Whitson, Campeau Lead Day Two Of 2015 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship

CampeauWhitsonWeb

Huron, Ohio—Oct. 23, 2015—A solid 24-pound, 9-ounce, 5-fish limit lifted Canadians Greg Whitson and Mark Campeau into the lead on day two of the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s 2015 World Walleye Championship on Lake Erie today.

Presented by Cabela’s, the three-day event pits the top point-accumulating teams from the 2014 MWC season against one another for their share of more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. Plus, sponsor contingencies including Ranger Cup, Lowrance Electronics, Abu Garcia, Okuma and the Zippo Hot Hands Big Fish Award add thousands more to the total.

The catch gave Whitson and Campeau a 10-fish, 48-pound, 9-ounce two-day total. It was a notable accomplishment during a day marked by heavy seas and numerous position changes on the MWC leaderboard. For example, after breaking the 30-pound barrier with a 30-05 limit in the first round of competition, day one leaders Matt Davis and Dan Geis managed just two fish for 5 pounds, 8 ounces today and fell to 10th with 35-13.

While Whitson and Campeau are sitting more than four pounds ahead of their nearest rivals—Randall Gaines and Mike Rhoades—they’re not resting on their laurels.

“That’s nothing on Lake Erie,” confided Whitson, of Windsor, Ontario. “Anything can happen. We were very fortunate today and are going out tomorrow with the exact same program we’ve used the past two days.”

That program produced a flurry of fish this morning. In fact, the pair caught their first walleye within two minutes of dropping a line in the water, and put five fish in the livewell on their first pass.

“That took the pressure off,” said Campeau, of St. Joachim, Ontario.

As gusting winds riled Erie’s surface, Whitson was thankful for a reliable fishing platform. “Some waves were better than six footers,” he said. “We felt fortunate to be in our Ranger boat with the conditions out there.”

With a south wind of 16 to 21 mph looming in the forecast for day three, Whitson and Campeau were confident their pattern would hold up.

“I don’t think it’s going to hurt us,” said Campeau. “We lit up that spot on a southwest wind during prefishing.”

Six-year MWC veterans and lifelong fishing buddies, Whitson and Campeau are on a roll this season, having won the Circuit’s Bays de Noc qualifier out of Escanaba July 31-Aug. 1. With 49 teams competing for the coveted crown, however, it’s a safe bet that more than one team will make a concerted effort to topple them.

The action resumes Saturday morning with take-off set for just after 7 a.m. at the Huron Boat Basin. Teams are due back at 3 p.m. for the final weigh-in, which is free and open to the public. Adding to the excitement, the event is being filmed for national television airing on Federation Angler TV, which appears on NBC Sports and the Pursuit Channel.

As a bonus for young walleye anglers, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands will present a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after Saturday’s 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 will be released shortly.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is concluding its 14th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Abu Garcia, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, MotorGuide, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Yellow Bird Fishing Products, Okuma, T-H Marine and Tight Lines Jewelry. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s 2015 World Walleye Championship Comes To Lake Erie Oct. 22-24 At Huron, Ohio Presented by Cabela’s

2015-MWC-logoPonca City, Okla.—Oct. 16, 2015—A high-stakes, big-fish battle of epic proportions is expected when North America’s top two-person walleye-fishing teams clash on legendary Lake Erie out of Huron, Ohio, Oct. 22-24 at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s 2015 World Walleye Championship.

Presented by Cabela’s, the event pits the top point-accumulating teams from the 2014 MWC season, which spanned seven states and included 10 qualifiers on world-class walleye waters such as the Illinois, Detroit and Mississippi rivers, Green Bay, Big Stone Lake, Kinzua Reservoir, Cass Lake Chain and Lake Erie.

Each spot in the field is by invitation-only and highly coveted among tournament anglers across the Walleye Belt. Along with a chance to claim the celebrated title of “World Walleye Champions,” the event offers more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. Plus, sponsor contingencies including Ranger Cup, Lowrance Electronics, Abu Garcia, Okuma and the Zippo Hot Hands Big Fish Award add thousands more to the total.

The field includes 2014 Cabela’s NTC champions Ross Neubauer and Jamie Tourangeau, reigning Cabela’s MWC world walleye champions Derek Navis and Korey Sprengel, and 2014 Cabela’s MWC Team of the Year Jeff Koester and Scott Rhodes.

Walleye fans of all ages are invited to cheer the teams on at the 7 a.m. take-off each morning at the Huron Boat Basin, then return at 3 p.m. to watch the Championship drama unfold live at the weigh-ins—which are free and open to the public.

Adding to the excitement, on-the-water and weigh-in action will be filmed for national television airing on Federation Angler TV, which appears on NBC Sports and the Pursuit Channel.

As a bonus for budding walleye anglers, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands will present a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after Saturday’s 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 will be released shortly.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is concluding its 14th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Abu Garcia, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, MotorGuide, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Yellow Bird Fishing Products, Okuma, T-H Marine and Tight Lines Jewelry. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

Adler, Dempsey Crowned Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit 2015 Team of the Year

2015-MWC-logoPonca City, Okla.—Oct. 13, 2015—Wisconsin’s Ryan Dempsey and Adam Adler put together a dream season against the world’s top walleye tournament anglers to earn the coveted title of the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s 2015 Team of the Year.

“It feels great,” said Adler, of Oconto Falls. “We never expected at the beginning of the year to wind up on top at the end.”

He and Dempsey, of Oneida, turned in a string of solid performances on a variety of different waters to take the title, which is awarded to the two-person team accumulating the highest point total from four qualifying events.

Adler and Dempsey racked up a total of 609 points after placing third at Cass Lake in north-central Minnesota; fourth at the Detroit River out of St. Clair Shores, Michigan; sixth at Sturgeon Bay of Lake Michigan; and 15th at the Spring Valley, Illinois, tournament on the Illinois River. Along the way, they also tied the Circuit’s all-time big-fish record with a 13-pound, 4-ounce Detroit River giant.

“I feel very lucky,” added Dempsey. “A guy could go a long time without getting the kind of breaks we got this season.”

Indeed, there were times the ball bounced their way. But a never-say-die attitude was also critical to enjoying such good fortune. At Spring Valley, for example, they struggled on day two until an afternoon rally saved the day. Their Detroit River monster boosted them up the Motor City leaderboard with one big bite. And with barely 20 minutes left of competition at Cass Lake, they landed a 4½-pound kicker for a 3-pound upgrade.

“We never gave up until the last minute,” Adler reflected.

Those who know the team have seen such spirit before. In 2014, for example, they finished second in a heartbreaker at the Cabela’s National Team Championship on Green Bay after leading the event the first two days. A month later, they roared back to win an MWC qualifier on the same body of water by nearly a 13-pound margin.

“When times get tough, you keep your head up and your lines in the water,” Dempsey quipped. Both he and Adler also noted that support on the home front and from their fellow MWC anglers played a major role in their success.

Along with extreme bragging rights in the walleye world, Adler and Dempsey earned their choice of prizes including a $25,000 Living the Dream package consisting of paid entry fees into the 2016 Cabela’s National Walleye Trail, use of a Ranger 600 Series walleye boat, custom gear and apparel package, travel stipend, custom trophies and $1,000 in Cabela’s gift cards.

Rounding out the top five teams were:
2nd: Danny and Barb Plautz, 599 points, $2,300 in cash and Cabela’s gift cards
3rd: Larry Rhoads and Dan Johnson, 596 points, $1,500 in cash and Cabela’s gift cards
4th: Troy Morris and Corey Heiser, 588 points, $1,200 in cash and Cabela’s gift cards
5th: Brian Steichen and Shawn Carl, 578 points, $1,000 in cash and Cabela’s gift cards

Teams finishing in the top five also claimed a paid entry to the 2016 Cabela’s National Team Championship, while places 6th through 10th pocketed $800 in cash and Cabela’s gift cards.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2015 schedule spanned nine states and included 11 regular-season qualifiers plus the 2015 World Walleye Championship. The 2016 schedule will be released shortly.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is concluding its 14th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Abu Garcia, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, MotorGuide, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Yellow Bird Fishing Products, Okuma, T-H Marine and Tight Lines Jewelry. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

Burns, Abel Win Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Mississippi River Tournament Presented by Lowe Equipment Attachments

  • Filed under MWC News

  • September 27, 2015

Dubuque, Iowa—Sept. 26, 2015—Iowans Chris Burns and Roger Abel rocketed up the leaderboard to score an exciting comeback win on the Mississippi River at Dubuque, Iowa, at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s final regular-season qualifier presented by Lowe Equipment Attachments Sept. 25-26.

dub q winners

Burns, of Davenport, and Abel, of Fairfax, weighed four walleyes for 8 pounds, 5 ounces on day one of the two-day tournament to land in ninth place among the 49 two-person teams battling for thousands in cash and prizes on the walleye-rich waterway.

dubq winner with 3 fish

“We lost a couple of key fish and came in one fish short of our limit,” Abel recalled. “We decided to start day two at our ‘numbers’ spot and then go hunting for big fish after that.”

dubq winners

As luck would have it, they landed a dandy kicker fish right out of the gate. “That took the pressure off,” Abel grinned. But he noted that in the end, they needed every bite—and nearly every second of fishing time—to pull off their rally. “We fished several different areas throughout the day and ended up getting our last fish with five minutes left to go,” he added.

With a five-fish MWC limit in the livewell, Burns and Abel added 13 pounds, 11 ounces to their tally for a 22-pound two-day total that topped the hard-fishing field of 98 anglers representing eight states.

“This is fantastic!” said Burns. “I always wanted an MWC win. Words can’t describe the feeling right now.”

Burns explained that the team tried different presentations, but their ace in the hole was pitching ¼-ounce jigs to holes in cutbanks along the edges of the main and side channels.

“We fished hair jigs and standard leadheads tipped with plastics,” he said, noting that both setups worked best when sweetened with a small chunk of nightcrawler. “The best approach was making a short cast and then letting the current sweep the jig through the hole, while slowly mending the line,” he added.

Burns and Abel collected nearly $16,840 in cash and prizes for their accomplishment, including $7,600 in cash for placing first, plus $2,940 in cash from the option pot and a $2,100 Lowe 750 Classic Power Auger Package from presenting sponsor Lowe Equipment Attachments—which included a 12-inch Lowe auger, hose kit and universal mounting system.

Burns and Abel’s winnings also included the $1,000 Ranger Cup award, $500 Lowrance Electronics contingency, $200 Okuma bonus, more than $500 from the MWC Big Fish Pot, and a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package, which includes paid entry into the 2016 NTC, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

They also claimed the title of Iowa State Walleye Champions, which comes with a $1,000 prize package including custom trophies, custom State Champions rings by Tight Lines Jewelry, a berth in the Cabela’s NTC, decals and a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame.

Rounding out the top five were:
2nd: Les Roemig, Glenn Daugherity, 21-08, $3,900 cash
3rd: Mike Bisdorf, Jason Hancock, 19-08, $2,600 cash
4th: Cody Decker, Matt Oliver, 19-04, $2,050 cash
5th: Dave Gossar, Jay Walsh, 19-03, $1,650 cash plus $1,960 from the option pot and $200 Zippo Hot Hands bonus for catching the largest walleye of the event, an 7-pound, 3-ounce Mississippi River beauty

To commemorate the Cabela’s MWC’s last regular-season event of 2015, sponsors and the Circuit celebrated with an appreciation party that showers the anglers with more than $11,000 in extra prizes. “We wanted to thank our anglers for making this another great season,” said MWC owner Robert Cartlidge. “The added prizes pushed the payback for this event to 121.4 percent—which is one of the highest, if not the highest, return on entry fees in MWC qualifying history.”

In addition, the following prizes were awarded by random drawing to all registered teams as a thank you for supporting the MWC: a Lowrance HDS 7 Gen 2 Touch valued at $1,299; two Abu Garcia line-counter reels valued at $200; a pair of $100 Cabela’s gift cards; two Ranger Boats Clothing Packages valued at $200; TH Marine Juice Package valued at $100; and a Mercury Prize Package valued at $100. Plus, each angler received a custom IM7, 7-foot Federation Angler jigging rod valued at $69.99 apiece.

In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $38,699.02 in cash and prizes, plus $2,100 in Big Fish cash plus $4900 from the option pot for a total of $45,699.02 it total cash and prizes to the anglers.

In all, 316 walleyes and saugers weighing 550 pounds, 8 ounces crossed the stage at Dubuque’s Ice Harbor Marina during the event, including 40 five-fish daily limits. Adding to the fun, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands 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 2015 schedule spans nine states and includes 11 regular-season qualifiers plus the 2015 World Walleye Championship.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is concluding its 14th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Abu Garcia, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, MotorGuide, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Yellow Bird Fishing Products, Okuma, T-H Marine and Tight Lines Jewelry. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.