For Immediate Release – Ortonville, Minn.—May 17, 2014—

After a fast start on day one, Minnesotans Justin Heinrich and Cody Backstrand survived a much tougher bite on day two to win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Big Stone Lake qualifier May 16-17.

“This was a blast!” said Heinrich, of Rogers, moments after claiming victory in the team-format event in front of a cheering crowd gathered at Riverside Park in Ortonville. “It hasn’t even started to sink in yet,” added Backstrand, of Ortonville, noting that this was the team’s first-ever MWC tournament. “We’ve fished together a few years and finally decided to give it a try. Things really worked out great!”

The winners rocketed out of the gate on day one with a five-fish, 20-pound basket that would ultimately be the biggest bag to cross the Cabela’s MWC stage during the event.

“It was tougher on day two,” Backstrand reported, speculating that calmer conditions may have slowed the bite. “We didn’t have a fish in the livewell at 11:30 and were getting a little nervous,” added Heinrich. Just when they were about to abandon their golden pattern, Big Stone’s walleyes came to life and rewarded their patience with five fish for 14 pounds, 3 ounces, giving them a 34-pound, 3-ounce two-day total.

“We trolled spinner rigs with leeches 1.2 to 1.3 mph in 12 feet of water along a transition between rock, gravel and sand about a mile north of Ortonville,” said Heinrich, admitting that multiple trips to his local Cabela’s retail store in Rogers helped him stock up for the winning performance. Other keys to the presentation were 10-pound Berkley XT monofilament mainline, size 2 Colorado spinner blades and bottom bouncers for ballast.

Heinrich and Backstrand collected the $7,700 first-place cash payout, plus the $500 Berkley Baits contingency and $525 from the big-fish pot for catching the largest walleye on day one. They also claimed a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

In second place, fellow Minnesotans Artie Arndt, of Ortonville, and Mike Frisch, of Elbow Lake, weighed in 10 fish for 31 pounds, 10 ounces, worth $4,100 in cash.

Rounding out the top 10 were: 3rd: James Hartman and Dan Sunne, 30-07, $2,700 4th: Gregory Jones and Scott Zupfer, 29-02, $2,100 5th: Kelly Stattelman and Monty Athey, 29-01, $1,700 6th: Brent Hasslen and Ritchie Seidell, 28-05, $1,400 7th: Mike Olson and Pete Geroy, 28-03, $1,200 plus $1,000 Ranger Cup and $500 Lowrance HDS Gen2 Touch and Elite 7 contingency 8th: Isaac and Todd Pauly, 27-02, $1,200 plus $250 Zippo Hot Hands Big Fish Award for catching big fish of the tournament, a 9-pound, 1-ounce walleye 9th: Todd Laughton and Terry Zimmer, 26-09, $1,000 10th: Rick and Dillon Robinson, 25-13, $1,000

In other contingency winnings, 19th-place finishers Troy Morris and Corey Heiser collected the $200 Optima True Blue Bonus.In all, the Cabela’s MWC awarded $30,770 in cash and prizes.

Big Stone Lake yielded 303 walleyes weighing a total of 823 pounds, 1 ounce and 36 five-fish Cabela’s MWC limits were recorded 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 includes 10 stops spread across seven states in the Walleye Belt. Teams showcase 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.

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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Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Returns To Big Stone Lake

May 16-18 Weigh-ins LIVE Each Day Online

 Presented by MotorGuide 

For Immediate Release –

Ponca City, Okla.—April 29, 2014—The Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit continues a rich tradition in competitive team walleye fishing when it returns to Big Stone Lake May 16-18 for a regular-season qualifying tournament.

Throughout its 30-year history, the Circuit’s faithful have made numerous pilgrimages to this fertile fishery along the Minnesota-South Dakota border, for qualifiers and World Walleye Championships alike. And for years, walleye tournament anglers knew that when the lilacs blossomed in May, it was time for the Cabela’s MWC to head for Big Stone Lake.

That tradition continues this spring when the Circuit rolls into Ortonville, Minnesota, and walleye fans from across the Midwest are invited to pick a partner and compete for over $30,000.00 dollars in cash and prizes in a professionally run setting. Teams will be allowed to weigh five fish per day, and the team with the heaviest two-day total weight will be crowned the tournament champions. The event is scheduled for May 16-17, with May 18 reserved in case bad weather forces the cancellation of one of the first two days. Be advised, however, registration closes at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 12. Each days weigh in will stream LIVE on the internet at masterswalleyecircuit.com click the MWC LIIVE link on the website.

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 Riverside Park in Ortonville. 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 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. The 2014 trail includes 10 stops spread across seven states in the Walleye Belt. Teams showcase 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.

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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For Immediate Release –

Hastings, Minn.—May 3, 2014—Iowans Tommy Skarlis and Jeff Lahr sacked an impressive 35 pounds, 8 ounces to win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Mississippi River qualifying tournament.

“It’s totally awesome,” said Lahr, of Dubuque. “We’ve been close a couple of times, so this is really fulfilling.” He and Skarlis collected the $6,600 first-place cash payout, plus $500 in Berkley Artificial-Only Bonus Cash, $1,000 in Ranger Cup winnings, the $500 Berkley Baits contingency, $510 from the big-fish pot, and the $200 Optima True Blue award. They also claimed a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques. And as an added bonus, co-presenting sponsor Lowe Equipment Attachments presented them with a $200 Cabela’s gift card.

Held May 2-3 out of the Hastings Public Launch at Jaycees’ Park, the event offered two-person teams the chance to battle for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes in a professionally run setting. And in an exciting twist on traditional walleye tournament formats, the event was “artificial-only”—with extra winnings at stake as anglers fished their favorite crankbaits, spinners, Berkley Gulp!-type softbaits and other man-made presentations, while live bait such as minnows and nightcrawlers were off limits. The concept emerged thanks to a partnership between Berkley Gulp! and the Cabela’s MWC, with Berkley kicking in an additional $2,500 in prize money for the top eight teams.

The artificial-only format was no handicap to Skarlis and Lahr, who bought four fish weighing 23 pounds, 4 ounces to the scale on day one. It was the heaviest catch of the day and landed them solidly atop the leaderboard. On day two, they followed up with two fish weighing 12 pounds, 4 ounces for the 35-pound, 8-ounce total weight.

Skarlis explained they were fishing a pair of steep breaks in the Wisconsin Channel that dropped from 16 to 22 feet of water. Three-way rigs and stickbaits sweetened with Gulp! Alive! Attractant spray produced a number of their fish. “One of the neat things was, the homemade, teardrop-shaped, do-it-yourself jigs Jeff and I poured last winter while we were dreaming of fishing the MWC’s 30^th season caught some of our biggest walleyes,” Skarlis noted. Tippings included Berkley Gulp! Minnows and PowerBait Rib Worms fished solo, but the big-fish ticket was a 3-inch Gulp! Minnow piggybacked on a PowerBait Twitchtail Minnow.

Skarlis also credited the team’s Optima Batteries for powering their bow-mount trolling motor throughout day-long battles with the swollen Mississippi. “The fish were pressured and finicky, so we relied on the stealth of our electric,” he said. “The Optimas held up all day, and I’m sure could have kept going for hours.”

After a slow start on day one with a single fish weighing 3 pounds, 15 ounces, the father-son team of Mike Schommer Sr., of Prescott, Wisconsin, and Mike Schommer Jr., of Woodbury, Minnesota, finished strong with a five-fish limit weighing 26 pounds, 5 ounces to claim second place, worth $3,750 in cash, along with the $500 Lowrance HDS Gen2 Touch and Elite 7 contingency. The Schommers also pocketed $320 from the MWC Big Fish Pot and the $250 Zippo Hot Hands Big Fish Award for catching big fish of the tournament, a 7-pound, 15-ounce walleye.

Rounding out the top 5 teams were Jim Preissner, Chilpon, WI and Mike Olsen, Andover, WI in third with 23-15, Zach Horton, Pine Island, MN and Ben Baune, Rochester, MN in fourth with 20-15 and in fifth the team of Don Olsen, Oak grove, MN and Randy Carroll, Oswego,Il. with 19-07.

In all, the top eight teams shared $23,980 in cash and prizes plus another $1,250 from the big-fish pot.

Despite high, cold water, the Mississippi River yielded 135 fish weighing a total of 301 pounds, 4 ounces. The fish were returned to the river thanks to the Circuit’s catch-and-release format. The Cabela’s MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands presented a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic immediately after Saturday’s weigh-in. 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 includes 10 stops spread across seven states in the Walleye Belt. Teams showcase 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.

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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Full results are HERE