Oshkosh, Wisc. — June 1st, 2024 — The 2024 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit just finished up its third event of the season. Many of the 146 anglers at Lake Winnebago are starting their run in points for Team of the Year and spot in the 2025 World Walleye Championship (WWC). Fond du Lac, Wisconsin residents Gordon and Carl Rose made a stand for a potential run to WWC in 2025 at the event on Lake Winnebago, Presented by Mercury Marine.
This tournament saw many teams from the state of Wisconsin with a lot of combined knowledge about the Winnebago system. Gordon and Carl spent a week preparing for what turned out to be an awesome finale. When weigh-in came around, the duo from Fond du Lac had risen above the field and secured a big win on their home waters.
Gordon and Carl had put together a solid program that consisted of trolling small crank baits on the southern half of the lake. On day one, they had almost the entire spot to themselves. On the morning of day two, there were two other walleye tournaments that had also taken off on Saturday morning and a lot of those boats had also found the same fish. With heavy pressure, the fish in their spot had shut down and the team had to make a move. After a little searching they found a spot with absolutely no boats around them with hungry fish. Short trolling passes through the schools of walleyes proved to be the ticket to winning. Gordon and Carl put together a combined two day total weight of 34-03 lbs.With that weight, the duo locked up the win with $11,450 in cash and prizes that included a $1000 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s NTC prize package, two Okuma fishing reels and of course, the trophies, for a grand total of almost $12,000.
Rounding out the top-five remaining teams:
2nd: Ryan Mereness and Justin Heider 32-14, $5,400 cash and $1,000 Lowrance Bonus
3rd: Tom and Scott Albrecht 30-04, $3,650 cash and $3,500 option pot
4th: Joe Schnieder and Mike Maas 29-11, $2,600 cash
5th: Brett and Alex Wilkens 29-09, $2,150 cash
The teams caught 591 fish weighing a total of 1403-13 lbs. during the event. The Big Fish of the event was 5-14 lbs caught by Joe Schnieder and Mike Maas.
The Dakota Lithium come back award went to Craig Hable and Mathew Stobbe. They had a place change of 63rd to 25th. A jump of 38 places. For that comeback they were awarded a set of three (3) Dakota Lithium Batteries and chargers worth almost $5,000.
KODAK Digital Still Camera
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 40 years. The MWC is open to walleye anglers from all walks of life. The 2024 schedule includes seven qualifiers in six states, plus berths into the 2025 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship. Registration is now open for all events. Visit masterswalleyecircuit.com for full details.
Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s are in their 23rd season as title sponsor of the Masters Walleye Circuit. Official sponsors include: Lowrance Electronics, Mercury Marine, Lew’s Fishing, Dakota Lithium, and Ranger Boats. Associate sponsors include: The Walleye Federation, Church Tackle, FishLab, Okuma, and T-H Marine. For more information, email support@masterswalleyecircuit.com, or call (580) 765-9031.
