Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Anglers Ready for Lorain, OH and Lake Erie Presented by Mercury Marine

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Anglers Ready for Lorain, OH and Lake Erie

Presented by Mercury Marine

Ponca City, Okla. – May 23, 2023 – The powerhouse that is Lake Erie is the next stop on the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit, presented by Mercury Marine. Passionate anglers from across North America are gearing up for the heavyweight battle out of Black River Landing in Lorain, OH. With what seems like lingering spring water temperatures local tournament anglers are reporting that fish are widespread on the lake and techniques to catch them are just as diverse.

“Teams are going to be able to chase fish from Michigan to New York if they want to.” Ohio angler Scott Geitgey stated. “This spring we saw water temps stagnate in the 50s and 60s and it seems like the fish really spread out across the lake.” Scott also mentioned that the weights it may take to win are pushing 70 lbs. in two days of competition. “I think 7-pound fish on average is what the target is, but the big fish are out there, post spawn and hungry.”

Trolling “stick baits” is the usual technique for chasing Lake Erie walleyes at any time of year, but don’t be surprised if some teams decide to target fish on shallow structure casting and jigging to find an advantage. Tournament Director Jeff Kelm has been keeping an eye on the trends in the area. “I am always fascinated by what the anglers do to find fish, more so, the thought process. Here on Erie, there has been one mindset for decades and now there seems to be some shifting sands.” In recent events more anglers are willing to take chances, break from tradition and search for fish in shallow weedy flats, or cast for walleyes off points dotted along the lake. “How ever they catch them, Lake Erie is always a fun trip with big weights and lots of happy anglers.

For the 4th year in a row, the MWC has teamed up the Lake Erie Walleye Trail (LEWT) to run this as a dual event, side by side. Participating teams have the option to fish one or both of the events and win thousands more in cash and prizes.

The MWC welcomes the public to experience this event in-person at the Black River Landing in Lorain, June 16 and 17.  Send-off is at 7:00 a.m. with weigh-in to begin at 3:15pm both Friday and Saturday.  Our live stream will begin at 3:15pm each day on masterswalleyecircuit.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/MastersWalleyeCircuit.

Each MWC event has a lucrative payout which is based on the number of teams entered into that event, and is awarded to 20% of the field, providing more inspiration to sign up and join the fun. In addition to a hefty check, the first-place team also earns a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s National Team Championship (NTC) prize package including: paid entry, a travel stipend, team jerseys, and plaques. Additionally, the big-fish pot, option-pot and sponsor bonuses from Ranger Cup, Lowrance, Dakota Lithium, Okuma, and T-H Marine Atlas Awards add thousands more for distribution among the field.

Anglers competing during the 2023 MWC season will be competing for a spot in the 2024 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s World Walleye Championship in Alpena, Michigan on Lake Huron. MWC Teams may fish as many events as they wish during a season. Teams must earn points in at least three qualifiers to have a chance at earning an invitation to the World Walleye Championship in the final “best of 3” final standing each year.

Those earning points in at least four qualifiers compete for “Team of the Year” honors, including a $10,000 sponsorship package and thousands more in cash and prizes to the top 10 teams in the final “best of 4” final standing each year.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments and as an inductee into the freshwater fishing hall of fame, has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing for the past 39 years. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. Registration deadline for the Lake Erie – Lorain, OH event is Monday June 12th. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for full details.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s –Are in their 22th season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats and Dakota Lithium. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, Church Tackle, FishLab, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

 

Peter Mart and Dave Lester Grind It Out for the Win on Wisconsin’s Petenwell Lake. Presented by Lowrance

Peter Mart and Dave Lester Grind It Out for the Win on Wisconsin’s Petenwell Lake. Presented by Lowrance

Arkdale, Wisc – May 8th, 2023 – The third stop on the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) presented by Lowrance was originally set for the Mississippi River at Red Wing. Mother nature had other ideas as the “Mighty Miss” was flooded from record snow melt and the event had to be moved. Petenwell Lake was the closest place not flooded with an open walleye season that the event could be held. 2021 MWC World Walleye Champion (WWC) Peter Mart (Utica, MN) and partner Dave Lester (Onalaska, WI) found just the right presentation to get the winning fish across the stage to take home the big 1st place MWC trophies, a large check, and bragging rights

84 competitors from 8 different states, took off each morning of the two-day event, looking to bring the five best walleyes they could to the stage. The protected slot size on this system, 15” to under 20” and only one fish over 28” allowed per angler, proved challenging to overcome for the entire field. Anglers seemed to have no issues catching “slot fish” on both days, though finding the correct bite, legal fish to weigh, in the right order was key as always, in a no-cull event. Throughout the weigh-in on both days, it was evident the race to the top was going to be close and the precious over 28-inch walleyes, that a handful of teams caught, were going to be crucial in cashing a check on Petenwell Lake.

Mart and Lester put together a program that proved to be the ticket for a win. After day one, the eventual champions were tied for 6th with 12-06 without having an “over” as a kicker.

On day two the Minnesota/Wisconsin duo set out with a plan to bring in an even bigger bag than the previous day. Mart and Lester found a trolling program that proved vital for their success. They used bottom bouncers with long leaders and floating jigs to present live bait at the correct speed and depth to trigger the bites they needed.

Using their Lowrance units as a guide, they were able to find schools of fish and know exactly where those fish were in the water column to present their offerings. On this second and final day, the team brought in the tournament big sack, at 18-03. They had one fish over 28 inches to seal the deal with a two-day weight of 30-09 to bring home custom trophies, $7,400 cash, a $1,000 NTC prize package, and $200 in Okuma reels for a total of $8,600 in cash and prizes.

Here’s a break-down of what the rest of the top 5 teams brought to the scales:

2nd: Mike Dorris and Douglas McDonough 29-06, $3,940 cash, $2,750 option pot cash, $1,000 Lowrance Bonus

3rd: Jason Wanty and David Parker 29-02, $2,540 cash

4th: Chris and Joe Kujawa 27-13, $1,940 cash, $1,650 option pot cash

5th: Brandon Newby and Jeff Maleport 26-11, $1,500 cash, $1,032 option pot cash

The winners of the new, Dakota Lithium Batteries “Comeback” award worth $2,977, were Brandon and Tom McPeak. They ended day one sitting in 21st and jumped up in the final standings on day two to 11th.

Presenting sponsor Lowrance gave away a new 60-inch Lowrance Ghost trolling motor at the Thursday night rules meeting by random draw. The team of Carl Holten and Marty Stueffen (Harpers Ferry, IA) won the prize valued at over $3,700.00.

The total payout for Petenwell Lake was $38,379, paying down eight places out of 42 teams. The anglers caught a total of 332 walleyes with a total weight of 706 lbs. 5 oz. The largest fish weighed was caught by Nick and Tony Renner, weighing in at 7-11.

MWC and its staff partnered up with biologists from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR) to aide in furthering their ongoing study of the population and growth rates of walleyes on this section of the Wisconsin River. After the weigh-in ceremonies on both days of the event, MWC staff members helped the WIDNR record lengths and tag almost every fish brought in by anglers. These studies help track populations and prove pivotal in the state’s decision-making process on setting bag-limits for today’s recreational anglers and for future generations of anglers to come.

After leaving Wisconsin, the MWC is heading east to fish on Lake Erie out of Lorain, Ohio. Lake Erie is said to have one of the largest population densities of walleyes in the world. This event will be a dual event held alongside another The Walleye Federation (TWF) affiliated circuit, the Lake Erie Walleye Trail (LEWT). These two circuits have teamed up in the past and have brought in some very large and competitive fields of anglers from across the country that will try to compete for trophies in both tournaments. The deadline to register for this event is Monday, June, 12th. Anglers can register by visiting masterswalleyecircuit.com.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments and as an inductee into the freshwater fishing hall of fame, has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing for the past 39 years and has directly donated hundreds of thousands and helped raise millions of dollars to support walleye & conservation programs nationwide. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2023 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus a berth into the 2024 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 22nd season as the title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, and Dakota Lithium Batteries. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, Church Tackle, FishLab, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

Third stop on the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) relocated due to record flooding on the Mississippi River.

Third stop on the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) relocated due to record flooding on the Mississippi River.

Ponca City, Okla. – April 25, 2023 – Local officials advised MWC yesterday that the third qualifying event of the season on the Mississippi River at Red Wing and Treasure Island Casino, May 5-6 will need to be relocated due record flooding and unsafe conditions in the area.

The amount of remaining snow and ice pack in northern Minnesota combined with the forecast for more spring rains for the coming week and the fact that the current river level has been well above major flood stage for the past two weeks already, without a clear end in sight, is forcing MWC to seek out an alternate location for the event.

“We have been looking forward to a Red Wing at Treasure Island for some time now and appreciate all Treasure Island and area officials have done to try and make this event work. We hope to return with another event in the future.” Stated MWC Tournament Director Jeff Kelm. “We understand moving is not preferred and can be an inconvenience, it is for our team and the site host as well, but after exhausting all possibilities to stay, we wanted to give anglers as much notice to rebook travel as we could once advice from local officials made it clear we could not go forward at Red Wing.”

Keeping the same dates of May 5-6 is preferred as most MWC anglers have already taken off work for those dates. Petenwell Flowage, on the Wisconsin River has been secured for those dates of May 5-6 as the new location and it is open for fishing currently. All entries from the Red Wing event will automatically be transferred to the Petenwell event and a new fact sheet will be emailed to all and posted to the website.

This 26-mile stretch of the Wisconsin River is an overlooked fishery that does have a protected slot size that will challenge the angler’s decision making over the course of the 2-day event. Protected size limits and only “1 over” rules are nothing new to most walleye anglers and they vary by lake and state. In the end someone will figure out the winning pattern and take home the cash. All functions for the Petenwell event will take place at Adams County Petenwell Park.

Lowrance, as a presenting sponsor of select MWC events including the Petenwell event May 5-6 and Cass Lake event Sept. 15-16, has added a significant bonus to the payout for their events in the form of a 60-inch shaft Lowrance GHOST trolling motor, a $3,749 value. The same unit will also be added to the 2023 World Walleye Championship payout.

Additionally, Dakota Lithium has a new “Comeback Award” for 2023, a set of Dakota Lithium batteries for the biggest comeback in the standing on day 2 of all MWC events. Plus, contingency awards from Ranger boats up to $8,000, a $1,000 bonus to the highest finisher running Lowrance HDS PRO units, bonuses from Okuma Reels and the TH Marine Atlas Awards program add even more to MWC events prize pool.

Registration is still open for Lake Petenwell and will remain open until 5:00pm Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023. Please go to Masterswalleyecircuit.com/registration to get signed up.

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments and as an inductee into the freshwater fishing hall of fame, has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing for the past 39 years and has directly donated hundreds of thousands and helped raise millions of dollars to support walleye & conservation programs nationwide. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2023 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus a berth into the 2024 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 22nd season as the title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, and Dakota Lithium. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, Church Tackle, FishLab, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

 

Michael Sitko and Erick Schenavar Take Top Spot in Lake Erie’s Western Basin Presented by Mercury Marine

Michael Sitko and Erick Schenavar Take Top Spot in Lake Erie’s Western Basin

Presented by Mercury Marine

Monroe, Michigan – April 23, 2023 – Lake Erie and the Detroit River are well known in the walleye fishing world as two of the top spring-time walleye fishing destinations in the country. 120 anglers traveled to Monroe, Michigan to try their luck and put their skills to the test to fool these big post-spawn walleyes for a shot at bringing home the 1st place trophies. With favorable fishing conditions, two anglers inched ahead of the rest of the field and found what was needed to bring those trophies home. Michael Sitko (Pinckney, MI) and partner, Erick, Schenavar (Newport, MI) took home top honors with a win at the second stop of the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) in Monroe, MI, presented by Mercury Marine.

After the scales closed on day one of the tournament, it was the 2022 MWC Team of the Year from Wisconsin, Wayne Butz and Joseph Sommers, that was holding the top spot with 30-15 lbs. Only two other teams in the field had cracked that 30 lb. mark on the first day. Not far behind them, almost half of the field sat within striking distance with over 20 lbs. per team brought to the scales.

One of the teams that also topped the 30 lb. mark on day one was Sitko and Schenavar with 30-04 lbs, just 11 ounces shy of the leaders. On day two, there was a little bit of a shift in the standings but Sitko and Schenavar’s trolling game was strong enough on Lake Erie’s western basin and allowed them to stand out amongst the field to bring in an even bigger bag than from the first day, 31-06 lbs, and give them a two-ounce lead over second place and secure the top prize with a two-day total bag weight of 61-10 lbs. Their win of $10,600 included a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s NTC prize package, along with the $3,900 option pot 1st prize, $1,000 Lowrance Bonus, and (2) Okuma Reels worth $200 for a grand total of $15,700.

Here’s a break-down of what the rest of the top 5 teams brought to the scales:

2nd. Jerry and Liza Plourde 61-08, $4,800 cash and $2,500 option pot

3rd. Steve and Dan Bodinger 60-01, $3,300 cash and $1,800 option pot

4th. Adam Hume and Mike Karner 59-02, $2,400 cash

5th. Jeff Cecile and Matt Lefaive 57-15, $1,800 cash

New for the 2023 season, Dakota Lithium Batteries has partnered up with the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC to offer a come-back award for the team that makes the biggest leap from day one to day two in the standings. The team that won this award, which includes a Dakota Lithium battery package to outfit their boat for the next tournament, was Michael Kopock and Alex Demers with a change in places from 39th to 19th.

The total payout for the 2nd event of the 2023 MWC season was $58,732 in cash and prizes. The anglers fishing Erie’s western basin and the Detroit River caught a total of 530 fish for a total two-day weight of 2449-10 lbs. The biggest fish of this event was caught by the 2nd place team of Jerry and Liza Plourde and weighed 9-10 lbs.

A huge THANK YOU goes out to the Monroe County CVB and the Monroe Boat Club for hosting this event. Events like this are made possible and run even smoother when there is an outpouring of support like what was seem from the surrounding community. Thank you to all of the volunteers that made this event a success!

Under the umbrella of The Walleye Federation (TWF), the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit is North America’s longest-running and undisputed leader in team walleye tournaments and as an inductee into the freshwater fishing hall of fame, has set the standard for competitive walleye fishing for the past 39 years and has directly donated hundreds of thousands and helped raise millions of dollars to support walleye & conservation programs nationwide. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2023 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus a berth into the 2024 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s – The World’s Foremost Outfitters, are in their 22nd season as the title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Ranger Boats, and Dakota Lithium. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, Church Tackle, FishLab, Okuma, Power-Pole and T-H Marine. For more information, email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.