2023 Masters Walleye Circuit World Walleye Championship Winners Crowned on Lake Sharpe Presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s

2023 Masters Walleye Circuit World Walleye Championship Winners Crowned on Lake Sharpe Presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s

Pierre, South Dakota – October 8th, 2023 – Just like it has for the last 40 years, the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) season ended with a contest to see who would take home the most coveted and longest running titles and trophies in the walleye world and have their name forever engraved into the history books as World Walleye Champions.  There was money and prizes up for grabs as well and lots of it totaling a staggering $115,622, all 50 individual anglers would earn a prize check, they only question left to decide was how much.

The grand finale, unfolded on the picturesque shores of Lake Sharpe, Pierre, South Dakota. Limited to only the top 25 best of the best teams in competitive walleye fishing, all 25 teams were trying to put their names into the record books by securing the win.

Leading up to the championship, participants were greeted by beautiful weather and gentle breezes. However, mother nature had other plans as the tournament kickoff neared. A formidable cold front descended from the north ushering in winds that would test the mettle of even the most seasoned anglers. Gusts in excess of 30 mph, coupled with steadily plummeting temperatures, characterized the first two days of the event. Undaunted by the elements, the “Toughest Anglers on Planet Earth” embarked on a three-day quest to showcase their prowess on Lake Sharpe. While a cold front typically causes walleyes to slow their feeding, the fall season presents a unique opportunity as these fish senses the impending, harsh winter and they embarked on a feeding frenzy for many of the anglers.

Some teams reported bountiful catches during the tournament, a few boasting over 50 walleyes each day, size was the problem. On the tournament’s first day, the Premier team of Kaiden Dorris (Huron, SD) and Mark Schoning (Colorado Springs, CO) distinguished themselves, amassing a commendable bag of 12-15 lbs. to seize the lead.

Day two, tested the resilience of the competitors. By day’s end, another team of contenders merged. Premier team, Tom Sieburg (Yutan, NE) and Curtis McCormick (Gurley, NE), ascended to the top of the leaderboard on day two, with an impressive 16-09 lbs. which was the heftiest sack of the tournament.

The final day greeted anglers with serene winds and comfortable temperatures, providing ideal conditions for the ultimate showdown. Sieburg and McCormick started the day from Down’s Marina and was able to maintaining their lead, clinching the championship.

Tom Sieburg shared his insights on their strategy, stating, “During most of practice, we concentrated our efforts further downriver. After day one, when we fell short on weight, we ventured upriver, near the dam, in search of bigger fish. Although we hadn’t practiced much in that area, the changing weather conditions called for a change in tactics. We employed lead-core trolling with big stick baits in depths of up to 30 feet, keeping our baits within five feet of the bottom. We caught a lot of fish on day two, but day three brought a completely different challenge, we on caught about seven fish all day. Thankfully, they were the right fish!”

As the scales settled, the Nebraska duo secured their place in Masters Walleye Circuit history, emerging victorious with a three-day total of 36-01 lbs. The win, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the circuit, forever etched their titles of World Walleye Champions and a prize package worth $20,949. The haul included $16,000 in cash, two Custom WWC Rings, two Okuma reels, and a Lowrance Ghost Trolling motor valued at $3,749, in addition to Championship Trophies.

Here is how the rest of the top five World Walleye Championship teams finished:

2nd Place: Jason Stahl and Jeremy Roe with 32-14 lbs., $8,000 cash and a Power Pole Pro II worth $1,800.

3rd Place: Corey Rost and Ryan Danforth with 32-14 lbs., $5,000 cash and a Lowrance Elite TI 7 worth $900.

4th Place: Mike Dorris and Douglas McDonough with 30-01 lbs., $3,000 cash.

5th Place: Kevin Dahl and Travis Pisarek with 28-08 lbs., $2,750 cash.

The Dakota Lithium Come-Back award celebrated the 5th place team of Kevin Dahl and Travis Pisarek, who moved up on the final day with a weight change of 9-11 lbs. This achievement garnered them three (3) Dakota Lithium 135ah deep cycle/marine starting/trolling motor batteries along with chargers, valued at $4,296.

Throughout the championship on Lake Sharpe, participating teams showcased their skills, collectively reeling in a total of 333 fish over three days, weighing an impressive 574-02 lbs. The Sieburg and McCormick duo clinched both the largest sack of the tournament at 16-09 lbs. and the largest individual fish, weighing in at 7-13 lbs.

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 and always pays back more than 100% of entry fees in cash and prizes each season. The 2024 schedule is announced and includes seven qualifiers in six states, including events at Spring Valley, IL. Chamberlin, SD, Oshkosh, WI, Au Gres, MI, Geneva, OH, and Cass Lake, MN, plus a berth into the 2025 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship, make plans now to fish the MWC in 2024!

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, or to sign-up visit the MWC website at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com or call the national office at 580-765-9031 or email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com.

 

Minnesota Natives Maki and Bricko Win the Final 2023 MWC Qualifier on Cass Lake Presented by Lowrance

Minnesota Natives Maki and Bricko Win the Final 2023 MWC Qualifier on Cass Lake Presented by Lowrance

Cass Lake, Minn. – September 19th, 2023 – The final stop of the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) season went out with a bang. The weather was absolutely perfect for a big fish bite in northern Minnesota on the Cass Lake chain. Low temperatures at night dropped into the upper 40s and daytime temperatures made it into the low 60s which in turn had the water cooling just slightly. This is exactly what the teams needed to get those walleyes fired up. Up for grabs was a whopping tournament purse of $66,425.50, $14,849 of that guaranteed minimum to first place. One team of northern Minnesota natives figured out just how to put the right combination of over 20 inchers and under 20s in the boat to take home the win at this 2023 MWC regular season finale, presented by Lowrance.

A lot of teams concentrated on certain structures and finding areas with a lot fish and targeted those areas. Tournament champions Dylan Maki (Cohasset, MN) and Joe Bricko (Woodbury, MN) took a slightly different approach and decided to not just find those fish and wait for them to eat, they took the game to the fish. Using forward facing sonar and their bow mounted trolling motor, the team moved across many different structure areas ranging from five feet of water to over 20 feet deep just cruising and covering water. “Our approach was to put as many baits in front of as many fish as possible. We used a variety of baits but pitching glides and slip bobbers with live bait right on top of fish was the ticket. We covered a lot of water and caught a lot of fish. It was a great time on the water!” said Bricko after the event. Bricko and Maki came in with a solid bag of five walleyes on day one weighing in at 20-02 lbs. Only the team of Tyler Wolden (Carlos, MN) and Nate Leininger (Miltona, MN) brought in a bigger bag on the first day weighing in a 20-10 lbs. On day two Maki and Bricko brought in another great sack totaling 20-01 lbs. that gave them a huge two-day total of 40-03 lbs. That weight secured their win and a first-place check of $10,100, first place option pot bonus of $3,685, a Lowrance Ghost trolling motor valued at $3,749, the $8,000 Ranger Cup Bonus, a $1,000 NTC Prize Package, for a grand total of $26,534.

Let’s see how the rest of the top 5 teams finished in Cass Lake:

2nd Tyler Wolden and Nate Leininger 39-07 lbs. $5,200 cash and $2,656 Option Pot cash

3rd Chuck Hasse, Walker, Mn and Randy Topper, Cohasset, MN 37-14 lbs. $3,575 cash and $1,682 Option Pot cash

4th Mic Wetzel, Little Falls, MN and Neal Nelson, Stacy, MN 37-11 lbs. $2,520 cash and Okuma Reels Bonus

5th Andrew Soderholm and Greg Endres, both from Alexandria, MN 36-13 lbs. $2,130 cash and $1,022 Option Pot cash

 

The Dakota Lithium Come-Back award was presented to Joe and Jeff Broking (Grand Rapids, MN). They went from 41st place on day one to 21st place on day two. A jump in the standings of 20 places that earned them three (3) 135ah deep cycle/marine starting/trolling motor batteries along with chargers, totaling $4,296. The team of Zac Christenson (Cambridge, MN) and Toby Kvalevog (Brainerd, MN) finished in 9th but picked up the Lowrance HDS Pro Bonus worth $1,000.

The anglers, their families, and the staff of the MWC would like to thank Stony Point Resort for hosting this year’s final event and for their hospitality during their stay on Cass Lake. Stony Point Resort has become a regular stop on the MWC trail that everyone looks forward to attending each year. We encourage anyone looking for a great family getaway or planning your next fishing adventure to check out Stony Point Resort for your next vacation.

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 and always pays back more than 100% of entry fees in cash and prizes each season. The 2024 schedule is announced and includes seven qualifiers in six states, including events at Spring Valley, IL. Chamberlin, SD, Oshkosh, WI, Au Gres, MI, Geneva, OH, and Cass Lake, MN, plus a berth into the 2025 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship, make plans now to fish the MWC in 2024!

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, or to sign-up visit the MWC website at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com or call the national office at 580-765-9031 or email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com.

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Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Rounds Out 2023 Season on Cass Lake Presented by Lowrance

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Rounds Out 2023 Season on Cass Lake  – Presented by Lowrance

Lowrance is adding a 60” Lowrance Ghost Trolling Motor to the prize list for this event!

Ponca City, Okla. – 31 August 2023 – Final stop of the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC) will take place in the beautiful north country of Minnesota on Cass Lake September 15-16, 2023. Whether you are a team who fishes multiple MWC events and are vying for Team of The Year honors, a World Walleye Championship spot or a team that will only fish this one event, everyone has the same chance to show off their walleye catching abilities and try their hand at winning their share of the cash and prizes at Cass Lake. Registration is currently open until close of business September 11 for all teams who wish to enter. Friends and families at home can watch each day as weigh-ins will stream live online at MastersWalleyeCirucit.com and the live leaderboard will track and display each team’s weight in real time when they weigh in each day.

“Cass” is an angler favorite and is kind of a tradition to hold the last MWC season event there most years. Fall colors, scenery, fun and amazing hospitality from Stony Point Resort are enough to make you want to go, but the great Walleye fishing is what’s on the angler’s minds.

While MWC always pays back more than 100% in cash and prizes each year, to sweeten the pot at Cass Lake, presenting sponsor Lowrance is adding a 60-inch shaft Lowrance Ghost trolling motor to the winning teams prize package valued at over $3,700.00, in addition to the normal hefty cash and other prizes, such as the Dakota Lithium comeback award of over $4,200.00 so no one is out of it until the last fish is weighed! The Ranger Cup bonus where eligible of $8,000, a $1000 Lowrance Live Pro bonus, a TH Marine Atlas award bonus, an Okuma bonus and more.

The largest lake on the Mississippi River chain of lakes, Cass Lake is nearly 16,000 acres with depths close to 100 feet containing an extremely healthy population of walleyes. Shorter days and cooling water temperatures as fall approaches can means walleyes become more predictable and caught a variety of ways. A local favorite is rigging live creek chubs and suckers along break-lines and weed edges. Some may try to trigger reaction bites with glide baits using their Lowrance Live Pro sonar to make accurate casts at hungry fish. Or, it could a team with the tried-and-true slip bobber and minnow combo that takes home the win.

Just like the anglers, Cass Lake is also a staff favorite according to Jeff Kelm, MWC Tournament Director. “We love the excitement going to the final event of the year and seeing the angler’s faces as they give everything, they have in an attempt to pull off a win or improve their standings.”

On top of the camaraderie and a sizeable prize payout, this last stop of 2023 will crown the new 2023 Team of the Year (TOY) and finalize the roster for the 2024 World Walleye Championship in Alpena, MI on Lake Huron. Current standings for the TOY race have Tony Karrick, Elgin, IL and Sam Cappelli Poland, Ohio in the lead for their first MWC TOY title.  2020 TOY Adam Hume, and Mike Carner, Oscoda and Greenbush, MI are four points back in second place trying for their second set of TOY trophies. Four points behind them in third place is Wayne Butz, Abrams, WI and Joseph Sommers, Stevens Point, WI the reigning TOY from 2022, chasing back-to-back TOY titles which is very hard to do. Fourth place is Peter Mart, Utica, MN and Dave Lester, Onalaska, WI and rounding out the top five is Tom and Scott Albrecht from Big Stone City, SD and Fridley, MN. Anyone in the top 10 could move up to take the title, so Cass Lake will decide it all.

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 and always pays back more than 100% of entry fees in cash and prizes each season. The 2024 schedule is announced and includes seven qualifiers in six states, including events at Spring Valley, IL. Chamberlin, SD, Oshkosh, WI, Au Gres, MI, Geneva, OH, and Cass Lake, MN, plus a berth into the 2025 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship, make plans now to fish MWC in 2024!

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, or to sign-up visit the MWC website at www.masterswalleyecircuit.com or call the national office at 580-765-9031 or email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com.

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Sanderson and Pavel Grind it out on Lake Francis Case for the Win Presented by Dakota Lithium Batteries

Sanderson and Pavel Grind it out on Lake Francis Case for the Win

Presented by Dakota Lithium Batteries

Wagner, SD – August 27th, 2023 – From the very beginning of practice, the “Toughest Anglers on Planet Earth” that came to battle it out on Lake Francis Case in South Dakota knew their mettle would be tested to the extreme. There were 84 anglers that came from seven states across the walleye belt to compete for $38,032 in cash and prizes during the sixth stop of the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC), presented by Dakota Lithium Batteries. Upon arrival the teams were greeted with a heat wave that would rival temps found on the equator. With heat indexes soaring into the 120-degree range, these MWC teams put their noses to the grindstone and poured out everything they had to bring their best fish across the scales.

On day 1 of the tournament, temperatures had subsided a little from the previous week but still left the anglers battling ambient temperatures sitting in the mid 90’s. “It took a lot of patience to figure these fish out and make them want to eat.”, said Tim Sanderson and Brady Pavel from Bonesteel, SD. “It was frustrating at times seeing so many fish suspended in the tops of the submerged trees and they wouldn’t eat. We decided to just grind it out in hopes a few would bite. We trolled the entire tournament pulling bottom bouncers with worm harnesses through the tops of the trees. It wasn’t a fast bite but it all worked out in the end given the conditions we’ve faced over the past week.”

Pavel and Sanderson brought 9-00 lbs. of walleyes to the scales on the first day of the tournament. That was enough to land them in second place right on the heels of the day one leaders, Cody Wasylow and Derick Berhow who had 9-01 lbs. On the second day anglers were greeted with a minor cold front that dropped the temps another 10 degrees and made the fishing conditions a little more tolerable. Pavel and Sanderson stuck to with their game plan from the previous day and were able to pull off the win with a sack of walleyes weighing 8-12 lbs. that would give them a grand two-day total of 17-12 lbs. and crown them champions on Lake Francis Case in South Dakota. With this win Pavel and Sanderson took home a nice check worth $8,500, a $1,000 NTC prize package that includes a paid spot in the 2024 NTC, custom NTC Jerseys, custom NTC Qualifier Plaques, and a cash travel stipend, and two Okuma reels worth $200.

Here’s a look at how the rest of the top 5 teams did in South Dakota:

2nd Skip Young and Cody Palmer 17-02 lbs. $4,150 cash

3rd Mike Dorris and Douglas McDonough 16-13 lbs. $2,750 cash and $2,716 option pot cash

4th Tom and Scott Albrecht 16-09 lbs. $2,000 cash and $2,037 option pot cash

5th Alex Surrell and Brian Moen 16-01 lbs. $1,716 cash and $1,358 option pot cash

The Dakota Lithium Come-Back award went to Ryan Thompson and Ryan Neddo. They went from 27th place on day one to 13th place on day 2.  A jump in the standings that earned them three (3) 135ah deep cycle/marine starting/trolling batteries with chargers, totaling $4,296.

The MWC staff, anglers and their families would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you for the support from the Wagner, Pickstown, and Lake Andes community for welcoming our event into your communities. A special thank you also goes out to the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks and Rivina Fire Department for the help setting up and making this event a success.

The Team of the Year (TOY) race is heating up as the MWC heads into its final event of the 2023 season up in Cass Lake, Minnesota on September 15th and 16th. Tom and Scott Albrecht’s finish at Lake Francis Case will give them a much-welcomed bump in the standings and give them a shot at the TOY title. The current TOY leaders are Tony Karrick and Sam Cappelli looking for their first MWC TOY title. Wayne Butz and Joseph Sommers, the 2022 TOY along with Adam Hume and Mike Karner who are in the hunt for their 2nd TOY title in the past four years are hot on their tails. The event in Cass Lake will crown the top team of the 2023 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit season.

There is still time to sign up for the final qualifying event of the season at Cass Lake, MN on September 15th and 16th. The Cass Lake area around Stoney Point Resort is a beautiful location to bring families up to enjoy the gorgeous scenery and great walleye and perch fishing the chain has to offer. A win here will give some team a free entry into the National Team Championship (NTC) on Lake Erie in 2024. Registration for this event is open until Monday, September 11th. 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.