LAST UPDATE 04/24/01
In Fisherman
Professional Walleye Trail

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PWT Information and PWT  bulletin board sponsored by  Great place to look for lodging and ride sharing along with possible pre fishing

    Brainerd, Minnesota....The early reports are coming in and 
the answer is "Now!"  The question is, "When is the prime time for 
Chamberlain, South Dakota walleye action?"

    Anglers on the Missouri River are plainly visible from 
thousands of passers-by on Interstate I-90.  Launch ramp parking lots 
are full of trucks from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North 
Dakota and Nebraska plus hundreds of in-state anglers. The walleyes 
are moving up Lake Francis Case towards traditional river spawning 
areas from Chamberlain to Big Bend Dam.

    And, despite higher spring-time flows than in recent years, 
the fish are biting.  When the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye 
Trail (PWT) pros and amateurs arrive, the fish will have concluded 
their spawning rituals and should be feeding heavily.  The key for 
the contestants fishing for nearly $250,000 will be locating the 
highly mobile females.  Male walleyes usually remain in the shallower 
and warmer water after spawning and make up the bulk of the catch.

    The PWT crowd, competing in the PowerBait/MinnKota Midwest 
Pro-Am April 25 - 27, will be on the water for several days to 
determine the best tactics, then each will put the best game plan 
into action.  The winning pro earns $50,000 including a Lund 20-foot 
boat and 200-hp Mercury outboard on an Eagle trailer.  The top 
amateur, after fishing with three different pros in the combined 
boat-weight event, claims a $12,500 Lund/Mercury boat package.

    All activities including the morning start and the 3 p.m. to 
6 p.m. afternoon weigh-in festivities take place at Cedar Shore 
Resort in Chamberlain.  Weigh-ins are free of charge and a great 
place to learn more about walleye fishing and meet the best walleye 
anglers in the world.  To "watch" from home or work, check the PWT 
website real-time scoring: www.in-fisherman.com, or, select your 
favorite pros and play the Fantasy Walleye Challenge game at 
www.fbc2000.com.

    The PWT is part of PRIMEDIA, Inc., America's leading producer 
of targeted media headquartered in New York City.  PWT sponsors 
include: Aqua Vu, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley PowerBait, Berkley Trilene, 
Blue Fox Tackle, Carhartt, Coleman, Cotton Cordell, Daiichi hooks, 
Dee Zee, Dodge truck, Eagle Claw, Eagle Trailers, Evercel, Flambeau, 
Guest chargers, Lindy Little Joe, Lowrance Electronics, Lund Boats, 
Mack's Lure, Marinco, Mercury Outboards, MinnKota, Rapala Lures, 
Northland Tackle, Oceanwave sunglasses, Pinnacle rods and reels, 
Plano, RAM, Raytheon Marine, Real Tree,  Shimano rods, Storm Lures, 
T-H Marine, Yamaha all terrain vehicles, Cedar Shore Resort, 
605-734-6376 and the Chamberlain/Oacoma Chamber,
605-734-4416.

    Chamberlain, South Dakota...."That boat cover was a great 
idea," said PWT winner and touring pro Norb Wallock, Conover, 
Wisconsin, as he watched fellow pro anglers shovel half a foot of 
snow from their boats.  Wallock was in no hurry to head out into the 
35 mph north winds with temperatures still below freezing at 9 a.m. 
Monday.

    None of the other competitors in the PowerBait/MinnKota 
Midwest Pro-Am were in a hurry either, since the 3-foot snow drift 
and parking lot was being plowed out at Cedar Shore Resort, 
headquarters for the $250,000 In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail 
tournament.  The good news is that with Bass Pro Shops 100 mph 
Gore-Tex foul weather suits, anglers could remain dry and warm.

    However, Mother Nature may provide her own warmth, based upon 
weather forecasts of high 70-degree temperatures during the 
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, April 25-27 competition.  Prior to 
the late spring storm, the walleyes in this stretch of the Missouri 
River and Lake Francis Case had spawned, and water was warming above 
the 46-degree range.

    Touring pro Daryl Christensen, Montello, Wisconsin, said, 
"This is one of the best bites ever, and I've lived on rivers in 
springtime my entire life.  I can't find a spot where the fish don't 
bite."  Strong words indeed from a past PWT winner and one of the 
top-rated jig fishermen in the country.  Anglers have found a 
combination of live bait tactics, primarily jigging and rigging to 
produce numbers.

    The tactic that has helped pros dial into the bigger walleyes 
is trolling edges of flats near the main river channel.  These 
methods include deep-diving crankbaits and leadcore line or heavy 
weights to get lures deep.  While jigging from 3 to 12 feet is the 
preferred depth, trollers are working from 22 feet and deeper.

    The Midwest Pro-Am, with great local support from the 
Chamberlain/Oacoma Chamber of Commerce, will conduct weigh-in 
festivities each afternoon from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.  April 25-27.  The 
public is invited to join the fun on the lawn of Cedar Shore Resort; 
admission if free.  On Friday, the awards ceremony brings a 
"tell-all" from the pros of what they did, where they caught their 
fish and how.

    The PWT is part of PRIMEDIA, Inc., America's leading producer 
of targeted media headquartered in New York City. PWT sponsors are

	Eagle Trailers
Carhartt	Shimano
		Energizer
Bomber Lures	COTTON CORDELL
		Evercell
Raytheon Electronics	GUEST Marine Products	DODGE TRUCKS
Very Fine Juices Mack's Lures	T-H MARINE Marinco	Ocean Wave Sunglasses
All Terrain Vehicles	Real Tree	IMPCO  Boat Buckles

Cedar Shore Resort, 605-734-6376 and the Chamberlain/Oacoma Chamber, 
605-734-4416.