Tournament Information
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Jesse Buechel (Fondy) Wins the AIM Pro Walleye Series-South Dakota Walleye Classic |
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Jesse Buechel Wins the AIM Pro walleye Series-South Dakota walleye Classic Jesse Buechel, NPAA #711, won the AIM Pro walleye Series-South Dakota walleye Classic tournament on Lake Oahe this past weekend by over 15 pounds! Starting on day one, he brought in the largest 7 fish limit for 39.23 pounds, giving him a little over an 8 pound lead over second place finisher, Chase Parsons, NPAA #806. On day two he brought in another 27.66 pounds, moving his lead to just over 11 pounds. On the final day, he topped it off with another huge limit of 28.67 pounds. This is Jesse’s first major tournament win, and when asked how it feels he replied, “The first win is obviously going to be the one that you remember most. To think of all of the people that have done it for so many years and have had the opportunities…it’s unbelievable! I just figured, if I can get in the top ten with the competition that I’m against it would be phenomenal, but to get a win, and this size of one, (he stumbles over words)…it hasn’t sunk in yet”. Jesse explained how he was catching his fish, and what he felt was the key to his program. Pulling any crankbait in a white color was more important than a single crankbait profile, in Jesse’s opinion, and didn’t mention one particular crankbait as working better or best. In Jesse’s own words: “I fished about a three to four mile stretch that had good fish on it, and there was one point that was about 200 yards long, that held the most “good” fish. It didn’t hold the biggest fish, but it held a bunch of 21’s and 22’s. Most of my 21’s and 22’s came off of that one stretch. I decided I’m going right to that stretch, and I’m just going to pull it, and pull it, and pull it until I’ve got all 21’s and 22 inchers and then I’ll go searching.
Today, the final day, I knew it was going to be a slower. I went through probably 150 fish the first day, about 75 the second day, and I went through about 35 fish today. My first pass, I hit a 20 3/4. My second pass was a 21 3/4, so I said, “You know what? If I just get one fish a pass, and a good one, then I don’t care.” It was probably wasn’t 9 o’clock before I got my limit in the boat today. At Noon, I still needed to upgrade a 19 ½ incher and, at 12:18 I popped a 25 ½ inch fish. That’s the big hog today…I popped it and it was…I was just doing the “Happy Dance” up on the front of the boat. (Laughs)
That was when I knew, that for somebody to beat me, they were going to have to have 40 some pounds, and after seeing the weights the past two days, I knew that it was done.
I was wondering what to do, so I came back and Jason Przekurat was running my secondary spot, and I just said, “You know what? I’m going to respect you”, and I left there and gave him that spot, and I went out to take my GPS Tracker and wrote, “Hi Mom!” It took me about two miles to write it…and, I just wrote, “Hi Mom!” with a heart. I figured if anyone was watching online they would have been able to see that, and if I got the win, I didn’t have to call. The turning point for me was on day one, about two hours into it, we were letting a board out, and on the way out, when it slammed down, it had that 25 3/4 inch fish, and it just told me instantly that you need to slow your presentation down. I was going 2 MPH during pre-fishing and up until I caught that fish! That first fish told me I had to slow down, so slowed to 1.5 MPH and 20 minutes later I had a second kicker fish and less than an hour later I had a third kicker. So, within an hour I put three kickers in the boat all because I slowed down, that was the turning point.” Other top finishing NPAA Members this past weekend are: - 2nd Place: Chase Parsons, NPAA #806 with 79.82 pounds.
- 4th place: Bruce Samson, NPAA #80 with 78.81 pounds.
- 5th Place: Robert Blosser, NPAA #255 with 78.79 pounds.
- 6th Place: Joe Okada, NPAA #660 with 78.43 pounds.
- 7th Place: Jason Przekurat, NPAA #169 with 78.31 pounds.
- 8th Place: Mike McMaken, NPAA #97 with 76.84 pounds.
- 10th Place: Chad Schilling, NPAA #283 with 73.17 pounds.
- 12th Place: David A. Anderson, NPAA #509 with 71.43 pounds.
- 13th Place: Gary Parsons, NPAA #24 with 71.42 pounds.
- 14th Place: Pat Neu, NPAA #77 with 70.20 pounds.
- 15th Place: Richie Boggs, NPAA #495 with 69.78 pounds.
The NPAA sponsored Youth event was a big success, but the kids didn’t get to fish in the farm pond, due to the less than favorable weather conditions. Pro angler, Marianne Huskey, NPAA # 150 did a tremendous job of organizing the event, and other pros including; Scott Duncan, NPAA #197, Lynn Jurrens, NPAA #982, Dennis Gulau, NPAA #504 all helped out with the “Kid’s Fishing Clinic”. There were a large number of children that turned out for the event, and after receiving brand new rods and reels, tackle boxes, and other goodies, the kids received their “NPAA Future Pro” T-Shirts that they were able to get signed by all the pros as they weighed in. The NPAA is a non-profit organization focused on growing the sport of fishing and increasing the professionalism of its members. Its supporting partners include Northland Fishing Tackle, Navionics, Mercury Marine, Evinrude Outboards, Lund Boats, Ranger Boats, Off-Shore Tackle, Fin-Tech Tackle, Berkley, AIM walleye Series, Masters walleye Circuit, FLW Outdoors, Frabill, U.S. Forest Service, Liddle Marketing, FPS Financial Planning Services, Do-it Corp., Optima Batteries, John Butts Outdoors, Pasha Lake Cabins, Oahe Wings and walleyes Guide Service, Outdoor First Media, Advanced Tex Screen Printing, Pro Staff Gear and Worldwide Marine Underwriters. More NPAA member and association news can be viewed at www.npaa.net. (For more information, contact Pat Neu, NPAA executive director, 920-559-6901) |
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Wal-Mart partners with FLW Outdoors |
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FLW Outdoors Announces Long-Term Agreement with Walmart | M |
FLW Gives a few more details about the agreement  FLW Outdoors announced that it has agreed to a long-term sponsorship with Walmart to become the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors, beginning in 2011. Per FLW Outdoors’ policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed. This new partnership will serve as a key component in combining several marketing and promotional opportunities including, but not limited to, Walmart in-store product marketing and promotions, retailtainment at fishing tournaments and at Walmart stores, and advertising and marketing through FLW Outdoors’ worldwide media owned outlets. Irwin L. Jacobs, Chairman of FLW Outdoors, stated, “Walmart has been an integral part of professional and recreational fishing for many years. We recognize Walmart’s renewed, long-term commitment to FLW Outdoors as a substantial and important confirmation of Walmart’s support for their customers’ passion for the outdoors.” Irwin L. Jacobs, Chairman of FLW Outdoors was joined onstage at the Forrest Wood Cup by Walmart executives to jointly announce the breaking news that Walmart is once again returning as a title sponsor of FLW Outdoors. “Many Walmart customers have a deep commitment to the outdoors. To them, time spent fishing represents ‘living better,’” said Stephen Quinn, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Walmart. “Through this partnership, we see another way to connect with this important segment of our customer base while nurturing additional interest in fishing at all levels, whether professional or recreational.” Local Walmart stores will be offering in-store family-friendly events, such as fishing simulators, and an expanded assortment of fishing gear for sale. Individual stores will also play supporting roles for FLW tournament events around the country. Walmart will serve as title sponsor across multiple circuits of FLW Outdoors including the FLW Tour. As part of the sponsorship, Walmart will receive exposure and prominent presence across the multiple platforms of FLW Outdoors, including all bass and walleye events, FLW Outdoors’ multiple websites, FLW Fantasy Fishing, FLW Outdoors Magazine, “FLW Outdoors” television show, broadcast to over 500 million households in 24 countries, and additional marketing functions operated by FLW Outdoors. Walmart began its sponsorship of FLW Outdoors in 1997 and that commitment served as the first of its kind for the world’s largest retailer and for the sport of bass fishing. |
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FLW Lake Winnebago Results and Notes |
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Local’s Score Big on FLW Lake Winnebago walleye Tournament By Mark Schram What may have been one of the more humbling tournaments for many pro anglers on the FLW tour this season, Lake Winnebago challenged the entire field of anglers. The evening prior to the start of the tournament the Oshkosh, WI area had a four inch rain fall accompanied with heavy winds, completely changing the makeup of the Lake. All major patterns which were established during the weeks leading up to the events were erased. Brett Wilkens of Kiel, Wisconsin won the event with a three day weight of 26 pounds plus. This slightly outdistanced the second place Pro Mark Keenan from Appleton, WI. Who finished with just over 25 pounds. Several of the top ten finalists had fished in the Wolf River and Lake Poygan, making the long run through the upper lakes. Their time was well spent, and the rewards were large baskets of walleyes compared to the other contestants whom remained in the main lake. Wilkens was rumored to be fishing on the east shore. The majority of the field stayed in Lake Winnebago along the northern shore working the weeds/reefs or trolling in the mud. The best performing lures were Hot ‘n tots, Reef Runners, and Thundersticks fished in the deeper basins of the mud. perch colored patterns were key for the larger walleyes. On a personal note, I fished the tournament this week, and finished tied for 34th place. The water clarity and wind made the bite very tough. The only method which produced walleye for me was on a crawler harness with an e-chip.  |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 17 July 2010 23:30 |
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The Pack, AIM's Pack, That Is, Is Back |
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The Pack, AIM's Pack, That Is, Is Back
Anglers Insight Marketing
It's recognized for legendary football teams and an even more legendary coach. But over the next couple of weeks the spotlight shifts from the stripes on a football field to the vast waters of Green Bay.
In the town that gridiron superstars like Lombardi, Starr and Favre put on the map, residents will be seeing a different type of athlete July 1-4.
Instead of Green Bay Packer colors and cheesehead hats around town this east-central Wisconsin town that's also home port to Lake Michigan's largest inlet, Green Bay's residents will see a virtual fleet of walleye boats being towed by anglers with their eyes on the prize-a $30,000 check in the second stop for AIM Pro walleye Series anglers in this year's tournament series of five events.
And like a football game, it's anyone's guess as to who will put the right combination together to win the event.
Some will troll harnesses and night crawlers while others will break out the crankbaits to cover more water.
Last year's winner, Brett King from Claremont, Minn. thinks he'll have to change where and how he fishes this year to be AIM's first repeat winner.
"I truly believe, in order to win again, I'll have to do things differently. Last year, I stayed on a conservative bite, sorting through lots of fish to find the best.
"Everyone else was out in the big water trying to catch the 7- to 8-pounders. The problem was the bite kept shutting down because of the northeast winds making the water cooler," King says.
Tom Kemos, fishing professionally for eight years and in his second AIM season, agrees. "This fishery is 100 percent weather-dependent.
 I would say it should be a deal where a guy should get 15 or 30 bites a day of fish in varying sizes, that should be good on the podium for 35 to 40 pounds," the Oconomowoc, Wis. resident said.
Bigger fish could be caught in the deeper water of "The Bay," as Green Bay is known locally, according to both anglers.
"Last year I had a four- and a half-pound average. It should have been more in the neighborhood of six pounds and over," King said, but the weather played a huge role, and is expected to again in two weeks' time.
If the weather cooperates enough for the deep-water bite, King says the predominant pattern will be boards and spinners. But the weather-and that cool water-drove many pros to different techniques
"For example, I won last year by pulling shallow crankbaits in shallow water," King said.
Dan Farrah of the non-profit walleyes for Tomorrow, a group with 18 chapters throughout Wisconsin and Michigan dedicated to fundraising for stocking walleyes and providing habitat in the form of rock reefs, including one in the Green Bay area, predicts great action.
"The bite should be good and strong," he says "These guys know what they are doing. They are professionals from around the Midwest and shouldn't have any trouble catching fish.
"I'm guessing the average weights will be 6 to 7 pounds per fish. That should be in the ballpark. Right now the bite is half on crankbaits and half on spinners.
"A couple of weeks from now, if the weather warms the bay up, it will probably be spinners," Farrah added. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 01 July 2010 12:47 |
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The AIM Pro Walleye Series™ Returns to Green Bay, July 1-4, 2010 |
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AIM™ comes to the Bay of Green Bay - Green Bay, WIThe AIM Pro walleye Series™ Returns to Green Bay, July 1-4, 2010 Green Bay is an arm of Lake Michigan, located along the south-west coast of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the east coast of Wisconsin. It is separated from the rest of the lake by the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin. Green Bay is some 120 miles (193 km) long, with a width ranging from about 10 miles (16 km) to 20 mi (32 km). It is 186 square miles (480 km2) in area. Green Bay has become one of the premier walleye fisheries in the U.S. The water is clean and clear and the fishing is phenomenal. Trophy walleyes prowl the Bay and many predict that the next Wisconsin state record is swimming in Green Bay right now! 
Alewife, whitefish, along with the plentiful perch population form the forage base for a growing and healthy walleye population. The Bay continues to change with the unintentional introduction of zebra mussel, spiny water flea, ruffe, gobies, white perch, and other new invaders. The Green Bay AIM Pro walleye Series™ tournament will be held on July 1 to 4, 2010. The July 4th final will coincide with the annual “Fire Over The Fox” festival. This event includes the largest fireworks display in the state, and attracts as many as 100,000 visitors! The AIM Pro walleye Series™ will take off daily from the Green Bay Metro Boat Launch, located at 102 Bay Beach Road, right at the mouth of the Fox River and on the shore of Green Bay. 
The AIM Pro walleye Series™ will arrive in Green Bay at the peak of the summer feeding frenzy! Past tournaments have yielded numerous 30-inch walleyes exceeding ten pounds! With the AIM Catch-Record-Release™ (CRR) format, huge “limits” of walleyes will be displayed – and immediately released. The goal of CRR is to highlight this incredible fishery AND eliminate any fish kill related to placing these huge fish in “livewells” for an entire day during the hottest summer temperatures. AIM Pro Anglers will record daily limits of their seven largest walleyes and the potential exists for the largest daily limits to exceed 50 or 60 pounds! It is possible that the leaders after the first two days of the tournament may have recorded limits exceeding 100 pounds of Green Bay walleyes! Green Bay offers many choices to Pro Anglers in both presentation and location. Huge expanses of open water offer opportunities for trolling for suspended walleyes. At the same time, miles of reefs and sunken humps will tempt the finesse anglers. Then there is always the possibility of monster fish that never leave the rich forage base within the Fox River. AIM Pro Anglers will need to bring every skill and every form of tackle to adapt to the possibilities! Green Bay also offers numerous opportunities for tourism for the entire family. Green Bay is known as the home of the Green Bay Packers, of course. A visit to Lambeau Field and the Packer Hall of Fame is a must. But there is much more to see in this busy city which is also home to a large branch of the University of Wisconsin. Quotes From the Pros
“Green Bay, probably still one of the best kept secrets as far as big fish. Long runs possible.”
- John Kolinski “Green Bay, with the numbers close by and the big fish far away this one could be interesting. Hold on tight baby, we’re going to be running and gunning!”
- Jesse Buechel “Green Bay has evolved into one of the, if not the, hottest bodies of water in North America. This will be our most exciting event with a lot of big fish potential”
- Tom Kemos “Green Bay-Ranked as one of the best walleye fisheries in the country. No matter the conditions you can always catch fish here.”
- Jason Przekurat “The Green Bay walleye fishing is world class. I have fished in this area for 50 years and it keeps getting better. A new state record walleye of over 18#'s will probably be caught here. My son Brian & I won the 2007 Mercury Midwest walleye Series Tournament on Green Bay with an average weight of 6.8#'s.”
- James Keller “Green Bay - Brett Favre might be gone, but the giant walleyes are still there”
- Tom Gatzke “Green Bay--walleyes all over the place!!”
- Gary Speicher “Green Bay, interestingly, fishes like an inland lake. Unlike its sister Great Lakes, Green Bay walleyes relate to typical walleye-like structure."
- Steve Fellegy 2 time PWT Champ “Green Bay is the next Lake Erie in the USA. Fabulous amounts of big fish and hospitality exceeded by nowhere in the community.”
- Rod Putnam “With the CRR format on "no cull" waters - the walleye industry for the first time in fishing history will truly see the potential that Green Bay holds for producing tournament winning weights in the 8 to 9 lb average. It will turn out to be the most explosive 4th of July walleye action ever witnessed”
- Tommy Skarlis “Green Bay, WI – The Bay of Green Bay is fast becoming a premiere walleye destination. 10lb fish are quickly becoming the norm!”
- Capt. Brian Keller “Green Bay is really getting to be one of the top walleye fisheries in the country. This is prime time for Green Bay. There will be lots of fish and many 8 pound plus fish caught. Cranks, spinners and even jigs will be tactics that could win this event.”
- Keith Kavajecz “Green Bay, this should be called the "Hog Fest" it will take a huge weight to win this event”
- Rick Olson “Green Bay one of the hottest fisheries going with a abundance of hogs”
- Rich Boggs “Green Bay is my home body of water. I have watched the fishery continue to improve in the lower Bay, and as of last year, it can rival any body of water in the country for average size fish and for quantity. With the CRR format in place, Green Bay could produce a three day total of 21 fish that average 7#’s.”
- Pat Neu |
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Oshkosh walleye tournament wraps up BY Andrew Munger of The Northwestern Normally, leaders at the Otter Street Fishing Club's annual walleye Tournament spend a good chunk of their time after weighing their fish anxiously awaiting the weights of all other contenders. This year's winners, Jesse Buechel and Shane Gerner of Chilton—who brought home the grand prize of $11,000—waited longer for their plaque than they did to see if they claimed the top spot on Sunday. After all the weigh-ins were finished, tournament organizers realized they had left the plaques at their club headquarters. "We had a miscommunication," said Doug Mosher, Otter Street Fishing Club's vice president. Buechel and Gerner weighed in near the end of the last flight, with less than 30 teams remaining to weigh in. "I didn't think we had a shot today," Buechel said. Although the pair was poised in second place after the first day, they said their second-day total—12.14 pounds of fish—wouldn't be enough to earn the top honors. "I thought it was going to take more than what we had," Gerner said. That would have been true at year's past Otter Street tournaments. Buechel and Gerner totaled 28.54 pounds to win the 30th year of the tournament, more than eight pounds less than last year's winners. Their total would have netted them 42nd place at last year's tournament. But this year the walleye were hard to find by all accounts. Except for the team of Karen Hendrix and Jon Noble, both of Fond du Lac, who netted an impressive second-day catch of 24.3 pounds of walleye, by far the biggest one-day catch in the last two years, and the only bag over 20 pounds at this year's tournament. "It felt good to have a big weight," Noble said. The pair held the lead for the majority of the day before being knocked off by Buechel and Gerner, mainly due to the team's first-day catch that weighed in at 3.58 pounds. "(The waiting) was a little tough, a little itchy," Noble said. Hendrix and Noble had to settle for a second-place finish after jumping 179 places. The team said although it would have been nice to win the tournament, they were far from disappointed with second place. "It's the best finish we've ever had. It's been great," Noble said. The team did take the overall big fish prize after landing a lunker weighing 7.54 pounds, landed by Hendrix. Hendrix and Noble also appeared to be a shoe in for comeback award—awarded to the team that advances the most places from day one—but the spotty fishing allowed the team of Bill Ball, of Grafton, and Tim Hoinacki, of Waupun, to jump from second-to-last-place to 56th place. A improvement of 181 places, two more than that of Hendrix and Noble. Ball and Hoinacki netted just one walleye on Saturday weighing 1.34 pounds, which they said they caught in the final 10 minutes of fishing. Sunday the team's luck wasn't much better, with their main motor overheating, their trolling motor battery went dead, their kicker motor wouldn't run and their live-well pump broke. The pair said winning the comeback award and sneaking into the money — top 60 places receive money — was worth all the trouble they went through. "We made the best out of a bad day," Hoinacki said. The second day release was slightly down from Saturday, with 57 percent of the 614 walleye caught Sunday surviving. Overall, 59.4 percent of the 1,287 walleye caught were releasedcaught were released. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 21 June 2010 13:17 |
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Anglers ready to hit water for annual Otter Street Walleye Tournament |
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Anglers ready to hit water for annual OSFC walleye TournamentBy Andrew Munger • of The Northwestern • June 17, 2010 |
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Former champs win the 2010 Mercury Marine National Walleye Tournament |
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 Two former champs won the 2010 Mercury Marine National walleye Tournament Sunday.
Rick Cavanaugh of Oshkosh and Jim Cavanaugh of McHenry, Ill., snagged the top spot — and the $13,000 grand prize — with 31.96 pounds of fish. The cousins also won the Mercury National in 1999. Sunday’s big fish weighed 8.2 pounds and was caught by Michael Docta of Fond du Lac and Michael Lambrecht of Kaukauna. The 33rd annual tournament attracted 300 teams, or 600 anglers, to Lakeside Park. It was held during walleye Weekend which concluded Sunday at the park. Jim Cavanaugh said he and his cousin have entered the tournament for more than 10 years. Rick Cavanaugh said it took a lot of patience to win. His team stuck to shallow water and used red, green and orange jigs and crank baits. Rick said he’s not sure what he’ll do with his share of the prize, but he’ll probably “enjoy it.” Jim said he’d like to buy new fishing equipment and maybe pay off some bills. “It’s not fun, but it’s necessary,” he said. Sunday’s leg of the event was a pleasant surprise — and a major upset — for some groups. Tournament announcers said some teams that caught five fish Saturday returned with one or zero on Sunday. On the flip size, groups that came back with only a couple of fish Saturday caught the five-fish limit Sunday. It happens during tournaments, especially on a lake like Winnebago, said Ken Krueger, assistant tournament director for the Mercury National. He said it’s one of the toughest lakes in the state to fish. Weather always plays a factor, although Fond du Lac dodged the storms that were forecast for the weekend. He noted that other tournaments, like one held in Oshkosh the weekend prior to the Mercury National, had no impact on walleye Weekend. The contests are catch-and-release, so there’s no shortage of fish in Lake Winnebago, he said. Krueger said local group, Lighthouse Anglers, returned about 71 percent of the Mercury National walleyes to the lake. Dead fish were cleaned and will be donated to the Salvation Army food pantry. Source: Fond du Lac Reporter |
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Last Updated on Monday, 14 June 2010 12:30 |
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MWC Lake Winnebago and AIM Bay Mills 6-8-2010 |
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National Professional Anglers Association
Published June 7, 2010 NPAA member Dean Arnoldussen NPAA#408 of Appleton, WI and his partner caught a two day limit of 10 walleyes weighing 27.16 pounds to finish third at the Cabela’s Masters walleye Circuit held this past weekend on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The two man team fished crawler harnesses in the mud off Oshkosh, in a bite that was painfully slow at times. They managed to get their five fish limit both days of respectable fish averaging nearly 2.75 pounds each. Arnoldussen and his partner took home the Ranger Cup prize of $1000.00 along with a strong cash payout of $6,300.00 for their efforts. Karl Wenckbach NPAA#620 of Lake Villa, IL and his partner bagged 26.24 pounds to capture fourth place prize for the MWC tournament. He and his partner split $4,600.00 in winnings for their efforts. A total of 362 boats competed this past weekend as Oshkosh hosted the Cabela’s MWC and the Cabela’s National Team Championship events simultaneously. Some teams, like Johnnie Candle NPAA# 42 of Devils Lake, ND and his partner Dave Noble NPAA #997 of Dixon, IL, chose to fish both events while others chose to fish only one event. Johnnie Candle and his partner, Dave Noble put together a game plan for two solid limits of fish this weekend, to bring home a top 10 in the NTC and a top 15 in the MWC event on Lake Winnebago. Saturday, they brought in five fish to the scales that weighed in at 10.98 pounds, and on Sunday they brought in another five fish limit for 11.36 pounds, for a two day total of 22.34 pounds. “It was good! Things went really well”, said Johnnie. “We had a pretty decent prefishing period, not really great, but we caught enough fish to put a game plan together. We stuck with the game plan for two days, and weighed two solid limits for a pretty good finish. When we first found out we were 10th in the NTC and 15th in the MWC, we were a little disappointed, but we looked at the weights and realized that we just finished 10th out of… what? 274 boats (?) in the NTC tournament…we said, “Holy Cow! That’s pretty good! We forgot pretty quickly that we didn’t win, and we were really-really excited for two solid finishes…especially on a body of water this far from home. We fished hard for two days, and caught two solid limits, but we never got that “kicker fish”, or that big bite that we were hoping for and still did well.” “We trolled up in Lake Poygan all weekend. We were out in 8.5-9.5 feet of water, pulling in-line planer boards with #5 Flicker Shads, and #5 Shad Raps. The best colors were black and gold on the Shad Raps and “Hot Tiger” on the Flicker Shads. We were running them 50 feet back with monofilament fishing line at about 2mph. We would go through spurts. We’d catch fish like mad for an hour or so, and then it would get slow for a couple of hours, and then you would catch them again later in the day for an hour or two. Every day we usually had our tournament limit by 1:00. We upgraded a few fish each day, and ended up with nice weights each day. The next highest finishing NPAA member for the NTC was Jamie Grubbs NPAA #965 of Sheffield, PA. He finished in 12th place. The NPAA Kids Fishing Clinic was a success with over 50 kids showing up to participate. Johnnie Candle MC’d the event while other pros, like Rick Zachowski, who helped organize the event, helped the kids learn to tie knots, put a slip bobber on their line and held a door prize drawing for a supped up bike. One lucky boy won the bike and the happiness showed when he stood on stage to accept it and get his picture taken. Teams that stayed after the weigh in to help with the kid’s event autographed t-shirts that were handed out thanks to the sponsors like Cabelas, Northland Tackle, and many others. Goodies such as rods, reels, tackle boxes, and much more was given away to the kids for free. The NPAA is a non-profit organization focused on growing the sport of fishing and increasing the professionalism of its members. Its supporting partners include Northland Fishing Tackle, Navionics, Mercury Marine, Evinrude Outboards, Lund Boats, Ranger Boats, Off-Shore Tackle, Fin-Tech Tackle, Berkley, AIM walleye Series, Masters walleye Circuit, FLW Outdoors, Frabill, U.S. Forest Service, Liddle Marketing, FPS Financial Planning Services, Do-it Corp., Optima Batteries, John Butts Outdoors, Pasha Lake Cabins, Oahe Wings and walleyes Guide Service, Outdoor First Media, Advanced Tex Screen Printing, Pro Staff Gear, and Worldwide Marine Underwriters. More NPAA member and association news can be viewed at www.npaa.net. |
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