Walleye World’s Toughest Teams Clash On Cass Lake Sept. 14-16 In Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s
2017 World Walleye Championship

Presented by Cabela’s

Ponca City, Okla.—Sept. 7, 2017—Minnesota’s iconic Cass Lake Chain will be ground zero for an all-out battle between the nation’s top two-person teams during the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s 2017 World Walleye Championship.

Presented by Cabela’s, the prestigious event runs Sept. 14-16 and features the top41 point-accumulating teams from the circuit’s 2016 regular season, which included seven qualifiers in six states on a diverse selection of the Walleye Belt’s finest rivers, inland lakes and big-water fisheries.

Points are tallied from each team’s top three finishes. This year’s field is led by a trio of teams who perennially place high on the leaderboard. Troy Morris and Corey Heiser racked up 472 points, followed by Steve Vandemark and Jerry Fox, Jr. with 459 points, and Curtis Olivier and Doug Galant with 449 points.

Vandemark and Fox earned MWC Team of the Year honors, which are based on a team’s best four finishes, in 2016. Morris and Heiser claimed the coveted title in 2017, while Olivier and Galant placed third in the 2016 Team of the Year race and fourth in 2017.

Along with a chance to claim the celebrated title of “World Walleye Champions,” the event offers $100,000 in cash and prizes. Plus, sponsor bonuses including Ranger Cup, Lowrance Electronics, Okuma and AirWave add thousands more to the total payout.

Scenic Stony Point Resort will host launches and weigh-ins. Teams will take off at 7 a.m. or first safe light. Weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. The public is invited to come out and cheer their favorite teams off in the morning, then return to watch the drama unfold each afternoon.

Walleye fans unable to attend the weigh-ins can catch the action online via live streaming video coverage and an updated leaderboard, both at masterswalleyecircuit.com. On-the-water and weigh-in action will also be filmed for national television airing on Federation Angler TV, which appears on the Pursuit Channel. For Federation Angler TV schedules, visit federationangler.com.

As a bonus for budding walleye anglers, the Cabela’s MWC and National Professional Anglers Association will present a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately following Friday’s weigh-in. The first 50 youths will receive rod-and-reel combos courtesy of the NPAA.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. The Cabela’s MWC’s 2018 schedule has already been announced and features eight qualifiers in seven states. The lineup includes the Illinois River, Detroit River, Lake Erie at Lorain, Ohio, Lake McConaughy, Lake Francis Case, Lake of the Woods, Green Bay and Cass Lake. For dates and complete details, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is wrapping up its 16th season as title sponsor of the MWC and is eagerly awaiting the 2018 season. Official sponsors include: Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and The Walleye Federation. Associate sponsors include: AirWave Pedestals, Bagley Baits, Church Tackle, G-Juice, MotorGuide and Okuma. For information, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.—August 26, 2017—Pickford, Michigan’s Tom Taylor and Keith McDonald came out swinging and never let up to win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s regular-season finale on the St. Marys River presented by Ranger Boats August 25-26.

The pair put the rest of field on the ropes with a 5-fish, day one limit weighing 23 pounds, 2 ounces, which landed them solidly atop the leaderboard. They followed up with a 26-pound, 1-ounce knockout punch on day two for a 49-pound, 3-ounce total that put them more than 10 pounds ahead of their closest competitors.

“I’m so ecstatic, I can’t quit shaking,” said Taylor, seconds after claiming victory in front of a roaring crowd gathered riverside at Aune Osborn Boat Launch. “It’s pretty awesome,” added McDonald. “When we got our second big fish today I told Tom ‘there’s the tournament—unless somebody else really gets them.’”

Taylor and McDonald’s plan of attack included trolling beefy, deep-diving stickbaits from 2 to 3 mph over weedtops in a protected bay off the main channel that still had enough current to attract hungry ’eyes.

“We targeted depths of 14 to 16 feet in the St. Joe’s Channel area about 30 miles downriver from the launch site,” said Taylor, who confided that black-and-silver and “wonderbread” pattern lures trolled against the current drew the most strikes. The baits ran on a relatively short leash of 12-pound monofilament, trailing 20 to 25 feet behind the team’s inline planer boards. “The weeds topped out about nine feet down, and we wanted to just tick the tops of them,” Taylor explained.

McDonald noted that their boards were set 60 and 80 feet off the sides of the boat, a distance the team believed helped keep their boat from spooking the fish. “It was flat calm and sunny both days, which made us a little nervous about fishing so shallow,” McDonald said.

Taylor and McDonald collected $11,124.00 in cash and prizes, including the $8,100 first-place cash payout, $500 Lowrance Electronics bonus, $500 AirWave certificate and $1,024 from the Big Fish Pot. They also won a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid entry into the 2018 NTC, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Rounding out the top six teams were:

2nd: Jason Doyon, Shane Turcotte, 38-06, $4,050 plus $3,000 in cash from the option pot and the $200 Okuma Reel bonus

3rd: Jacob Trombley, Peter Schaefer, 34-00, $2,700

4th: Dane Stanaway, Josh Gordon, 33-11, $2,100 plus $2,219 in cash from the option pot

5th: Steve Velte, Al Tourigny, 33-09, $2,000
6th: Jason Maraskine, Bob Leslie, 33-00, $1,500 plus the $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus
and $1,500 from the option pot

In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $37,549 in cash and prizes.

A total of 308 walleyes weighing 883 pounds, 7 ounces came to the scale during the event. Big fish was an 8-pound, 1-ounce beauty caught by Taylor and McDonald. 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.

Adding to the excitement, MWC Team of the Year honors were at stake at the final event of the regular season. Troy Morris and Corey Heiser claimed the coveted honors, followed by Steve Vandemark and Jerry Fox, Jr. in second and Mike Dorris and Brian Tordsen in third.

Besides serious bragging rights in the walleye world, Morris and Heiser earned the $10,000 MWC “Living the Dream” Team of the Year sponsorship package, which consists of: fully paid entry into the 2018 Cabela’s National Team Championship, including six nights lodging; fully paid entry into four 2018 MWC qualifiers, including five nights lodging and $400 travel expense stipend per event; plus custom Team of the Year jackets and trophies.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2017 schedule included seven qualifiers in five states on a diverse selection of rivers, inland lakes and Great Lakes fisheries representing North America’s top walleye destinations.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 16th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and The Walleye Federation. Associate sponsors include: AirWave Pedestals, Bagley Baits, Church Tackle, G-Juice, MotorGuide and Okuma. For more information, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Heads For Showdown At The Soo August 25-26

Presented by Ranger Boats

Ponca City, Okla.—August 3, 2017—Two-person teams from across the Midwest and Canada will convene in historic Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, August 25-26 to enjoy great fishing and battle for thousands in cash and prizes at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s regular-season tournament presented by Ranger Boats.

Timed to coincide with the St. Marys River’s legendary late-August walleye bite, the event will showcase the fishery’s abundant walleye population. Competitors will have a virtually limitless selection of structure and presentational options. For example, top tactics during past MWC tournaments at the Soo include trolling spinners, drifting nightcrawlers and vertical jigging.

Teams will compete for thousands in cash and prizes. The Cabela’s MWC’s lucrative payouts are based on the number of teams entered in each event. Plus, the MWC Big Fish Pot, MWC option pot payouts, and sponsor bonuses including Ranger Cup, Lowrance Electronics, Okuma and AirWave add thousands more to the total. The first-place team will also win a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid 2018 NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

The two-day event is hosted by the Sault Ste. Marie Convention and Visitors Bureau, with launches and weigh-ins held at the Aune Osborn Boat Launch. Weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. As a bonus to budding tournament fans, 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.

Teams fishing three or more MWC tournaments in 2017 also battle for coveted berths in the 2018 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship, set for October 2018 on Lake Michigan’s Bays de Noc out of Escanaba, Michigan. Teams fishing at least four qualifiers 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 a bonus, Lowe Equipment Attachments offers all Cabela’s MWC anglers a 25 percent discount off the MSRP on all its auger, trenching and grapple products in 2017 available through Midwest Attachments, LLC. For details, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com/tournaments/contingencies.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. Deadline to register for the St. Marys River tournament is Monday, August 21 at 4 p.m. For complete details, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com.

The 2017 schedule includes seven qualifiers in five states on a diverse selection of rivers, inland lakes and Great Lakes fisheries representing North America’s top walleye destinations.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 16th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and The Walleye Federation. Associate sponsors include: AirWave Pedestals, Bagley Baits, Church Tackle, G-Juice, MotorGuide and Okuma. For more information, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Erickson, Worden Win Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Devils Lake Tournament

Presented by Lowrance Electronics

Devils Lake, N.D.—July 22, 2017—Jeff Erickson and Jered Worden of Grand Forks, North Dakota, rode a consistent trolling pattern to victory at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Devils Lake regular-season qualifier presented by Lowrance Electronics July 21-22

The pair sacked a 23-pound, 15-ounce day one limit and added 24 pounds, 15 ounces on day two for a 48-pound, 14-ounce total that propelled them past day one leaders Troy Morris and Corey Heiser by a 6-ounce margin. “It’s amazing. I’m shaking like a leaf,” said Erickson. “This is a dream come true.”

“I really don’t know how to describe it,” added Worden. “Corey and Troy put up 32 pounds on day one. Today we were just hoping to catch enough to stay in the hunt. They’re phenomenal anglers, and the rest of the field knows how to catch fish, too. It’s hard to believe we won.”

The pair used leadcore and snap weights to slow troll crankbaits tight to bottom in 20 to 40 feet of water in East Bay. They credited their Lowrance electronics for pinpointing prime structure, along with the bottom-hugging walleyes relating to it.

“We relied heavily on SideScan to mark structure such as boulders and transitions from hard to soft bottom,” said Erickson. “DownScan was also key,” Worden noted. “The fish were holding tight to bottom. We looked for subtle color changes that indicated fish, then trolled right over the top of them.”

Erickson and Worden collected $15,200 in cash and prizes, including the $12,000 first-place cash payout, $1,000 Ranger Cup contingency, $500 Lowrance Electronics bonus, $500 AirWave certificate and $200 Okuma Reel bonus. They also won a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid entry into the 2018 NTC, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Rounding out the top five were:

2nd: Troy Morris, Corey Heiser, 48-08, $5,850 plus $3,658 in cash from the option pot

3rd: Scott Larson, Chris Reinhart, 45-00, $3,700

4th: Chad Lunde, Luke Schultz, 44-02, $2,700 plus $2,758 in cash from the option pot

5th: Josh Klein, Jay Kulla, 42-09, $2,200

In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $57,795.50 in cash and prizes.

A total of 657 walleyes weighing 1,780 pounds, 7 ounces came to the scale at the Sivert Thompson Activities Center in scenic Grahams Island State Park. Big fish was an 8-pound, 12-ounce beauty caught by  Kulla and Klein, but a number of other broad-shouldered walleyes also crossed the stage. 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.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2017 schedule includes seven qualifiers in five states on a diverse selection of rivers, inland lakes and Great Lakes fisheries representing North America’s top walleye destinations.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 16th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and The Walleye Federation. Associate sponsors include: AirWave Pedestals, Bagley Baits, Church Tackle, G-Juice, MotorGuide and Okuma. For more information, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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