Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Travels
To Green Bay at Oconto May 31-June 2

Presented by 

For Immediate Release –

Ponca City, Okla.—May 28, 2013—Epic big-water walleye fishing, tournament competition and over $54,000.00 dollars in cash and prizes await anglers when the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit visits Green Bay of Lake Michigan out of Oconto, Wisconsin, May 31-June 2.

The team-format tournament offers two days of competition on Green Bay’s incredible walleye fishery, to the 103 teams that registered for the event, with one day reserved in case of bad weather. The circuit’s time-tested team format lets anglers choose their favorite fishing partner to share the excitement.

Two-person teams will be allowed to weigh five walleyes per day, and the team with the heaviest two-day total weight will be crowned the Green Bay tournament champions. 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 Cabela’s Angler Cash, Ranger Cup, Lowrance HDS Gen2/Elite-7, Berkley Baits and Optima True Blue add thousands more in cash and prizes to the total. And as an added incentive, the first-place team wins a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package including paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

Walleye fans of all ages are invited to the weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public. There will be multiple things to see and do prior to the weigh-in on Friday from 3-6 pm and Saturday from 12 noon to 6pm; including a moon bounce ride for the kids, the Oconto fire departments safety trailer tours, vendors and more! The weigh-ins begin at 4 p.m. daily at Breakwater Park in Oconto. 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.

This is the fifth of 10 Cabela’s MWC qualifying tournaments in 2013. The remaining schedule includes Lake Oahe at Spring Creek, South Dakota, June 7-9; Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, June 28-30; Devils Lake, North Dakota, August 2-4; the St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, August 22-23; and Cass Lake, Minnesota, out of Stony Point Resort, Sept. 13-15.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is in its 11th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, Ranger Boats, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Berkley Trilene, Church Tackle, Optima Batteries, O2 Marine Technologies and Sea Grant.

Based in Ponca City, Oklahoma, the Cabela’s MWC is oldest running national walleye circuit in America. Cabela’s MWC is owned by The Walleye Federation and is open to two-person teams regardless of club or sponsor affiliation. 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 remains open through the Sunday night prior to each tournament. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

For a full list of registered angler teams go to https://masterswalleyecircuit.com/tournaments/schedule/

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Zarts Win Cabela’s Masters
Walleye Circuit’s Lake Erie Tournament

Presented by Lowe Equipment Attachments

For Immediate Release –

Huron, Ohio.—May 19, 2013—The father-and-son team of Gary and Nicholas Zart, of Brunswick, Ohio, put together two solid catches to win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Lake Erie qualifying tournament at Huron, Ohio, May 17-19.

“This is a dream come true,” said Gary, the elder Zart. “Nicholas has been fishing with me since he was a baby, and we’ve been competing together on the MWC since 2008, when he was 12 years old. To win an event of this caliber with him, against the best of the best, is incredible.”

After their five-fish MWC limit weighing 43 pounds, 6 ounces landed them in second place on Day One, they added 41 pounds, 7 ounces to their tally on Day Two for an 84-pound, 13-ounce total weight.

The victory earned them the $11,000.00 first-place cash purse, plus the $500 Lowrance Electronics award for being the highest-finishing team using a Lowrance HDS Gen2, HDS Gen2 Touch or Elite-7 unit, a $500 Berkley Tackle Package and $200 gift card from presenting sponsor Lowe Equipment Attachments. They also claimed a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package that includes paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

“It’s the most amazing feeling ever,” added Nicholas. He explained that their top tactic was pulling 6-inch Berkley Gulp! Nightcrawlers and live ’crawlers on spinner rigs .9 to 1.4 mph behind diving planers near bottom in 48 feet of water.

The Zarts, who operate Blue Dolphin Charters on Lake Erie, are no strangers to the fishery. But they credited their teammates Scott Geitgey, of Canton, Ohio, and Jason Kopf, of Avon Lake, Ohio, for pinpointing a school of migrating walleyes during prefishing, which was key to their victory.

David Kolb, of Rockford, Michigan, and Paul Rogers, of McHenry, Illinois, finished second with 83 pounds, 12 ounces, worth $5,500 plus a $1,000 Cabela’s gift card from the Cabela’s Angler Cash Program and $1,000 Ranger Cup contingency. In all, the top 20 percent of the field shared more than $44,000 in cash, sponsor bonuses and Big Fish Pot winnings.

A total of 615 walleyes weighing 3,794 pounds, 8 ounces crossed the stage during the tournament. Big fish was a 12-pound, 7-ounce beauty caught by the Michigan team of Mark Lemke, of Dexter, and Walter Price, of Lowell.

Ohioans Mark Brumbaugh, of Arcanum, and Michael Robertson, of Laura, had big basket of the tournament with 52 pounds, 11 ounces. In doing so, they broke the Circuit’s all-time single-day weight record of 49 pounds, 10 ounces, set by Iowans Marty Stuefen and Carl Holten, both of Harpers Ferry, at the 2013 Detroit River and Western Lake Erie qualifier.

The team-format tournament offered two days of competition on Erie’s legendary walleye fishery, with one day reserved in case of bad weather. Teams fished from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, then waited on shore Saturday, after fishing was cancelled due to a small-craft advisory. The tournament resumed on Sunday. Each day, teams were allowed to bring their best five walleyes to the scale each day.

Weigh-ins were held at the Huron Boat Basin. 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. The first 50 youths received rod-and-reel combos courtesy of the NPAA. Fans also gathered at the boat basin to see the anglers off prior to each morning’s takeoff.

While the MWC’s eastern anglers competed on Lake Erie, the Circuit also held a qualifier on Lake Pueblo, Colorado, on the same dates. These were the third and fourth of 10 Cabela’s MWC qualifying tournaments in 2013. The remaining schedule includes Green Bay of Lake Michigan at Oconto, Wisconsin, May 31-June 2; Lake Oahe at Spring Creek, South Dakota, June 7-9; Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, June 28-30; Devils Lake, North Dakota, August 2-4; the St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, August 22-23; and Cass Lake, Minnesota, out of Stony Point Resort, Sept. 13-15.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is entering its 11th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance, Mercury arine, MotorGuide, Ranger Boats, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Berkley Trilene, Church Tackle, Optima Batteries, O2 Marine Technologies and Sea Grant.

Based in Ponca City, Oklahoma, the Cabela’s MWC is oldest running national walleye circuit in America. Cabela’s MWC is owned by The Walleye Federation and is open to two-person teams regardless of club or sponsor affiliation. 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 remains open through the Sunday night prior to each tournament. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Schoning, Kiefer Win Cabela’s Masters
Walleye Circuit’s Lake Pueblo Tournament

Presented by The Walleye Federation

 For Immediate Release –

Pueblo, Col.—May 18, 2013—Colorado teammates Mark Schoning and Chad Kiefer finished strong to win the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit’s Lake Pueblo tournament at Pueblo, Colorado.

“The entire tournament was an awesome experience,” Schoning, of Colorado Springs, said of competing in he and Kiefer’s first-ever Cabela’s MWC event. “Ending up on top was just a plus.”

After their five-fish MWC limit weighing 11 pounds, 13 ounces landed them in second place on Day One, they tapped a big-fish location to add a whopping 18 pounds, 12 ounces to their tally on Day Two for a 30-pound, 9-ounce total weight.

The victory earned them the $6,300 first-place cash purse, plus a $1,000 Cabela’s gift card from the Cabela’s Angler Cash Program, $1,000 Ranger Cup contingency, and $500 Berkley Tackle Package. They also claimed a $1,000 Cabela’s National Team Championship Prize Package that includes paid NTC entry, travel stipend, team jerseys and plaques.

“It was a lot of fun,” added Kiefer, of Brighton. He explained that their top tactic was pulling 6-inch Berkley Gulp! Crawlers and nightcrawlers on size 2 to 4 octopus-style hooks .7 to .9 mph behind a ¼-ounce bottom bouncer. He noted that when the team trolled through flooded timber, the Gulp! artificial baits clung to the hook much better than live ’crawlers, and accounted for a number of their fish. “A 6-foot leader of 6-pound Berkley Fluorocarbon was also key, because the fish were a little spooky,” he added.

Bill Ianiro of Castle Pines, Colorado, and Richard Stebbins, Jr. of Arvada, Colorado, finished second with 23 pounds, 1 ounce, worth $3,100 plus the $500 Lowrance Electronics award for being the highest-finishing team using a Lowrance HDS Gen2, HDS Gen2 Touch or Elite-7 unit.

In all, the top 20 percent of the field shared more than $13,900 in cash, plus sponsor bonuses and Big Fish Pot winnings.

A total of 198 walleyes weighing 414 pounds, 13 ounces crossed the stage and were quickly returned to the lake in the catch-and-release format. Big Fish was a 7-pound, 9-ounce beauty caught by Schoning and Kiefer, whose 18-pound, 12-ounce Day Two sack was big basket of the tournament.

Teams fished from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday (Sunday was reserved in case foul weather caused a cancellation on either of the first two days), and were allowed to bring their best five walleyes to the scale each day. Weigh-ins, which began at 3 p.m. daily, were held at scenic Lake Pueblo State Park just outside Pueblo, Colorado.

Adding to the excitement, the Cabela’s MWC event was held in conjunction with a Colorado Walleye Association (CWA) tournament, allowing anglers to fish one or both of the events simultaneously. The CWA also supplied volunteers to assist with tournament operations. Plus, on Saturday, the MWC stage also hosted the Student Angler Federation’s Colorado and New Mexico State High School Fishing Championship, immediately before the MWC and CWA weigh-ins began.

While the MWC’s western anglers competed on Pueblo, the Circuit also held a qualifier on Lake Erie at Huron, Ohio, on the same dates. These were the third and fourth of 10 Cabela’s MWC qualifying tournaments in 2013. The remaining schedule includes Green Bay of Lake Michigan at Oconto, Wisconsin, May 31-June 2; Lake Oahe at Spring Creek, South Dakota, June 7-9; Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, June 28-30; Devils Lake, North Dakota, August 2-4; the St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, August 22-23; and Cass Lake, Minnesota, out of Stony Point Resort, Sept. 13-15.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is entering its 11th season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Lowe Equipment Attachments, Lowrance, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, Ranger Boats, The Walleye Federation and Zippo Outdoor Brands. Associate sponsors include: Berkley Trilene, Church Tackle, Optima Batteries, O2 Marine Technologies and Sea Grant.

Based in Ponca City, Oklahoma, the Cabela’s MWC is oldest running national walleye circuit in America. Cabela’s MWC is owned by The Walleye Federation and is open to two-person teams regardless of club or sponsor affiliation. 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 remains open through the Sunday night prior to each tournament. For more information, visit masterswalleyecircuit.com, email info@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.

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Authorities have issued a small craft advisory for Lake Erie anywhere near Huron, Ohio. as of 5:00AM est, MWC officials have no choice but to cancel Day 2 and postpone it until Sunday May 19th for the safety of all anglers. 

ALL MWC anglers are reminded they CANNOT get on tournament waters today. TOURNAMENT WATER ARE NOW OFF-LIMITS.

Day 2 Saturday is CANCELLED and POSTPONED until Sunday May 19. With a small craft advisory being issued conditions are unsafe to be on tournament waters today. We apologise for the delay however, we have no choice and the safety of our anglers is always our first priority

Thank you.