Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Heads For Sturgeon Bay, WI May 8-9, Presented by Abu Garcia

Ponca City, Okla.—April 20, 2015—Competitive walleye anglers have a chance to enjoy great fishing while battling for hefty payouts when the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit visits Little Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for a qualifying tournament presented by Abu Garcia May 8-9.

Launching from Carmody Park in the city of Sturgeon Bay, the event offers two-person teams a shot at the giant walleyes of Little Sturgeon Bay and Green Bay. Part of an expanded lineup of top destinations for the MWC’s 2015 season, the event also is timed to offer competitors great fishing. “Giant walleyes will be within easy reach of tournament anglers, so I expect to see plenty of big baskets at this event,” says Cabela’s MWC Senior Tournament Director Dan Palmer.

Besides a shot at trophy walleyes, the Cabela’s MWC offers lucrative payouts. In 2014 the Circuit rewarded anglers with a total payback of more than 127 percent. Payouts are based on the number of teams entered in each event. Plus, the MWC Big Fish Pot and sponsor bonuses from Ranger, Lowrance, Abu Garcia, Zippo Outdoor Brands and Okuma add thousands more to the total. 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. And new for 2014, the creation of an option pot adds even more chances to cash in. At the recent Detroit River qualifier, for example, tournament champions Steve and Dan Bodinger added $3,900 in option pot cash to their total winnings.

Adding to the excitement, all Cabela’s MWC tournaments are designated as “State Championship Qualifying Events.” Teams from the state where the event is held are eligible, along with teams from a state not hosting an MWC event in 2015 (provided at least 10 teams from their state are competing in the event). Besides bragging rights, state champions will earn a $1,000 prize package including custom trophies, decals, a berth in the Cabela’s NTC, and a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame. In states hosting two events, teams must fish both tournaments to be in the running, which means Wisconsin teams must fish the Sturgeon Bay and Petenwell qualifiers for a shot at the state title.
Inspections and weigh-ins will be held at Stevenson Pier in Carmody Park. Take-off is 7 a.m. and weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. Two-person teams will be allowed to weigh five walleyes measuring 15 inches and over each day, and the team with the heaviest two-day total weight will be crowned the winners.

Weigh-ins are free and open to the public. As a bonus to budding tournament fans, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands will present a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after the day-one weigh-in. The first 50 youths will receive rods 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. Deadline to register for the Sturgeon Bay tournament is Monday, May 4th.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in 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, 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.
###

Bodinger Brothers Win Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Saint Clair and Detroit River Tournament
Presented by Ranger Boats

St. Clair Shores, Mich.—April 18, 2015—Hard-fishing brothers Steve and Dan Bodinger sacked a two-day, 10-fish limit weighing an incredible 90 pounds, 11 ounces to win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Detroit River qualifying tournament presented by Ranger Boats on April 17-18.

The Bodingers, both of Chilton, Wisconsin, brought in 47 pounds, 8 ounces on day one and 43 pounds, 3 ounces on day two for their epic total, which broke the circuit’s all-time two-day basket record of 87 pounds, 3 ounces, and pushed them to the top of the 70-boat leaderboard, just one ounce ahead of second-place finishers Curtis Olivier and Doug Galant, who weighed in 90 pounds, 10 ounces.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” Steve said of the brothers’ second MWC Detroit River victory in a stellar 20-plus-year circuit career, having won the event in 2010 with 10 fish weighing just over 72½ pounds. The Bodingers collected the $10,000 first-place cash payout, plus $3,900 in cash from the option pot, a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package, including paid entry into the 2016 NTC, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques. They also won two Okuma Dead Eye rods worth $200.

“This is unbelievable,” Dan added, noting that having friends and family at the event made it doubly rewarding. He explained that their winning tactics hinged on fishing ¾- to 1-ounce jigs tipped with 3- to 4-inch, shad-tailed Berkley PowerBait. “Green was our hot color,” he said. “I snap-jigged while Dan fished more slowly on bottom, and both approaches caught fish.”

The Bodingers also credited their Lowrance HDS-10 electronics for revealing their go-to fishing spot, a rocky straight-away lying in 22 to 25 feet of water on the Canadian side about a mile from Lake Erie. “We didn’t catch a lot of fish, but we saw them on our Lowrance sonar so we kept working the area and it paid off,” he explained.

In second, Olivier, of Yankton, South Dakota, and Galant, of Pleasant Hills, Missouri, claimed $5,000 in cash, plus $2,900 from the option pot and the $500 Lowrance Electronics contingency.

Rounding out the top five were:
3rd: Kevin Dahl and Steve Stack, 87-11, $3,400 cash plus $1,950 from the option pot and the $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus

4th: Ryan Dempsey and Adam Adler, 86-07, $2,550 cash plus the Abu Garcia reel bonus and $200 Zippo Hot Hand Award for big fish of the event, a 13-pound, 4-ounce walleye. The enormous ’eye also tied the circuit’s all-time big-fish record.
5th: Jim Passo and Rob Crowe, 83-11, $2,100 cash plus $1,500 from the option pot

In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded a total payback of $42,140 in cash and prizes.

All 2015 Cabela’s MWC tournaments are designated as “State Championship Qualifying Events.” In states hosting two events, teams must fish both tournaments to be in the running. The Bodingers now lead the points race for the Michigan title, which will be decided at the Escanaba event in July. Besides bragging rights, state champions claim a $1,000 prize package including custom marble plaques, decals, a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame and a bid to the Cabela’s NTC.

Weigh-ins were held at the Chapton Harbor 9 Mile Ramp on the famous Nautical Mile in St. Clair Shores. A total of 635 walleyes weighing 4,377 pounds, 8 ounces—taken from legendary Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie—crossed the stage during the event, including 120 five-fish daily limits. 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 entering 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, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Yellow Bird Fishing Products, Okuma, T-H Marine and Tight Line Jewelry. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.
###

Is a 2-day #100 pound sack possible? Some say it is this year!

Ponca City, Okla.—March 30, 2015—Hefty payouts and world-class walleye fishing will be on tap when the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit returns to the Detroit River at Saint Clair Shores for a regular-season qualifying tournament presented by Ranger Boats on April 17-18.

Launching from St. Clair Shores, on the Nautical Mile www.nauticalmile.org the event offers two-person teams a trifecta of top-shelf walleye waters including Lake St. Clair, Detroit River and Western Lake Erie. Part of an expanded lineup of A-list destinations for the MWC’s 2015 season, the event also is timed to offer competitors great fishing. “It coincides with the spring spawning run of countless huge Lake Erie walleyes, giving our anglers some of the best chances anywhere in the world at catching trophy walleyes,” says Cabela’s MWC Senior Tournament Director Dan Palmer.

At the 2014 MWC Detroit River tournament, victors Tony Kobriger and Dan Zwick shattered the Circuit’s longstanding two-day basket record with a 10-fish limit weighing 87 pounds, 3 ounces, and the tournament’s big fish was a 13-pound, 4-ounce behemoth caught by Jerry Fox, Jr. and Kenneth Fox. Given the current weather, the feedback from the local area anglers, coupled with the timing and location of this year’s event at Saint Clair Shores, all current MWC records could very well be in jeopardy.

Besides a shot at giant walleyes, the Cabela’s MWC offers lucrative payouts. In 2014 the Circuit rewarded anglers with a total payback of more than 127 percent. Payouts are based on the number of teams entered in each event. Plus, the MWC Big Fish Pot and sponsor bonuses from Ranger, Lowrance, Abu Garcia, Zippo Outdoor Brands and Okuma add thousands more to the total. 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. And new for 2014, the creation of an option pot adds even more chances to cash in. At the recent Illinois River qualifier, for example, tournament champions Mark Meravy and Terry Carr added $4,000 in option pot cash to their total winnings.

Adding to the excitement, all Cabela’s MWC tournaments are designated as “State Championship Qualifying Events.” Teams from the state where the event is held are eligible, along with teams from a state not hosting an MWC event in 2015 (provided at least 10 teams from their state are competing in the event). Besides bragging rights, state champions will earn a $1,000 prize package including custom trophies, decals, a berth in the Cabela’s NTC, and a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame.

New for the Cabela’s MWC Detroit River event the 2014, inspections and weigh-ins will be held at the Chapton Harbor 9 Mile Ramp in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Take-off is 7 a.m. and weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. Two-person teams will be allowed to weigh five walleyes measuring 15 inches and over each day, and the team with the heaviest two-day total weight will be crowned the winners.

Weigh-ins are free and open to the public. As a bonus to budding tournament fans, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands will present a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after the day-one weigh-in. The first 50 youths will receive rods 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. Deadline to register for the Detroit River tournament is Monday, April 13. In all, 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 entering 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, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Yellow Bird Fishing Products, Okuma, and T-H Marine. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.
###

Meravy, Carr Win Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Illinois River Tournament
Presented by Cabela’s

Spring Valley, Ill.—March 21, 2015— Mark Meravy and Terry Carr scored a come-from-behind victory at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s qualifier on the Illinois River at Spring Valley, Illinois, March 20-21.

Meravy, of Shorewood, Illinois, and Carr, of Otley, Iowa, weighed five fish for 14 pounds, nine ounces on day one. The respectable tally put them solidly in second place, just six ounces behind leaders Adam and Steve Sandor, both of Ottawa, Illinois. Meravy and Carr charged into first on day two with a 15-pound, 11-ounce five-fish limit for a total weight of 30 pounds, 4 ounces.

“You work so hard it feels good to win,” said Meravy. “But the most satisfying thing is doing this with such good friends. They make me a better person.” It was Meravy’s third MWC Spring Valley victory, having won the event in 2011 with Tom Brunz and in 2003 with John Broncato. The only other three-time Spring Valley MWC winners are Gary and John Dalzot.

Meravy and Carr collected the $11,500 first-place cash payout, plus another $4,000 cash from the option pot, $311 in Big Fish Pot winnings and a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid entry into the 2016 NTC, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Because all 2015 Cabela’s MWC tournaments are designated as “State Championship Qualifying Events,” Meravy and Carr also earned the title of Illinois State Walleye Champions. Besides bragging rights, they claimed a $1,000 prize package including custom marble plaques, decals, a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame and a last-chance bid to the 2015 Cabela’s NTC. If they can continue their winning ways at future MWC events in 2015 they could become the first team under the new program to win multiple state champions titles in a single season.

“This feels great,” added Carr, who explained that he and Meravy focused on a big-fish spot holding large female saugers, instead of weeding through abundant smaller males and their backup fishing areas. Meravy noted that ¼- to 3/8-ounce jigs tipped with 3-inch, slender soft-plastic trailers fished slowly and close to bottom were key to success. “The water was so clear, natural and translucent colors were best,” he said. “We also sprayed the plastics with Berkley Gulp! Alive! attractant.”

In second place, Scott Geitgey of Canton, Ohio, and Jay Gullett, of Willard, Ohio, weighed 10 fish for a 29-pound, 2-ounce total worth $5,700 in cash plus $3,000 in cash for second place in the option pot, the $1,000 Ranger Cup contingency and $500 Lowrance Electronics bonus. Geitgey and Gullet were also crowned Ohio State Walleye Champions, since this was the first MWC event with more than 10 Ohio teams present. They collected a $1,000 prize package for the accomplishment.

Rounding out the top five were:
3rd: Heath Bowman and Gordy Powers, 27-09, who earned a total of $5,800 and two Okuma Dead Eye rods worth $200
4th: Danny and Barb Plautz, 26-14, $4,500 cash
5th: Kevin Dahlauser and Kyle Kneser, 26-03, $3,800 cash

In other awards, 12th-place finishers David Kleszyk and David Zurawski claimed the $200 Zippo Hot Hand Award plus two Abu Garcia linecounter reels worth $200 for big fish of the event, a 5-pound, 10-ounce walleye. In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $68,150 in cash and prizes.

Weigh-ins were held at the Spring Valley Boat Club, which drew rave reviews from the anglers. “Special thanks to the Boat Club for hosting us and to the Spring Valley Walleye Club for the use of Barto Landing,” said Senior Tournament Director Dan Palmer. “Also a big thanks to the city of Spring Valley and the Oglesby Days Inn.” 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 entering 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, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Yellow Bird Fishing Products, Okuma, and T-H Marine. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

For full standings, photo and payout info check out the results page by clicking HERE!

                                                                                                             ###