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Wyoming Pro Wins $64,000 PWT Tournament
With a great final day catch, Wyoming pro Terry Wilson won
his first In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail tournament
and $64,000. With nearly 49 pounds for the 3-day Lund/Outdoor
Channel Pro-Am, Wilson topped the elite field of PWT pro anglers.
He did it by fishing about 35 miles south of Sault Ste. Marie
on the St. Mary's River. Anglers fished all of the river, bays
and lakes including in front of the PWT stage in town. Many
found walleyes relating to weeds in Lake George, while the main
channel edges in 24 to 30 feet produced also. Some anglers found
fish very shallow in 7 to 8 feet. Most dragged some form of
bottom bouncers and livebait. Tony Puccio hooked Gulp! nightcrawlers
from Berkley so they were weedless, and ran spinners and Gulp!
through the weeds. He won his second Berkley Artificial Intelligence
$500 award for his innovative tactics. This is Wilson's third
check of the season, for a total of $70,000 in earnings. He
is one of the 52 anglers headed to the Mercury Championship
in Kansas. Leading the parade of anglers to Kansas is Johnsonville
Brats Angler of the Year Mike Gofron, Antioch, Ill. This is
his second Angler title, among his many accomplishments, including
31 top 10-place finishes, a PWT record. He won $25,000 from
Johnsonville Brats, plus $10,000 from Mercury Outboards. At
Sault Ste. Marie, pro Ernie Olson, Foley, Minn., won $20,000
for second place. Olson won the Gerbing's Hot Pro award for
his strong finish. The Gerbing's heated foul weather suit ($500)
will keep this 4-season angler warm. He also won $500 cash.
Pro Ken Zmudzinski, Jenison, Mich. was third, for $13,000. Both
were personal bests.
The top amateur was Chuck Warner, Goetzville, Mich. about 45
minutes away on Raber Bay. He won a $17,000 Lund/Mercury boat
on an E-Z Loader trailer. Amateurs fished three days, with a
different pro each day, using the pro's gear and tackle, for
a combined boat-weight. They could bring five walleyes to the
scales each day. Pro Rick Franklin, Park Rapids, Minn., and
amateur/co-angler Steve Graham, Harbor Springs, Mich., caught
the Coleman Big Fish of the tournament, 6.14 pounds and split
$1,000. Pro Mark Sak, Imlay City, Mich., won the Navionics Spot
on the Spot $500 award for anchoring and fishing a key spot
for limits on the final two days. He also advanced 73 places
to win the Coleman Cool Under Pressure award. Shannon Kehl,
Menoken, ND won the Dave's Ka-Boom "Close Call" award of $500
for finishing 41st.
Amateur Mike Johnson, Niagara, Wis., placed highest in the
MotorGuide East Division and won the Pflueger Top Stick award
of two matched President spinning reels and rods. He also won
a trip to the Mercury Championship representing all amateurs
who competed this season. He will captain his boat and fish
against the pros who taught him all season long. He won a Mercury
9.9-hp outboard valued at $2,500. He had first, 12th and 20th
place finishes. Pro Tom Kemos, Oconomowoc, Wis., driving the
Optima Batteries boat, won the MotorGuide East Division. He
earned a $1,500 MotorGuide trolling motor and a $2,000 SnowSport
snowplow. He will lead the East Division top 10 pros to Kansas
The complete list of pros invited to the Championship will
be posted on www.professionalwalleyetrail.com. The schedule
for the activities will also be posted.
The public is invited to join the best tournament anglers when
they fish Milford Lake near Junction City, Kansas, Sept. 16-18.
Rookie pro Chase Parsons cashed checks in five of six tournaments
and earned PWT Rookie of the Year honors. The PWT television
series will begin airing the final week of September and run
through March 2006. It runs three times per week on the Outdoor
Channel. Quality Inn & Suites (906-635-6918), Sault Convention
Bureau (800-647-2858), Kewadin Casino (906-632-0530) and these
business partners: Mercury Marine, Lund, The Outdoor Channel,
Berkley, Optima Batteries, Realtree, MotorGuide, Lowrance, MinnKota,
Trilene, Frenzy, Blue Fox, Powerbait, Johnsonville Brats, Northland
Fishing Tackle, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, GULP!, Coleman,
Storm, Boat Buckle, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt, E-Z
Loader, Raymarine, Rapala, Matzuo, Pflueger, Ram rod holders,
Gerbing's Heated Clothing, Aqua-Vu, Save Phace, Plano, Stowmaster.net,
Navionics, Access Roll-up Cover, Yellow Bird, DOW Chemical,
Dave's Lures, The State Bank Group, Yo-Zuri and Reef Runner.
The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications
Network headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, and PRIMEDIA,
America's leading producer of targeted media. For Results log
onto www.pwtleaderboard.com
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