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STREN/
Lake Erie
Eastern Pro-Am
Port Clinton Ohio
May 6-8 1998
Last update 06-13-98
Randy Tyler with a  fine example of the type of monster walleyes to expect during the In-fisherman Professional Walleye Trail opener on Lake ErieCalendar of events
Pictures 

Lake Erie Kids only prize giveaway Find Randy Tyler at the PWT Lake Erie event Mention Walleyes INC and receive a free prize courtesy of 

Important information
Pre tournament tips and tactics
1998 tournament sponsors
Tournament pictures
Day 1
Professional 
Results
Amateur 
Results
Bio Data & 
Totals

Big
Fish Award
Press Release
Tournament
Journal
Day 2
Professional 
Results
Amateur 
Results
Bio Data & 
Totals

Big
Fish Award
Press Release
Tournament
Journal
Day 3
Professional 
Results
Amateur 
Results
Bio Data & 
Totals

Big
Fish Award
Press Release
Tournament
Journal


Heavy weight 
Award Professional

Heavy Weight
Award 
Amateur
Coleman Cool
Under Pressure 
Award
Amateur
Coleman Cool
Under Pressure 
Award
Professional
T-H Marine
Live Release
Award

Big fish of the tournament Award


The 1998 PWT sponsors include:



 
DODGE TRUCKS DEE ZEE GUEST
LUBRIMATIC STREN COLEMAN
PINNACLE RODS AND REELS T-H MARINE FLAMBEAU
Bomber Lures Masterlock


Calendar of Events
 
Day Date Time Description Location 
Friday May 1 Open fishing launch at any ramp
Saturday May 2 Open fishing launch at any ramp
4 to 7:00 
p.m.
Mandatory pro registration, amateurs may also register 
Off shore board repair
Lubrimatic tent at Water 
Works Park
7:30 p.m. Mandatory pre tournament meeting for PWT  rookie and first time pro's Lubrimatic tent at Water 
Works Park
Sunday May 3 Open fishing launch at any ramp
8:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. Amateur Registration Lubrimatic Tent
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Pro's action photo's with fish West harbor Launch Ramp
Monday May 4 Open fishing launch at any ramp
8:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. Amateur Registration Lubrimatic Tent
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Pro's action photo's with fish West harbor Launch Ramp
Tuesday May 5 Open fishing launch at any ramp
8:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. Amateur Registration Lubrimatic Tent
4:00 p.m. All contestants off water
4:30 to 5:45 p.m. Meet the sponsors dinner Elks club 231 Buckeye Road Port Clinton Ohio
6 to 7:30 p.m. Mandatory Rules meeting Elks club 231 Buckeye Road Port Clinton Ohio
Wednesday May 6 Tournament Day
6:50 a.m. Opening ceremony West Harbor launch Ramp
7:00 a.m Contestants depart
3:00 p.m. Weigh in ceremonies begin meet the Pro's PWT stage at Water Works park
3:15 p.m. Boats 1-40 return
4:00 p.m. Boats 41-80 return
4:45 p.m. Boats 81-120 return
7:30 p.m. Christian Anglers Meeting Island House Hotel
Thursday May 7 Tournament Day
6:50 a.m. Opening ceremony West Harbor launch Ramp
7:00 a.m Contestants depart
3:00 p.m. Weigh in ceremonies begin meet the Pro's PWT stage at Water Works park
3:15 p.m. Boats 81-120 return
4:00 p.m. Boats 1-40 return
4:45 p.m. Boats 41-80 return
7 to 8:00 p.m. PWT advisory council meeting Lubrimatic Tent
8:00 p.m. Amateur Night talk walleyes , tournaments the industry and more Lubrimatic Tent
Friday May 10 Tournament day 3
6:50 a.m Opening ceremony West Harbor launch Ramp
7:00 a.m Contestants depart
3:00 p.m. Weigh in ceremonies begin meet the Pro's PWT stage at Water Works park
3:15 p.m. Boats 41-80 return
4:00 p.m Boats 81-120 return
4:45 p.m. Boats 1-40 return
5:30 p.m. Awards presentation ($203,000.00) to be given away from the main stage


Pre tournament tips and Tactics



Important Information
Practice period begins Friday May 1 and the water within the boundaries is closed the four days prior to the practice time (Monday through Thursday) 

Boundaries:  the Eastern boundary is a line of longitude, 82-30 on the east which runs roughly point Pelee in Canada to Huron Ohio. The Western boundary is 83 degrees longitude, which runs roughly through the C-can buoy.  You may not venture outside these boundaries during the tournament.  the northern boundary is the United States--Canadian border.  Contestants may fish outside these boundaries during the closed period if they launch and remain completely outside the tournament boundaries. 

Walleyes will be judged as always at the West harbor Ramp by the PWT crew.  Deductions will be assessed for dead fish or those that cannot maintain a normal swimming position.  Fizzing must be done prior to arriving at the ramp.  Keep pumps running so the fish are in good shape at the weight in.  After weight-in, the Ohio DNR wants all fish donated to the Sandusky and Toledo soup kitchens for the needy. 

The PWT is researching the possibility of washing down boats and trailers and purging and cleaning of bilges and livewells after the final weight-in.  More will be learned about this at the mandatory rules meeting. 

Remember amateurs the customary gas and bait split with the pro's is $25.00 a day.  amateurs are not allowed to take any tackle into the pro's boat the pro will provide everything.  and always remember what you learned as an amateur during practice, on your own or while fishing with a pro during competition may not be shared with your pro partner's. 

Many tackle and marine manufacturers will be in attendance at Lake Erie.  Be sured to visit with themand thank them for supporting the pros and as always thank the many volunteers for there help. 

PWT headquarters 419-734-7454
PWT fax 419-734-6080
PWT staff lodging 419-732-2111
Ottawa County vistors Bureau  419-734-4386 or 800-441-1271 


Day one Results
Press Release Day 1
May 6, 1998
I t ’s Smooth Sailing as Wa l l e y e
P ro Takasaki Takes PWT L e a d
Port Clinton, Ohio. . .
Fishing on the sixth straight day of calm Lake Erie seas proved exciting for Ted Takasaki, walleye pro from Algonquin, Illinois. He weighed five fish for 38.69 pounds to take the lead in the Stren/Minnkota Eastern Pro-Am. 

Port Clinton’s downtown Water Works Park was the site of the first In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) tournament of the season. The pros and amateurs will be on the water Thursday and Friday, trying to bring the maximum weight (5-fish) to the scales. The pro winner will collect $50,000 of the $203,000 purse. The top amateur will earn $12,500. Takasaki, a top walleye contender, fished with Greg Borgosz, Clarence Center, NY.Amateurs fish with a different pro each day for a combined boat weight.
The contestants enjoyed the favorable conditions and flat seas for the entire 5-day practice period and opening competition day. In second place are rookie pro James Myszkewicz, Burlington, WI and his amateur partner Lance Weber, Union Grove, WI, with 35.53 pounds. The third place partners, pro Jeff Taege, Mosinee, WI and amateur Owen McConville, Pella, IA came in with 34.37 pounds. Two-thirds of the field limited.The largest walleye of the day, 10.45 pounds, paid $1,850 to pro Jim Klick, White BearLake, MN. Other Walleye Angler Big Fish awards went to amateur Tim Herink, Plainfield, IL for a 9.83-pounder. It paid $1,200. The third place prize of $800 went to pro Todd Grams, Cottage Grove, WI, with a 9.62-pounder. And, amateur Borgosz won $700 for a 9.38-pounder.He also won a Flambeau TS 2000 tackle storage system for the heaviest weight of the day.The average weight was 4.15 pounds and the 2,100 walleyes caught were donated to the SeaGate Food Bank in Toledo at the request of the Ohio DNR. A total of seven walleyes over nine pounds were weighed. 

The weigh-in activities take place in downtown Port Clinton at 3:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The ceremonies present opportunities to meet and greet the pros, check out their gear and learn new tactics.
 
 



Tournament journal day 1
Tournament Journal of Arlen Wendt 

Day 1: May 6, 1998
           Weather- Mostly sunny with winds from 0 to 5 mph.
           Pro Partner- Mr. Tommy Skarlis
           Boat- Ranger 690 VS Fisherman
           Flight Number 1- Due back at 3:15 p.m. 

Most of the mourning was spent fishing crawler harnesses with #6 pounded silver or orange/chartreuse blades, fifty feet back to a 1 ½ ounce snap weight and finally fifty feet to the  planer boards with TattleTale flags. The average depth was 32 feet deep.  Most of the fish were suspended about five to eight feet from the bottom.  By 11:30 we had roughly twelve pounds of fish in the livewell, and the bite had really slowed down.  We noticed that few boats around us were netting any fish.  Mr. Skarlis decided to make a change to crankbaits.  We trolled cranks for about 45 minutes until we caught another fish, a nice six pounder.  After that we started catching a fish about every 10 to 15 minutes for the next hour and a half.  All of the fish were in the five to six pound range. Most of the fish were caught on  Risto Rap with a crawler on the first treble hook one hundred feet back to the planer boards.  The TattleTale flags on the Off Shore planer boards made it real easy to detect strikes and when a fish was on the line.  Being from Minnesota and not having much experience with planer boards this was a tremendous help to me.  Mr. Skarlis was a great partner to fish with and has quite a sense of humor.  We brought five fish to the scales that weighed a total of just over 32 pounds, which was good enough to place us seventh for the day, just six pounds out of first. 


Day One Professional  Results
Rank Name City State # of 
Walleyes 
Caught
Total 
Weight
1
Ted Takasaki
Algonquin Illinois 5 38.69
2 James Myszkewicz Burlington Wisconsin 5 35.53
3 Jeff Taege Mosinee Wisconsin 5 34.37
4
Mike Gofron
Antioch Illinois 5 32.37
5 John Bergsma Walker Michigan 5 32.37
6 Tom Bruno Littleton Colorado 5 32.36
7
Tommy Skarlis
Waterloo  Iowa 5 32.01
8
Gary Gray
Oshkosh Wisconsin 5 31.65
9 Mark Meravy Morris Illinois 5 31.05
10 Steve Grams Marshall Wisconsin 5 29.86
11
Dale Stroeschein
Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin 5 29.56
12 Rick Bodecker Cannon Falls Minnesota 5 29.45
13 Pete Harsh Sauk Center Minnesota 5 28.83
14 Dan Steir Pierre South Dakota 5 27.63
15
Ron Seelhoff
Lewellen Nebraska 5 27.49
16
John Peterson
Bemidji Minnesota 5 27.38
17 Rocco Papandrea Elkhart Indiana 5 27.04
18 Mark Magura Valparaiso Indiana 5 26.22
19 Todd Grams Cottage Grove  Wisconsin 5 26.07
20 Keith Kavajecz Kaukauna Wisconsin 5 25.74
21 Bill Koval Middleton Wisconsin 5 25.16
22 Pete Parkinson Ankeny Iowa 5 24.99
23 Chad Hall Algona Iowa 4 24.80
24 Ed Schoenecker Singer Wisconsin 5 24.76
25 Greg LaMere Gwinn Michigan 5 24.71
26 Norb Wallock Conover Wisconsin 5 24.59
27 John Hook Oscoda Michigan 5 24.05
28 Bill Koehne Abrams Wisconsin 5 23.36
29 Daryl Christenson Montello Wisconsin 5 23.34
30 Steve Bisset Elk River Wisconsin 5 22.92

Day One Amateur Results
Rank Name City State # of 
Walleyes 
Caught
Total 
Weight
1 Gregory Borgosz Clarence Center New York 5 38.69
2 Lance Weber Union Grove Wisconsin 5 35.53
3 Owen McConville Pella Iowa 5 34.37
4 Sheldon Medinger Bismark South Dakota 5 32.37
5 Charlie Christoferson Park Rapids Minnesota 5 32.37
6 Stacey LaDuke Toledo Ohio 5 32.36
7
Arlen Wendt
Coon Rapids Minnesota 5 32.01
8 Dale Frank Neenah Wisconsin 5 31.65
9 Brian Turnbull Sharon Wisconsin 5 31.05
10 Gary Gorsuch Gaylord Michigan 5 29.86
11 Dale Andrews Britton South Dakota 5 29.56
12 James Nottingham Duck West Virginia 5 29.45
13 Jamie Hilton LaPorte City Iowa 5 28.83
14 Brent Bemson Minot North Dakota 5 27.63
15 Andrew Pacer Toledo Ohio 5 27.49
16 Neele Kruse Ft Pierre South Dakota 5 27.38
17 George Fredin Roscoe  Illinois 5 27.04
18 John Eisle Anderson Indiana 5 26.22
19 Royce Drye Spokane Washington 5 26.07
20 Gary Speicher Cedar Rapids Iowa 5 25.74
21 Phil Schultz Lake Zurich Illinois 5 25.16
22 Paul Bruss Milwaukee Wisconsin 5 24.99
23 Dennis Jeffery Towner North Dakota 4 24.80
24
Randy Tyler
Hometown Illinois 5 24.76
25 Jim Murphy Brooklyn Park Minnesota 5 24.71
26 Chet Ratke Riverside Illinois 5 24.59
27 Roger Combs Dayton Ohio 5 24.05
28 Chris Riley Belleville Wisconsin 5 23.36
29 Dan Lewis Gaylord Michigan 5 23.34
30 Rober Plimpton Sioux Fallsr North Dakota 5 22.92


    Big Fish Award Day
Name City State Weight Winnings
Jim Klick (Pro) White Bear Lake Minnesota 10.45 $1,850
Tim Herink (Amateur) Plainfield Illinois 9.83 $1,200
Todd Grams (Pro) Cottage Grove Wisconsin 9.62 $800
Greg Borgosz (Amateur) Springport  Michigan 8.80 $800

 
Total Weight Average Weight Total Walleyes Caught
2110.47 4.15 508
BioData Day One
 
Air Temperature 
at 7:00 a.m.
Air Temperature 
5:00 p.m.
Water 
Temperature
Wind Conditions
78 81 52 to 58 calm to 10 m.p.h. Sunny with high overcast later in the day


Day Two Results


Press Release Day 2
May 7, 1998

Rookie Shows Pros;
Takes Lead in $203,000 PWT  event

Port Clinton, Ohio. . .
Leaders changed on the middle day of the Stren/MinnKota Eastern Pro-Am. The Ohio event pitted 120 walleye pro anglers against each other on Lake Erie. The pro leader after two days at the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) is James Myszkewicz, 29, Burlington, WI, with 63.58 pounds. Close behind with 61.86 pounds is pro Gary Gray, Oshkosh, WI. And, pro Tommy Skarlis, Waterloo, Iowa, has 60.03 pounds for third. First day leader  Ted Takasaki, Algonquin, IL, slipped to fourth place. The leading amateur with 64.45 pounds is Dale Frank, Neenah, WI. Amateurs fish with different pros each day for a combined boat weight. The boat-limit is five walleyes. The top amateur will win $12,500; the top pro will earn $50,000 of a $203,000 purse. 

Myszkewicz is fishing as a rookie pro after two years touring as a PWT amateur. “Learning from the pros and now paying attention to details has made all the difference,” he said. He trolled slow (.8 to 1 mph) with  Junior Thundersticks on one side and  #3 Willow spinners on the other. He started at 18-feet and brought the lures up higher as the day went on. Most anglers are also trolling crankbaits or spinners and crawlers with  in-line trolling boards. Tactics will be shared from the stage at Water Works Park starting at 3:00 p.m. Friday. The stage show and ceremonies are free to the public in downtown Port Clinton. A total of 67 limits came to the stage on day two, with six fish over nine pounds. The daily catch of one ton of walleyes was donated to the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky. The Walleye Angler Big Fish awards went to rookie pro Rick Bodeker, Cannon Falls, MN with a 9.84-pounder. He won $1,850. The second place award of $1,200 went to amateur Jamie Keckeisen, Milwaukee, WI for a 9.49-pounder. Winning $800 for his 9.39-pound walleye was amateur Marvin Yost, Warren, MI. Amateur Charlie Christoffersen won $695 for a 9.12 pound walleye. The largest daily catch of 33.17 pounds earned amateur Andrew Pukstys, Chicago, IL a Flambeau TS2000 tackle storage system. 



Tournament journal day 2
Day 2: May 7, 1998
           Weather- Partly cloudy with winds from 10 to 15 mph later in the day.
           Pro Partner- Mr. Norb Wallock
           Boat- Tracker Targa
           Flight Number 2- Due back at 4:45 p.m. 

For the first part of the mourning we fished in about eight to ten feet of water pulling crawler harnesses with ¾ ounce in-line sinkers 25 to 30 feet back to Off Shore planer boards. We were hoping to get some four to five pound fish early so we could spend the rest of the day upgrading our limit. The bite was off and we left about 10:30 a.m. with 4 fish weighing close to a total of 9 pounds.  After about a 30 minute boat ride we started fishing the same program except we changed the In-line sinkers to 2 ounce sinkers, 45 to 65 feet back to the Off Shore planer boards.  The bite was slow and it took another couple of hours to finally get our limit.  We stayed there for the final 2.5 hours and upgraded our fish for just over 20 pounds for five fish.  Unfortunately, I made a mistake near the end of the day and lost a nice fish in the prop of the boat that cost us about 2 to 3 pounds.  Mr. Wallock was a real professional about it and explained what I should have done and left it at that.  The next day at the final day weigh-in that mistake probably cost Mr. Wallock some prize money since he finished only about 2 pounds out of it.  Mr. Wallock is an exceptional fisherman and I hope I can fish with him again without making any mistakes.


Day two Professional division results
Rank Name City State # of Walleyes caught 
day 2
Total Weight 
Day 2
Total # of 
Walleyes 
caught
Total 
Weight
1 James Myszkewicz Burlington Wisconsin 5 28.05 10 63.58
2
Gary Gray
Oshkosh Wisconsin 5 3031 10 61.86
3
Tommy Skarlis
Waterloo Iowa 5 28.02 10 60.03
4
Ted Takasaki
Algonquin Illinois 5 21.09 10 59.78
5 Jeff Taege Mosinee Wisconsin 5 20.92 10 55.29
6 Ed Schoenecker Singer Wisconsin 5 29.5 10 54.26
7 John Peterson Bemidji Minnesota 5 26.19 10 53.57
8
Mike Gofron
Antioch Illinois 4 20.14 9 52.77
9 Rocco Papandrea Elkhart Indiana 5 25.54 10 52.58
10 Dave VanOss Appleton Wisconsin 5 31.71 10 51.98
11 Pete Harsh Sauk Centre Minnesota 5 22.6 10 51.43
12 Bill St Peter Bay City Michigan 5 33.17 10 51.17
13 Chris Gilman Chisago City Minnesota 5 30.02 10 50.46
14 John Bergsma Walker Minnesota 5 17.04 10 49.41
15
Sam Anderson
Apple Valley Minnesota 5 32.9 10 49.21
16 Tom Bruno Littleton Colorado 5 15.91 10 48.27
17
Dale Stroeschein
Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin 4 18.14 9 47.70
18 Steve Grams Marshall Wisconsin 3 17.83 8 47.69
19 Gregg LaMere Gwinn Michigan 5 22.5 10 47.21
20 John Hook Oscoda Michigan 5 22.88 10 46.93
21 Rick Bodecker Cannon Falls Minnesota 4 17.45 9 46.90
22 Pete Parkinson Arkeny Iowa 5 21.55 10 46.54
23 Todd Grams Cottage Grove Wisconsin 5 19.94 10 46.01
24 Will Lage Rapid City South Dakota 5 21.95 10 45.82
25 Shannon Kehl Bismark North Dakota 5 28.08 10 45.16
26 Dan Steir Pierre South Dakota 4 17.23 9 44.86
27 Norb Wallock Conover Wisconsin 5 20.17 10 44.76
28
Ron Seelhoff
Lewellen Nebraska 5 17.22 10 44.71
29 Leon Houle Little Canada Minnesota 5 30.71 10 44.17
30 Dave A Anderson Amery Wisconsin 5 24.72 10 43.87
Day 2 Amateur Results
Rank Name City State # of Walleyes caught 
day 2
Total Weight 
Day 2
Total # of 
Walleyes 
caught
Total 
Weight
1 Dale Frank Neenah Wisconsin 5 32.9 10 64.45
2 Gregory Borgosz Clarence Center New York 5 20.56 10 59.25
3 Lance Weber Union Grove Wisconsin 5 22.63 10 58.16
4 Charlie  Christoferrson Park Rapids Minnesota 5 25.54 10 57.91
5 Jamie Hilton LaPorte City Iowa 5 27.23 10 56.06
6 Dan Lewis Gaylord Michigan 5 30.31 10 53.67
7 Royce Drye Spokane Washington 5 27.1 10 53.17
8 Jim Murphy Brooklyn Park Minnesota 5 28.43 10 53.14
9 John Eisle Anderson Indiana 5 26.19 10 52.41
10 Stacey LaDuke Toledo Ohio 5 19.94 10 52.30
11
Arlen Wendt
Coon Rapids Minnesota 5 20.17 10 52.18
12 Andrew Pukstys Chicago Illinois 5 33.17 10 49.48
13 Greg White Rapid City South Dakota 5 31.71 10 49.41
14 James Nottingham Duck West Virginia 5 19.85 9 49.30
15 Tom Pettengill Roy Utah 5 30.71 10 48.23
16 Lorrie Schaffer Minot North Dakota 5 26.76 10 47.92
17 Russell Lappala Marble Minnesota 5 30.02 10 47.55
18 Brent Bernsten Minot North Dakota 4 18.61 9 46.24
19 Sheldon Meddinger Bismark North Dakota 3 13.56 8 45.93
20
Randy Tyler
Hometown Illinois 4 20.4 9 45.16
21 Gary Gorsuch Gaylord Michigan 5 15.09 10 44.95
22 Rodger Pape East Grand Forks North Dakota 5 21.83 10 44.29
23 Jamie Keckeisen Milwaukee Wisconsin 5 28.05 10 43.95
24 Alston Penfold Osage Iowa 5 21.55 10 43.65
25 Scott Ziegler North Platte Nebraska 5 22.5 10 43.17
26 Phil Schultz Lake Zurich Illinois 5 17.63 10 42.79
27 Dave Andrews Britton South Dakota 5 13.13 10 42.69
28 Dennis Jeffery Towner North Dakota 4 17.45 8 42.25
29 John Grahek Emerado North Dakota 5 28.02 10 42.22
30 George Freiden Roscoe Illinois 14.97 8

 

    Big Fish Award Day 2

 
Name City State Weight Winnings
Rick Bodecker (Pro) Cannon Falls Minnesota 9.84 $1,850
Jamie Keckelson (Amateur) Milwaukee Wisconsin 9.49 $1,200
Marvin Yost (Amateur) Warren  Michigan 9.39 $800
Charlie Christoferson Park Rapids Minnesota 9.12 $800

 
Total Weight Average Weight Total Walleyes Caught
4134.26 4.18 989
Bio Data Day Two
 
Air Temperature 
at 7:00 a.m.
Air Temperature 
5:00 p.m.
Water 
Temperature
Wind Conditions
60 65 52 to 60 calm building to 20 m.p.h by the end of the day seas calm building 3 to 4 feet sky was overcast


Day Three Final Results

Press Release Day Three
May 7, 1998
Wi s c o n s i n ’s Gary Gray Wi n s $50,000
Lake Erie PWT Event
Port Clinton, Ohio. .
Gary Gray, Oshkosh, WI, with a final day catch of 25.52 pounds claimed the $50,000 Stren/Minnkota Eastern Pro-Am first place prize. Gray, a full-time pro walleye angler and respected tournament competitor caught a total of 87.38 pounds over the 3-day In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) event on Lake Erie. 

This is the first win for Gray who has amassed seven top 10 PWT finishes. In 1996, he was the runner-up PWT Angler of the Year. He has won many walleye titles and honors throughout his career. After five calm practice days and one and one-half days of flat tournament waters, a northeast wind built seas to three to five feet on the final day. Most anglers were trolling by Kelly’s Island and rode the swells back home. 

The second place pro, Tommy Skarlis, Waterloo, IA, had a total of 84.39 pounds for a $15,000 payday. Pro Ed Schoenecker, Slinger, WI was third with 82.58 pounds for $10,000. The winning amateur, after fishing with pros John Bergsma, Walker, MI, Rocco Papandrea, Elkhart, IN, and Joe Lundquist, Osseo, MN was Charlie Christofferson, Park Rapids, MN. He won $12,500. A total of $203,000 was paid out.
The winning tactics were silver and blue crankbaits with orange bellies trolled at 20 to 21 feet deep for Gray. Only two of his fish came on spinners, a popular Lake Erie walleye producer. Gray caught a tournament limit of five walleyes each day. 


Tournament Journal Day Three
Day 3: May 8, 1998
           Weather- Partly cloudy with winds from 25 to 30 mph most of the day.
           Pro Partner- Mr. John Hook
           Boat- Roughneck
           Flight Number 3- Due back at 4:00 p.m. 

This was the day Lake Erie gave us a little sample of what she can do.  The waves were a solid 4 to 5 feet with an occasional 7 to 9 footer.  I felt relieved to be in Mr. Hook's boat since he is out of Saginaw Bay Michigan and is used to big water.  We pulled crawler harnesses with in-line sinkers varying the depth by letting out anywhere from 45 to 85 feet of line back to Offshore planer boards. Our first fish was a nice 8.5 pounder.  The rest of the day was a struggle with the wind and the waves and we were lucky to get a limit. Of the three day tournament this was the day with the least amount of limits brought to the scales. I heard some contestants; both pros and ams were getting sick out there.  I probably would have gotten sick myself except for the fact that I was wearing seasick wristbands.  I highly recommend these to anyone venturing onto rough water.  By the end of the day Mr. Hook decided to go in a little early and give the fish, and us, an easier ride in to the Weigh-in.  We weighed in a five fish limit that came in at a little over 20 pounds.  That put my grand total to 72.32 pounds!  This weight placed me 11th overall in the tournament for $1000 worth of PWT merchandize. 

In closing I would just like to encourage any walleye fisherman to visit this great fishery either for recreation or in a tournament setting for an ultimate walleye fishing experience
 



Day three Final Result Professional Division
 
Day 
Day 
2
Final 
Rank
Name City State Day 
1
Day 
2
Day 
3
Total 
# of 
fish
Total 
weight
Winnings
1
Gary Gray
Oshkosh Wisconsin 15 87.38 $50,000 
Includes 

Boat 
200 h.p.
2 Tommy Skarlis Waterloo Iowa 15 84.39 $15,000
3 Ed Schoenecker Singer Wisconsin 15 82.58 $10,000
4 Pete Harsh Sauk Center Minnesota 14 79.79 $7,500
5 Steve Poll Fon Du Lac Wisconsin 15 75.19 $5,200
6
Sam Anderson
Apple Valley Minnesota 15 74.62 $4,200
7 James Myszkewicz Burlington  Wisconsin 12 72.45 $4,000
8
Ted Takasaki
Algonquin  Illinois 15 72.32 $3,800
9
Dale Stroeschein
Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin 14 70.30 $3,600
10 Pete Parkinson Arkany Iowa 12 70.26 $3,400
11 Reggie Theil Walker Minnesota 15 68.11 $3,400
12 John Hook Oscoda Michigan 15 67.06 $3,000
13
Ron Seelhoff
Lewellen Nebraska 15 66.71 $3,000
14 John Bergsma Walker Minnesota 15 65.99 $3,000
15 Vaughn Cornelius St. Cloud Minnesota 15 65.96 $2,800
16 Mike Theyrl Two Rivers  Michigan 14 65.56 $2,800
17 Jeff Taege Mosinee Wisconsin 12 65.51 $2,800
18 Scott Fairburn Mendota Heights Minnesota 14 65.07 $2,700
19 Greeg LaMare Gwinn Michigan 15 64.36 $2,700
20
Mark Martin
Twin Lakes Michigan 13 64.25 $2,700
21 Shannon Kehl Bismark North 
Dakota
15 63.63 $2,600
22 Rick Bodecker Cannon Falls Minnesota 14 62.30 $2,600
23 Rocco 
Papandrea
Elkhart Indiana 13 62 $2,600
24 Johnnie Candle Bismark  North Dakota 14 62.16
25 Leon Houle Little Canada Minnesota 15 62.14
26
John Peterson
Bemidji Minnesota 13 61.64
27 Joe Lundquist Osseo Minnesota 13 61.64
28 Steve Gramms Marshall Wisconsin 11 61.49
29 Norb Wallock Conover Wisconsin 15 60.48
30 Todd Gramms Cottage Grove Wisconsin 15 60.20

Day Three Final Amateur Results
Day 
Day 
2
Final 
Rank
Name City State Day 
1
Day 
2
Day 
3
Total 
# of 
fish
Total 
weight
Winnings
1 Charlie Christoferson Park Rapids Minnesota 15 89.17 $12,500
2 Royce Drye Spokane Washington 15 83.29 $4,000
3 Lance Weber Union Grove Wisconsin 15 83.04 $2,500
4 Jamie Hilton Laporte city Iowa 15 81.71 $2,100
5 Greg White Rapid city South Dakota 15 79.59 $1,800
6 Russel Lapella Marble Minnesota 15 75.56 $1,600
7 Dale Frank Neenah  Wisconsin 12 74.76 $1,400
8 Greg Borgosz Clarence Center  New York 14 74.15 $1,200
9 Steven Haynes Duluth Minnesota 15 73.35 $1,100
10 Richard Daniels Springport Michigan 15 72.93 $1,100
11
Arlen Wendt
Coon Rapids Minnesota 15 72.31 $1000
12 Carey Thames Punxsutany Pennsylvania 15 70.48 $1000
13 Chris Riley Belleview Wisconsin 15 69.01 $1000
14 Stacey LaDuke Toledo Ohio 15 68.02 $1000
15 Andrew Puxstys Chicago Illinois 15 67.96 $1000
16 Dave Andrews Britton South Dakota 15 67.79 $1000
17 Bruce Way Maple Lake Minnesota 15 66.93 $1000
18
Randy Tyler
Hometown Illinois 14 66.77 $800
19 Terry Hagen Bismark North Dakota 14 66.33 $800
20 Dan Lewis Gaylord Michigan 14 66.18 $800
21 Tim Herink Plainfield Illinois 12 65.52 $700
22 Doyle Campbell Arcannum Ohio 14 62.30 $700
23 Larry Rolince Vermillion Ohio 14 65.21 $700
24 Tom Pettingill Roy Utah 15 64.87
25 Dennis Jeffery Towner North Dakota 13 64.84
26 Gary Gorsuch Gaylord Michigan 15 63.21
27 Robert Plimpton Sioux Falls South Dakota 14 62.48
28 John Eisle Anderson Indiana 12 61.28
29 John Lynch Omaha Nebraska 13 60.94
30 Lorrie Schaefer Minot South Dakota 13 60.76
    Big Fish Award Day 3
    Total Three day pot worth $13.900
Name City State Weight Winnings
Will Mazure (Pro) Northville Michigan 9.94 $1,850
Royce Drye (amateur) Spokane Washington 9.23 $1,200
Keenan Miller (Pro) Mandan South Dakota 8.96 $800
Richard Daniels Springport  Michigan 8.80 $800
Total Weight Average Weight Total Walleyes Caught
6003.28 4.19 1433
Bio Data Day Three
 
Air Temperature 
at 7:00 a.m.
Air Temperature 
5:00 p.m.
Water 
Temperature
Wind Conditions
58  65  52 to 60 15 to 25 m.p.h Seas  2 to 4 feet at 7:00 a.m. 3 to 5 feet at 5:00 p.m. sky was overcast with occasional rain and seas 5 to 7 feet at times
$600 Amateur Coleman Cool Under Pressure award
Name City State # of places 
advanced
Winnings
Dave Mundorf Casper Wyoming 72 $600
$1000 Professional Coleman Cool Under Pressure award
Name City State # of places 
advanced
Winnings
Steve Poll Fon du Lac Wisconsin 75 $1,000
$500 T-H Marine Live Release Award for the most walleyes judged releasable at weigh-in, although all three tons of walleyes were donated to the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky and the Sea Gate Food Bank in Toledo at the request of the Ohio DNR.
Name City State # of fish 
released
Winnings

Tommy Skarlis
Waterloo  Iowa 15 $500
.
The Heavyweight award of $500 for the heaviest one-day catch went to
 
Name City State Total Weight Winnings

Ted Takaski
Algonquin  Illinois 38.69 lbs and 5 fish $500.00
His amateur partner  won a tackle box with $300 of  Lures.
 
Name City State Total Weight Winnings
Greg Borgosz Clarence Center New York 38.69 lbs and 5 fish $300.00

Flambeau daily top Amateur for the largest catch of the day
 
Name City State Total Weight Winnings
Richard Daniels Springport Michigan 32.92  lbs and 5 fish Flambeau TS2000 Tackle Storage System

 
 
 

The  big fish of the tournament  wins $1,500 and a graphite replica of his trophy. A duplicate will be enschrined in the Bass Pro Shops Gurnee, IL, store. 

.
Name City State Weight Winnings

Jim Klick  (Pro)
White Bear  Minnesota 10.45 $1500.00





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