For Immediate Release –

Ponca City, Okla.—Sept. 26, 2014—North America’s top two-person walleye-fishing teams will clash on the High Plains paradise of Devils Lake, North Dakota, Oct. 9-11 at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s 2014 World Walleye Championship.

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, Berkley Baits, Lowrance Electronics, Optima True Blue and the Zippo Hot Hands Big Fish Award add thousands more to the total.

Teams qualified for the 2014 World Walleye Championship by earning points during the 2013 Cabela’s MWC season at 10 world-class destinations from Colorado’s Pueblo Reservoir to Lake Erie out of Huron, Ohio. Each spot in the field is by invitation-only, carries no entry fee, and is coveted among walleye tournament anglers.

Rich in fishing talent, the field is led by the 2013 Cabela’s MWC Team of the Year, Wisconsin’s Derek Navis, of Waupun, and Korey Sprengel, of Beaver Dam. Teams will compete three days for the largest total weight. They are allowed to bring their five best walleyes to the Cabela’s MWC stage each day, and under the Circuit’s catch-and-release format, the fish will be released back into Devils Lake.

Walleye fans of all ages are invited to watch the drama unfold live at the weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public. The festivities begin at 4 p.m. daily at Grahams Island State Park. Immediately following Friday’s weigh-in, the Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands will present a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic. The first 50 youths will receive rod-and-reel combos courtesy of the NPAA.

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

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Cabela’s MWC is open to avid walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2014 trail included 10 qualifiers spread across seven states. Teams showcased their skills—and sponsor products—at world-class venues such as the Illinois, Detroit and Mississippi rivers, Green Bay, Big Stone Lake, Kinzua Reservoir, and wind down the regular season on the fertile waters of Lake Erie.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is concluding its 12th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, Ranger Boats, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Berkley Trilene, Church Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, Optima Batteries, Rockstar Hitch Mounted Mud Flaps, T-H Marine and Sea Grant. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

Brumbaugh, Robertson Finish Strong To Win Cabela’s
Masters Walleye Circuit Lake Erie Regular-Season Finale

 Presented by Cabela’s

For Immediate Release –

Huron, Ohio—Sept. 27, 2014—Ohioans Mark Brumbaugh and Michael Robertson stormed the leaderboard on day two of the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Lake Erie qualifier to score a dramatic comeback victory worth more than $10,000 in cash and prizes.

“This is my first major tournament win, and it’s really exciting,” Robertson, of Laura, said seconds after topping the field of 55 teams from 14 states and one Canadian province. Held Sept. 26-27 out of Huron, Ohio, the event was the final qualifier of the 2014 Cabela’s MWC season.

After weighing in 17 pounds, 9 ounces on day one, Brumbaugh and Robertson found themselves in seventh place, trailing leaders Wayne Van Dyke and Bruce Mueller by more than 9 pounds. But on day two, an impressive 32-pound, 7-ounce limit that proved to be the heaviest basket of the tournament pushed Brumbaugh and Robertson over the top with a 10-fish limit weighing 50 pounds even.

“We just went out on day two and worked hard, changing lure colors and following the fish,” Robertson added. He credited their Lowrance HDS 12 electronics for helping them track a school of wandering walleyes that changed locations from day one to day two.

“I haven’t won a big event in awhile, so it’s nice to know I can still do it,” grinned Brumbaugh, of Arcanum. He explained the team long-lined crankbaits 28 to 30 feet down in 38 to 40 feet of water about 5 miles from port, along the northwest corner of a sediment dump. Speeds of 2 to 2.2 mph were key, as was their 10-pound-test Berkley Trilene Big Game monofilament, which they ran with letbacks of 120 to 200 feet behind their planer boards.

“We also added small pieces of 3-inch Berkley Gulp! Fry to the crankbait trebles for extra scent,” he noted. “The thin-diameter Fry is perfect because it doesn’t affect the lure’s action.”

Brumbaugh and Robertson collected $8,200 in cash for the win, plus the $500 Berkley Baits Award, $500 Lowrance HDS Gen2 Touch and Elite 7 contingency, and $200 Optima True Blue bonus. They also claimed a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Joe Miller of Elgin, Illinois, and Steve Tyszko of Miller’s Port, Ohio, finished second with 45 pounds, 10 ounces, worth $4,300 plus $638 from the Big Fish Pot and the $250 Zippo Hot Hands Big Fish Award for catching big walleye of the tournament, a 10-pound, 13-ounce behemoth.

Rounding out the top 5 were:

3rd: Wayne Van Dyke and Bruce Mueller, 44-11, $2,900

4th: Scott Rhodes and Jeff Koester, 42-08, $2,300

5th: Jason Kopf and Rodger Riggs, 40-14, $1,900 plus $1,000 Ranger Cup contingency

In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $33,900 in cash and prizes at the event.

Weigh-ins were held at the Huron Boat Basin. Lake Erie yielded 257 walleyes weighing a total of 925 pounds, 5 ounces. The Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands presented a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after the first day’s weigh-in. Participating youths received 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 2014 trail included 10 qualifiers spread across seven states. Teams showcased their skills—and sponsor products—at world-class venues such as the Illinois, Detroit and Mississippi rivers, Green Bay, Big Stone Lake, Kinzua Reservoir, Cass Lake and Lake Erie. The Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s 2014 World Walleye Championship is set for Oct. 9-11 on the High Plains paradise of Devils Lake, North Dakota.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is concluding its 12th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, Ranger Boats, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Berkley Trilene, Church Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, Optima Batteries, Rockstar Hitch Mounted Mud Flaps, T-H Marine and Sea Grant.

Entry fees are $650 per tournament, of which more than 100 percent is returned to anglers at the qualifiers, World Championship and Team of the Year races. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Visits Lake Erie
At Huron, Ohio, For Regular-Season Finale Sept. 26-28

Presented by Cabela’s

For Immediate Release –

Ponca City, Okla.—Sept. 8, 2014—A big-water battle of epic proportions will take place Sept. 26-28 when top teams from across the country converge on Huron, Ohio, for the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s 2014 regular-season finale on legendary Lake Erie.

The event is open to two-person teams regardless of club or sponsor affiliation, and entries are accepted through 10 a.m. on Monday, September 22. The tournament is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, with Sunday reserved in case bad weather forces the cancellation of one of the first two days. Teams will be allowed to weigh five fish per day, and the duo with the heaviest two-day total weight will be crowned tournament champions.

Based on the Circuit’s past visits to Lake Erie, competitors are in for world-class walleye action. At the 2013 Cabela’s MWC qualifier on Erie, the father-and-son team of Nicholas and Gary Zart, of Brunswick, Ohio, claimed top honors with a 10-fish limit weighing a whopping 84 pounds, 13 ounces. Their top tactic was pulling 6-inch Berkley Gulp! Nightcrawlers and live ’crawlers near bottom in 48 feet of water, and they collected more than $13,000 in first-place cash and prizes. At the same event, fellow Ohioans Mark Brumbaugh, of Arcanum, and Michael Robertson, of Laura, broke the Circuit’s all-time single-day basket record with five walleyes weighing 52 pounds, 11 ounces.

Cabela’s MWC payouts are based on the number of teams entered in each event. Plus, the MWC Big Fish Pot, along with sponsor bonuses including Ranger Cup, Berkley Baits, Lowrance Electronics, Optima True Blue and the Zippo Hot Hands Big Fish Award add thousands more to the total.

The public is invited to the weigh-ins, which begin at 4 p.m. daily at the Huron Boat Basin. The Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands will present a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after the first day’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 2014 trail included 10 stops spread across seven states. Teams showcased their skills—and sponsor products—at world-class venues such as the Illinois, Detroit and Mississippi rivers, Green Bay, Big Stone Lake, Kinzua Reservoir, and wind down the regular season on the fertile waters of Lake Erie.

Along with great payouts at each event, teams fishing three or more tournaments battle for coveted berths in the 2015 Cabela’s MWC Championship, set for October 2015 on Lake Erie out of Huron, Ohio. Teams fishing at least three qualifiers also compete for Team of the Year awards, including a $25,000 “Living the Dream” sponsorship package, which includes fully paid entries to the Cabela’s National Walleye Trail as a pro and co-angler, use of a 600 series Ranger boat, travel stipends and more.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 12th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, Ranger Boats, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Berkley Trilene, Church Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, Optima Batteries, Rockstar Hitch Mounted Mud Flaps, T-H Marine and Sea Grant.

Entry fees are $650 per tournament, of which more than 100 percent is returned to anglers at the qualifiers, World Championship and Team of the Year races. Registration closes at 10 a.m. on Monday prior to each tournament. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Braaten, Swenson Win Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s
Cass Lake Tournament

 Presented by Mercury

For Immediate Release –

Cass Lake, Minn.—Sept. 13, 2014—Consistency was the key for Minnesotans Jay Braaten and Dan Swenson, who put together a pair of equally solid baskets to claim top honors at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Cass Lake qualifier September 12-13.

“It’s really exciting,” Swenson, of Deer River, said of the win seconds after topping the 80-team field in front of a roaring crowd gathered at Stony Point Resort. “This was a great day,” beamed Braaten, of Blackduck. The event was Swenson’s second Circuit competition, and Braaten’s first. “It’s a good way to start out on the MWC,” he added.

After landing in fourth place on day one with a five-fish limit weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces, Braaten and Swenson stormed the leaderboard with an identical day two weight for a 31-pound, 2-ounce total.

They relied on rigging creek chubs and redtails in 20 to 30 feet of water on Cass Lake and Pike Bay for many of their fish, and credited their Lowrance HDS sonar for revealing bottom-hugging walleyes, especially along steep breaks. “We also cast jigs tipped with 4-inch Berkley Gulp! Smelt in depths of 15 feet,” Swenson added.

They collected $10,600 in cash for the win, plus the $1,000 Ranger Cup contingency, $500 Berkley Baits Award and $500 Lowrance HDS Gen2 Touch and Elite 7 contingency. They also claimed a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Rounding out the top 5 were:

2nd: Troy and Wes Loeckle, 30-13

3rd: Darrell Peters and Christopher Lewis, 28-10

4th: Bill Lundy and Bill Lundy, Sr., 28-05

5th: Sean Colter and Dave Hernesman, 28-00

In other contingencies, Peters and Lewis won the $200 Optima True Blue bonus; Mike Dorris and Brian Tordsen claimed the $250 Zippo Hot Hands Big Fish Award for catching big fish of the tournament, an 8-pound, 2-ounce walleye; and Ryan and Jerry Lagodinski won the $500 Rockstar Hitch Mounted Mud Flaps award for climbing from last place on day one to 38^th on day two. In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $47,600 in cash and prizes.

The Cass Lake Chain yielded 567 walleyes weighing a total of 1,220 pounds, 2 ounces in the catch-and-release event. The Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands presented a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after the first day’s weigh-in. Participating youths received 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 2014 trail included 10 stops spread across seven states in the Walleye Belt. Teams showcased their skills—and sponsor products—at world-class venues such as the Illinois, Detroit and Mississippi rivers, Green Bay, Big Stone Lake, Kinzua Reservoir, Cass Lake, and finish the regular season at Lake Erie Sept. 26-28.

Along with great payouts at each event, teams fishing three or more tournaments battle for coveted berths in the 2015 Cabela’s MWC Championship, set for October 2015 on Lake Erie out of Huron, Ohio. Teams fishing at least three qualifiers also compete for Team of the Year awards, including a $25,000 “Living the Dream” sponsorship package, which includes fully paid entries to the Cabela’s National Walleye Trail as a pro and co-angler, use of a 600 series Ranger boat, travel stipends and more.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 12th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, Ranger Boats, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Berkley Trilene, Church Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, Optima Batteries, Rockstar Hitch Mounted Mud Flaps, T-H Marine and Sea Grant.

Entry fees are $650 per tournament, of which more than 100 percent is returned to anglers at the qualifiers, World Championship and Team of the Year races. Registration closes at 10 a.m. on Monday prior to each tournament. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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