Brad Davis Wins PWT at Cass Lake;
Gary Parsons Claims 3rd Angler Title
Cass Lake proved everything the In-Fisherman Professional
Walleye Trail anglers said it would be, “A great fishery
with thousands of spots to catch walleyes.”
Competition among the PWT Super Pro anglers in the Optima
Batteries/Berkley Pro-Am, presented by Minn Kota, was intense
over the Sept. 4-6 period. Winning the pro $86,000 first prize
was Brad Davis, Jackson, Wis. This was his first PWT victory,
after many top 10-place finishes. Like many anglers, he precisely
positioned his boat on key breaks (23 to 30 feet), and dragged
live chubs in areas where he knew walleyes traveled. His 38.13-pound
winning weight was two pounds better than Gil Mollet, Jefferson,
SD, who won $20,000 for his efforts. He also fished live bait.
Both concentrated on the north end of the main lake.
The weather opened stormy on day three requiring a safety
delay of 30 minutes. Rain driven by a north wind, and temperatures
30 degrees colder than on day two, forced anglers to concentrate
even more to stay positioned on walleye producing areas.
Perry Good, Brainerd, Minn., won $18,000 for third with 34.73
pounds, based on the Dow Chemical Company Heavyweight catch
of the Pro-Am, 17.34 pounds on the third day. He also tied with
John Butts, Dryden, Ontario, for the Coleman Cool Under Pressure
honors. Both advanced 21 places. Good mostly rigged night crawlers
in the northwest corner of the lake.
Two father-son duos were in the top 10. Gary Parsons and son
Chase finished fifth and sixth. Dan and Danny Plautz were eighth
and tenth. Both fathers beamed about the opportunity to fish
with their sons, and how much fun it was to be together on tour.
The Parsons netted $26,000, and the Plautz take was $21,000.
Gary Parsons, Glidden, Wis., won the coveted Johnsonville
Angler of the Year title, and $35,000 ($25,000 from Johnsonville
and $10,000 from Mercury) for finishing first after six PWT
tournaments among the world’s top walleye anglers. “This
was a tremendous year; everything fell into place,” he
said. It did with money finishes at each tour stop and five
top 10-place trophies for $137,000 in total winnings. He becomes
the first PWT pro with three Johnsonville Angler of the Year
titles.
Parsons will lead the field at the Mercury Championship, presented
by the Dow Chemical Company, set for May 16-18, 2008 in Saginaw
Bay and the Saginaw River, Michigan. The top 30 pros in the
Johnsonville Angler of the Year race qualified, along with the
top 20 in the MotorGuide Regional series.
Mike Gofron, with a seventh place finish, extended his record
number of top 10 finishes to 34. Pro Bruce, “Doc”
Samson, Minnetrista, Minn., and amateur David Wegener, Ashland,
Wis., won the Coleman Big Fish honors with a 6.96-pounder. Samson
won $1,500 and Wegener won $500.
Amateur Dave Kegler, Hubertus, Wis., won the Lund 1675 boat
with a Mercury 60-hp outboard, valued at $19,000, for ranking
first among all amateurs. Wayne Linstad, Bemidji, Minn., was
second, and the highest local amateur angler. He won a Mercury
9.9-hp outboard and a $1,500 rebate certificate from Mercury.
The second through sixth place amateurs also won valuable Mercury
rebate certificates.
The PWT honored host Stony Point Resort and the Palace Hotel
and Casino with Superior Achievement Awards for their great
hospitality. Froggy’s Bait Shop in Cass Lake received
a similar award for the efforts of Dean Phillips and Donny Ellis
for their ingenuity and craftsmanship (and tender loving care)
at releasing nearly 90 percent of all walleyes that came across
the stage.
The PWT is an integral element of the In-Fisherman Communications
Network headquartered in Baxter, Minnesota, and InterMedia,
America's leading producer of targeted media. PWT promotional
partners include: Mercury Marine, Lund Boats, Berkley, Lowrance
Electronics, Optima Batteries, Minn Kota, Realtree, MotorGuide,
Johnsonville Brats, Outdoor Channel, Coleman, Northland Fishing
Tackle, The Dow Chemical Company, StowMaster, Reef Runner, Yo-Zuri
Quality Lures, Smooth Moves Seat Mounts, Kwik Pfyt Mud Flaps,
Yellow Bird Planer Boards, Allstar Graphics, Internationional
Truck, Ram Mounts, Element Edge, Pflueger, Plano Tackle Systems,
E-Cell, Cannon, Fin-Tech Tackle, Do-It Molds, Cass Lake Chamber
of Commerce, 800.356.8615, Palace Casino & Hotel, 877.972.5223
and Stony Point Resort, 218.335.6311
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