Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Returns To Illinois River

March 20-21
Presented by Cabela’s

Ponca City, Okla.—Feb. 27, 2015— One of competitive walleye fishing’s oldest rites of spring continues March 20-21 as the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit returns to the Illinois River for a qualifying tournament at Spring Valley, Illinois.

The tournament offers winter-weary walleye and sauger fans the chance to compete for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes in a professionally run team format. Part of an expanded lineup of A-list destinations for the 2015 season, the event also is timed to allow competitors to enjoy great fishing. “The Illinois is a world-class fishery, and this is prime time to be there,” says Cabela’s MWC Senior Tournament Director Dan Palmer. “I’ve long maintained we’ll see the next Illinois state record sauger from this stretch, and I still think it will happen. I’ve seen fish weighing up to 5-9 in tournaments, very close to the record of 5-12½.”

Long a must-fish destination for serious sauger junkies, the Illinois produces fish on a variety of patterns, including jigging or trolling channel edges and other structural sweet spots. Scott Rhodes and Jeff Koester won the 2014 Cabela’s MWC tournament with a 10-fish limit weighing 26 pounds, 4 ounces, caught by hand-lining crankbaits laced with walleye-formula Berkley PowerBait Attractant.

The Cabela’s MWC offers lucrative payouts. For example, 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.

New for the Cabela’s MWC Illinois River event the 2014, inspections and weigh-ins will be held at the Spring Valley Boat Club. Take-off is 7 a.m. and weigh-ins begin at 3 p.m. Two-person teams will be allowed to weigh five walleyes, saugers or saugeyes measuring 14 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 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 Illinois River tournament is Monday, March 16. In all, the 2015 schedule spans nine states and includes 11 regular-season qualifiers plus the 2015 World Walleye Championship.

Adding to the excitement, all Cabela’s MWC tournaments will be 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, at minimum, custom trophies, decals, a berth in the Cabela’s NTC, and a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame.

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.
###

Stanton, Brown Win Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit
2015 Kickoff On Missouri’s Stockton Lake
Presented by The Walleye Federation

Stockton, Mo.—March 7, 2015—Missouri’s Gary Stanton and Lee Brown finished strong to claim a thrilling comeback victory at the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s season opener on legendary Stockton Lake March 6-7.

“It’s so exciting, it feels wonderful to win this,” said Stanton, of Dadeville. He and Brown, of Springfield, collected the $5,000 first-place cash payout, plus $2,310 from the option pot and a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid entry into the 2016, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques. “We are definitely going to sign up and fish some more MWC events this year.” Staton continued. “Maybe Big Stone and one or two others.”

Because all 2015 Cabela’s MWC tournaments are also designated as “State Championship Qualifying Events,” Stanton and Brown also earned the title of Missouri State Walleye Champions. Besides bragging rights, the honor includes 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 to under the new program to win multiple state champions titles in a single season.

Such rewards didn’t come without a fight. “It was a tough bite,” said Stanton, who reported dodging an ice floe while trolling in the 38-degree water. While air temperatures were pushing 70 degrees by the final weigh-in, the event started with much cooler conditions that had Stockton’s renowned walleyes in a finicky mood. After a slow start, Stanton and Brown put together a 5-pound, 7-ounce three-fish catch on Day One. The tally left them in fifth place, trailing leaders Steve Stein and Kenny Ludwig, both of Leavenworth, Kansas, who had 9 pounds, 14 ounces.

“We didn’t have a keeper by noon the first day pulling bottom-bouncers,” said Brown. “So we switched to bright-colored, shad-style crankbaits on lead-core and caught our three fish.” He noted that speeds of 1.8 to 2 mph were critical, as were 5- to 6-foot leaders of 14- to 17-pound Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon, which helped fool line-shy fish in Stockton’s gin-clear water.

While many teams targeted prespawn walleyes hunkered in 40 to 60 feet of water, Stanton and Brown focused on the 30-foot zone in a large cove close to the dam. “We started out with lead-core and crankbaits on Day Two and caught five walleyes by 11 o’clock,” Stanton reported. “We didn’t get another fish and were worried that we wouldn’t have enough to catch the leaders, but it worked out.”

Indeed, Stanton and Brown’s 7-pound, 9-ounce Day Two basket pushed their total to 13 pounds and propelled them into the winner’s circle, while Stein and Ludwig fell to sixth. For Brown, it was an emotional victory. “I’ve been infatuated with walleye fishing my entire life,” he said. “Just to fish an MWC was a really fulfilling experience, let alone to win one.”

In second place, Randall Gaines of Salem, Ohio, and Mike Rhoades, of South Bend, Indiana, weighed eight walleyes for a 12-pound, 1-ounce total worth $2,700 in cash plus $1,540 in cash for second place in the option pot.

Rounding out the top seven were:
3rd: Mike Dorris and Brian Tordsen, 10-15, $1,600 cash plus $1,000 Ranger Cup Award and
$500 Lowrance award
4th: Jaran Cox and Shane McReynolds, 10-09, $1,100 cash plus last-chance NTC bid for 2015
5th: Brett Cournoyer and Adrian Cliffe, 9-15, last chance NTC bid for 2015
6th: Steve Stein and Kenny Ludwig, 9-14, last chance NTC bid for 2015, plus two Okuma Dead Eye rods worth $200
7th: Brian Steichen and Shawn Carl, 9-01, $200 Zippo Hot Hand Award for big fish of the event, a 3-pound, 10-ounce walleye, plus two Abu Garcia linecounter reels worth $200

Although the tournament marked the beginning of the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s 31st season of team walleye competition, Stockton was definitely new territory for the trail. The legendary impoundment was added to expose new anglers to the MWC and its sponsors, while giving circuit veterans a chance to test their skills on a new body of water and earn a last-chance qualifying spot in the 2015 Cabela’s NTC. The field included a pair of past Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Champions, three past MWC event winners and a number of first-timers. The weigh in crowds were awesome and the community came out in force to cheer the MWC anglers on.

A total of 69 fish weighing 113 pounds, 1 ounce crossed the stage during the two-day, catch-and-release event. Weigh-ins were held at the Orleans Trail Resort and Marina. 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.

###

You can check out full standings payouts and photos on our results page or by CLICKING HERE

Stockton, MO. March 5, 2015

A good mix of anglers at Stockton Lake!

“As we outlined in the press release about Stockton last week we were expecting 20-30 teams depending on the weather. Stated Dan Palmer MWC Senior Tournament director. “We knew when we schedule Stockton that it would not be a huge 1st time event but we wanted to expose MWC and our sponsors to new area and mix of anglers and we have.”

The main ramp is ice free today at Orleans Trail Marina even after the recent record cold spell. All the sponsor support crews, Ranger, Lowrance and Mercury are here on site supporting the event and all the new faces. The field is a great mix of anglers competing not only for the MWC prize money but for the title of Missouri State Champions. The field is made up of faithful MWC teams from 10 states who braved the weather to come to Stockton. Included in the 22 boat field are; 2 past World Walleye Champions, 3 past MWC event winners and nearly half the field brand new anglers to MWC!

Weigh ins are at 3:00pm CST each day Friday and Saturday at Orleans Trail Marina. Internet here lake side in the Ozarks Mountains is none! BUT we will update the leaderboard as much as we can and tape the weigh in and upload to MastersWalleyeCircuit.com as soon as we get to a signal! You can follow the weigh in leader-board and see the video of each day at MastersWalleyeCircuit.com!
The first 50 kids at the weigh in tomorrow will receive a free rod and reel and a Family Fishing clinic courtesy of NPAA!

Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Kicks Off
2015 Tournament Season On Stockton Lake March 6-7
Presented by The Walleye Federation

Ponca City, Okla.—Feb. 13, 2015—High-stakes, professionally run walleye tournament action descends on Missouri’s legendary Stockton Lake March 6-7 as the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit kicks off its 31st season of exciting team-format walleye competition.

Part of an expanded lineup of world-class walleye destinations for the 2015 season, the Stockton tournament is timed to allow competitors to enjoy epic fishing for schools of spawn-minded walleyes gathered around tributaries and main-lake spawning grounds. “The first week of March is prime time on Stockton,” says Cabela’s MWC Senior Tournament Director Dan Palmer. “We’re expecting teams to bring in plenty of limits, including trophies into the teens.”

While the Circuit has opened its season on the Illinois River at Spring Valley, Illinois, for the past 28 seasons, the Stockton event was added for 2015 to give tournament anglers across the Walleye Belt an even earlier shot at great fishing, intense competition and the chance to win thousands in cash and prizes. “The Illinois is still a world-class fishery,” Palmer noted. “And we’re going back there March 20-21.”

In all, the 2015 Cabela’s MWC schedule spans nine states and includes 11 regular-season qualifiers plus the 2015 World Walleye Championship. Adding to the excitement, all Cabela’s MWC tournaments will be 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, at minimum, custom trophies, decals, a berth in the Cabela’s NTC, and a spot on the MWC website’s Wall of Fame.

Palmer acknowledged that Stockton is new territory. “We knew when we put Stockton on the schedule that it wouldn’t be one of our larger events,” he said. “But we wanted to expose an entirely new segment of walleye anglers to the MWC and our sponsors. There are some great walleye sticks in that part of the country, and I’m hoping some of them will join the MWC at additional events this season. Heading to Stockton also gives our faithful, longtime teams a chance to get out of the house, fish a new body of water and earn a last-chance qualifier spot in the 2015 NTC.”

At Stockton, two-person teams will be allowed to weigh five walleyes, saugers or saugeyes measuring 15 inches and over each day, and the team with the heaviest two-day total weight will be crowned the tournament champions.

The Cabela’s MWC offers lucrative payouts. For example, 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 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.

The public is invited to the Stockton Lake weigh-ins, which begin at 3 p.m. daily at Orleans Trail Resort and Marina. 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. Registration for all events is now open. Registration for the Stockton tournament closes at 5:45 p.m. March 5, the evening of the Rules Meeting.

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.
###