henry, executive director of Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau. “This will be the first time MWC anglers will experience The Walleye Capital of the World, and the local community is excited to show off this world-class walleye fishery.”

Henry promises tournament competitors and walleye fans won’t be disappointed by the numbers and sizes of fish that cross the MWC stage. “Anglers will have the opportunity to fish the big waters of Big Traverse Bay, hit 42 miles of the Rainy River and fish the many islands of the northernmost point of the contiguous U.S.—the Northwest Angle,” he said. “Lake of the Woods is loaded with walleyes and known for trophy fish tipping the scales at well over 10 pounds, along with a variety of year classes. Anglers will catch fish using just about every technique in all corners of this watershed. This will be a fun tournament.”

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 of the Woods 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 add up. At the recent Lake Francis Case MWC tournament, for example, first-place finishers Doug Lovro and Todd Henle of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, were rewarded with $18,658 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 MWC four 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 at the daily weigh-ins, which begin at 3 p.m. at Border View Lodge. 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.

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 of the Woods tournament is Monday, July 9 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 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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