MWC Big Stone Lake April 29-30!

Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Returns To Big Stone Lake2015-MWC-logo
Presented By The Walleye Federation

 

Ponca City, Okla.—April 14, 2016—Competitive walleye anglers have a chance to enjoy great fishing while testing their skills against top two-person teams from across the Midwest when the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit returns to a longtime favorite destination, Big Stone Lake, for a qualifying tournament April 29-30.

 

The walleye-rich border impoundment separating Minnesota from South Dakota has hosted many MWC events throughout the trail’s history, and never fails to deliver exciting tournament action for anglers using a variety of techniques from slip bobbering to jigging, rigging and cranking.
Based in scenic Lakeside Park in Ortonville, the event offers teams two full days of competition. Teams will be allowed to weigh five fish measuring 15 inches and over each day—with one over 20 inches per angler—and the team with the heaviest two-day total weight will be crowned the tournament champions.

 

The Cabela’s MWC offers lucrative payouts, which are based on the number of teams entered in each event. Plus, the MWC Big Fish Pot and MWC side pot payouts, along with sponsor bonuses including Ranger Cup, Abu Garcia, Lowrance Electronics and Okuma add thousands more to the total. Additional bonuses can push the tally even higher. And as an added incentive, the first-place team will win a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

 

Weigh-ins are free, open to the public and begin at 3 p.m. As a bonus to budding tournament fans, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association and Pure Fishing 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.

 

Adding to the excitement, Cabela’s MWC qualifiers also serve as “State Championship Events.” All teams fishing the event are eligible for the State Champions title in that state, and any event with more than 10 teams registered from any state where the MWC is not holding a qualifier that year will offer a State Champions title for that state as well.

 

In states where the MWC hosts only one event each year, the winners of that event earn a state champions title for that year for that state regardless of where they live. In states hosting two or more regular season MWC events, like Minnesota, teams will be required to count scores for all events held in that state to earn the state champions title.

 

Besides serious bragging rights, state champions will earn, at minimum, custom state champions’ prizes and awards, a berth in the Cabela’s NTC, and a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame.

 

Along with great payouts at each event, teams fishing three or more tournaments in 2016 will battle for coveted berths in the 2017 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship, set for September on Minnesota’s Cass Lake out of Stony Point Resort. Teams fishing at least four qualifiers compete for Team of the Year awards, including thousands in cash and Cabela’s Cash cards, as well as fully paid entries into a full season of great walleye action.

 

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. In all, the 2016 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states and includes a diverse selection of the Walleye Belt’s finest rivers, inland lakes and big-water fisheries. Deadline to register for the Big Stone tournament is Monday, April 25.

 

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 15th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Abu Garcia, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and The Walleye Federation. Associate sponsors include: AirWave Pedestals, G-Juice, MotorGuide and Okuma. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

 

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Dougherty, Stier Win Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Detroit River Tournament

Dougherty, Stier Win Cabela’s Masters
Walleye Circuit Detroit River Tournament

Presented By Abu Garcia

Trenton, Mich.—April 16, 2016—Mitch Dougherty and Dan Stier led wire to wire to win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit regular season qualifier on the Detroit River April 15-16.

“It feels awesome to come out on top against such great fishermen,” said Stier, of Mina, South Dakota. “Last year we finished just out of the money at a couple of MWC events, so it’s great to have our program come together.”

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“It’s very satisfying feeling,” added Dougherty, of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, “Last season we missed bites and lost fish, but this time everything clicked.”

Based in Elizabeth Park in Trenton, Michigan, the event offered two-person teams two full days of competition on the U.S. and Canadian sides of the 32-mile waterway, along with downstream hotspots on mighty Lake Erie.

Dougherty and Stier sacked a 5-fish limit weighing 43 pounds, 15 ounces to top the leaderboard on day one of the two-day event. They held onto the lead with a 41-pound, 14-ounce limit on day two, which gave them an impressive 85-pound, 13-ounce tournament tally.

After trying the river during practice, they focused on 38 feet of water in Lake Erie during competition. Trolling diving crankbaits at varying speeds—including stalling the baits with S-turns—was key to triggering strikes, they said, noting the fish were suspended anywhere from 6 to 18 feet beneath the surface depending on light conditions and boat traffic.

Dougherty and Stier collected a total of $20,670 in winnings, including the $13,500 first-place cash award plus the $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus, $500 Lowrance Electronics contingency, $160 Okuma Inspira Reel bonus and $660 for taking second place in the MWC Big Fish Pot on day one with an 11-6 beauty. They also won $3,850 in cash from the MWC Option Pot and claimed a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid entry into the 2017 NTC, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Because all 2016 Cabela’s MWC tournaments are designated as “State Championship Qualifying Events,” Dougherty and Stier also earned the title of Michigan State Walleye Champions. Besides bragging rights, they claimed custom state champions’ prizes and awards, a berth in the Cabela’s 2017 NTC, and a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame.

Rounding out the top five were:

2nd: Steve Vandemark, Jerry Fox Jr., 66-6, $6,300 plus $3,100 in option pot winnings

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3rd: Mike Sitko, Erick Schenavar, 64-11, $4,200

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4th: Scott Rhodes, Jeff Koester, 64-00, $3,400 plus $2,050 from the option pot

5th: Bret and Corey Tirpak, 61-5, $2,800

In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $75,930 in cash and prizes.

A total of 642 walleyes and saugers weighing 3,243 pounds, 5 ounces crossed the scale at Elizabeth Park during the event. Adding to the fun, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association and Pure Fishing 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 2016 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states on a diverse selection of the Walleye Belt’s finest rivers, inland lakes and big-water fisheries. Up next is the Big Stone Lake qualifier out of Ortonville, Minn., April 29-30.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 15th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Abu Garcia, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and The Walleye Federation. Associate sponsors include: AirWave Pedestals, G-Juice, MotorGuide and Okuma. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Heads For The Detroit River Presented By Abu Garcia

Ponca City, Okla.—March 24, 2016—A chance to enjoy some of North America’s finest trophy walleye fishing while competing for hefty prizes awaits when the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit returns to one of the anglers’ favorite circuit stops, the legendary Detroit River, for a qualifying tournament April 15-16.
Based in scenic Elizabeth Park in Trenton, Michigan, the event offers two-person teams two full days of competition on the U.S. and Canadian sides of the 32-mile waterway, along with downstream hotspots on mighty Lake Erie.

 

“The tournament coincides with the spring spawning run of Lake Erie walleyes, giving MWC anglers some of the best chances anywhere at catching trophy walleyes,” said Cabela’s MWC Senior Tournament Director Dan Palmer.

 

Case in point: At the 2015 MWC Detroit River tournament, winners Steve and Dan Bodinger sacked a two-day, 10-fish MWC limit weighing an incredible 90 pounds, 11 ounces. In the process, they broke the circuit’s all-time two-day basket record of 87 pounds, 3 ounces and topped the leaderboard just an ounce ahead of second-place finishers Curtis Olivier and Doug Galant, who weighed in 90 pounds, 10 ounces.

Curtis Oliver and Doug Galant
Anglers can use a variety of presentations on the Detroit River. Jigging is a favorite, and in 2015 the Bodinger brothers targeted a rocky straightaway lying in 22 to 25 feet of water on the Canadian side of the river, about a mile from Lake Erie. Their winning tactics hinged on fishing beefy jigs tipped with shad-tailed Berkley softbaits. But when the Bodingers won the event in 2010, the hot bite was downstream in Lake Erie, where trolling spinner rigs was key to success.

 

The Cabela’s MWC offers lucrative payouts, which are based on the number of teams entered in each event. Plus, the MWC Big Fish Pot and MWC side pot payouts, along with sponsor bonuses including Ranger Cup, Abu Garcia, Lowrance Electronics and Okuma add thousands more to the total. Additional bonuses can push the tally even higher. And as an added incentive, the first-place team will win a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

 

Inspections and weigh-ins will be held at Elizabeth Park. Teams will be allowed to weigh five fish measuring 15 inches and over each day, and the team with the heaviest two-day total weight will be crowned the tournament champions.

 

Weigh-ins are free, open to the public and begin at 3 p.m. As a bonus to budding tournament fans, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association and Pure Fishing 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.

 

Cabela’s MWC qualifiers also serve as “State Championship Events” which adds more excitement to every event. All teams fishing the event are eligible for the State Champions title in that state, and any event with more than 10 teams registered from any state where the MWC is not holding a qualifier that year will offer a State Champions title for that state as well.

 

Besides bragging rights, state champions will earn, at minimum, custom state champions’ prizes and awards, a berth in the Cabela’s NTC, and a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame.

 

Along with great payouts at each event, teams fishing three or more tournaments in 2016 will battle for coveted berths in the 2017 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship, set for September on Minnesota’s Cass Lake out of Stony Point Resort. Teams fishing at least four qualifiers compete for Team of the Year awards, including thousands in cash and Cabela’s Cash cards, as well as fully paid entries into a full season of great walleye action.

 

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 Detroit River tournament is Monday, April 11.

 

In all, the 2016 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states and includes a diverse selection of the Walleye Belt’s finest rivers, inland lakes and big-water fisheries.

 

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 15th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Abu Garcia, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and The Walleye Federation. Associate sponsors include: AirWave Pedestals, G-Juice, MotorGuide and Okuma. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

 

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Perez, Tregoning Win Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Illinois River Tournament

Perez, Tregoning Win Cabela’s Masters
Walleye Circuit Illinois River Tournament

Presented By Mercury

Spring Valley, Ill.—March 19, 2016—Joe Perez and Troy Tregoning tapped a shallow-water pattern to beat a tough bite and win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit season opener on the Illinois River at Spring Valley, Illinois.

“It feels amazing,” said Perez, of Spring Valley. “This is my sixth Illinois River MWC and I really can’t describe what it’s like to finally accomplish this.”

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He and Tregoning, also of Spring Valley, sacked a 5-fish limit weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce on day one of the two-day event to land in second place. They vaulted to first on day two with two fish weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces for a 19-pound, 12-ounce total.

They collected the $11,650 first-place cash payout, plus the $500 Lowrance Electronics contingency, $160.99 Abu Garcia Revo SX Spinning reel bonus, $160 Okuma Inspira Reel bonus, $1,710 in Big Fish Pot winnings and a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid entry into the 2017 NTC, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Because all 2016 Cabela’s MWC tournaments are designated as “State Championship Qualifying Events,” Perez and Tregoning also earned the title of Illinois State Walleye Champions. Besides bragging rights, they claimed custom state champions’ prizes and awards, a berth in the Cabela’s 2017 NTC, and a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame.

“This is very special,” added Tregoning. “I lost my father last November and he was shining down on me today.”

While many of the 88 two-person teams struggled to find fish after recent rains swelled the river and muddied its waters, Perez and Tregoning hit paydirt in just five feet of water. “We fished jigs and floater rigs in a riprap area that had the right combination of current and baitfish,” Perez explained.

With water temperatures hovering just above 50 and walleyes in prespawn mode, the pair gingerly finessed their baits over the rocky bottom. “We didn’t get a lot of bites, but we made them count,” said Tregoning.

Rounding out the top five were:
2nd: Curt and Justin Olivier, 17-11, $5,800 plus $3,650 in side pot winnings

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3rd: Steve Vandemark, Jerry Fox Jr., 16-00, $3,900 plus $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus and $2,850 from the side pot

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4th: Jerry Eiben, Joe Knight, 12-07, $2,950 plus $760 Big Fish Pot and Iowa State Champions Prize Package
5th: Glenn Daugherity, Kathleen Hohn, 12-02, $2,300

In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $64,000 in cash and prizes.

A total of 108 walleyes and saugers weighing 243 pounds, 5 ounces crossed the scale at the Spring Valley Boat Club during the event. Adding to the fun, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association and Pure Fishing 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 2016 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states on a diverse selection of the Walleye Belt’s finest rivers, inland lakes and big-water fisheries.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 15th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Abu Garcia, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and The Walleye Federation. Associate sponsors include: AirWave Pedestals, G-Juice, MotorGuide and Okuma. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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