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Championship
DODGE
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Missiouri River
Bismark North Dakota
September 17,18 and 19
Last Update 11-01-98
Ted Takasaki with wife Lori
and Daughter Kristi as they celebrate his 1998 PWT championship win and
there 14th wedding anniversary all in the same week . Way
to go Ted!!!!
Calendar of events
Pictures
Meet the contestants
1998 tournament sponsors
Additional Articles (as of 10-31-98)
The 1998 PWT sponsors include:
Calendar of Events
Meet The
Contestants
Important Information
Press Release Day 1
September 17 1998
For Immediate Release
Illinois Pro Ta k e s Slim 1st Day PWT Lead
Bismarck, ND . .
The weights were deceiving, because In-Fisherman Professional Walleye
Trail (PWT) contestants had been into good walleyes in practice. The top
42 pro walleye anglers were competing for the $100,000 first prize in the
Dodge/Mariner Championship.
The Missouri River dropped about two feet on Tuesday and Wednesday
for the first tournament day Thursday.
Mike Gofron, Antioch, Illinois, a 6-time PWT Championship qualifier, leads
with 7.22 pounds. Only one-tenth of a pound back at 7.12 pounds is Muskego,
Wisconsin pro Dan Plautz.
He also caught the Bass Pro Shops Big Fish, 3.50 pounds. Former Championship
winner Mark Brumbaugh, Pitsburg,
Ohio, holds the third spot with 6.96 pounds.
“Any pro in this field can win, especially since the fish are there,”
said Northland Tackle president and pro
John Peterson, Bemidji, Minnesota. Many pros were catching three to five
pound walleyes in practice, but the theory is that the dropping water affected
them.
The second and third competition days take place on the Missouri River.
Thousands of spectators will be able to watch the action in the Bismarck
Civic Center Friday and Saturday starting at 3:30 p.m. The weigh-in festivities
are highlighted by a high-spirited enthusiastic crowd, special 15 x 20
foot electronic scoreboards and camera crews of Touchstone Energy and walleyes.
A walleye tackle, boat and RV show is being held in the adjacent Exhibit
Hall.
All events are free to the public and a “Meet the Pros” night occurs
after weigh-in.
Day One
Results
Big Fish
Award Day 1
Name |
City |
State |
Weight |
Winnings |
Dan Plautz |
Muskegon |
Wisconsin |
3.50 |
$800.00 |
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Total Weight |
Average Weight |
Total Walleyes Caught |
124.25 |
1.37 |
91 |
BioData Day
One
Air Temperature
at 7:00 a.m. |
Air Temperature
5:00 p.m. |
Water
Temperature |
Wind |
Conditions |
56 degrees |
89 degrees |
62 degrees |
variable to 10 mph |
clear |
Day Two Results
Press Release Day 2
September 18 1998For Immediate Release
Takasaki Holds Familiar PWT Top Spot; 1 Day Remains
Bismarck, ND . .
Ted Takasaki, pro walleye
angler from Algonquin, Illinois, is in a familiar spot. After two days,
he leads the Dodge/Mariner Championship in Bismarck, ND, with 13.57 pounds.Takasaki,
with eight top 10 In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail places, has also
led three PWT tournaments. “I know it’ll take guts to only keep bigger
fish,” he said, “But I want this one.”Another Illinois angler,
Mike Gofron, Antioch, the day one leader slipped to second with a total
weight of 13.35 pounds. Pitsburg, Ohio pro and former PWT Championship
winner Mark Brumbaugh holds third
with 13 pounds.The top 10 places are separated by two pounds. Tenth place
pro Ron Seelhoff, Lewellen,
NE, caught the largest catch on day two, 9.38 pounds.The “bite” sorted
itself out after the Missouri River began rising. The flow from the dam
at Garrison, ND, was cut from 22,000 cfs to 16,000 cfs, lowering the river
almost two feet just prior to the Championship, but was back to 20,000
cfs today.The largest day two walleye came to the scales courtesy of John
Bergsma, Walker, MI. The Bass Pro Shops big fish weighed 5.24 pounds.Thousands
of spectators crowded into the Bismarck Civic Center to observe the weigh-in.
Excitement on the final day as anglers compete for the first place prize
of $100,000, should draw the largest indoor walleye crowd ever. Weigh-in
festivities begin at 3:30 p.m., with the first boat to stage at 4:15 p.m.
The festivities and adjacent sport, tackle and marine show are free to
the public.
Tournament journal
day 2
Day two results
Big
Fish Award Day 2
Name |
City |
State |
Weight |
Winnings |
John Bergsma |
Walker |
Minnesota |
5.24 |
$100o.00 |
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Total Weight |
Average Weight |
Total Walleyes Caught |
295.84 |
1.34 |
220 |
Bio Data Day
Two
Air Temperature
at 7:00 a.m. |
Air Temperature
5:00 p.m. |
Water
Temperature |
Wind |
Conditions |
61 degrees |
89 degrees |
62 degrees |
10 mph s.e. |
Clear |
Day Three Final
Results
Press Release Day Three
September 23, 1998
Additional Articles on the 1998 Champ Ted Takasaki (as of 10-31-98)
For Immediate Release
Takasaki Hangs onto
Lead; Wins PWT $100,000 Prize
Ted with the 1998 Championship
Trophy and a fine Missiouri River Walleye that helped bring him the coveted
$100,000 prize
Bismarck, ND . . Illinois pro angler
Ted Takasaki captured the $100,000 Dodge/Mariner 1998 Championship first
prize. The new In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) Champion from
Algonquin competed on the Missouri River September 17 - 19 and weighed
his final day basket to the cheers of 6,000 North Dakota walleye fans.Takasaki
has collected nine top 10 PWT finishes, led four PWT tournaments that he
didn’t win, but “. . . fished the hardest I’ve ever fished on the final
day to win.” He netted the Storm Heavyweight catch of the week, 10.35 pounds,
to anchor a total 23.92 pound catch.The enthusiastic fans greeted each
angler with rousing cheers as they paraded around the Bismarck Civic Center.
When Takasaki’s final weight flashed on the huge 15 x 20 foot overhead
screens, walleye history was made with the first-ever $100,000 walleye
payday. A total of $210,200 was paid. Takasaki’s first prize included a
19-foot Champion Fishhunter boat, 200-hp Mariner outboard, MinnKota trolling
motor, the keys to a 1999 Dodge Truck and $45,000 in cash. The Storm Heavyweight
award added $500 to his winnings.In second was veteran pro
Ron Seelhoff, Lewellen, NE. With two PWT victories to his credit, Seelhoff’s
21.14 pound total was worth $30,000. This was the second year in a row
he finished “runner-up.” Seelhoff had one fish the first day, but with
consecutive limits the next two days, he advanced 25 places for the Coleman
Cool Under Pressure $1,000 award. He also won $700 for the Bass Pro Shops
third place big fish.
The third place pro with 19.78 pounds was former PWT Championship winner
Mark Martin,
Twin Lake, MI. He collected $7,000 plus $1,000 for releasing the most walleyes
alive, a limit of 15 fish, for the T-H Marine Live Release award. Close
behind, Mark Brumbaugh, Pitsburg, Ohio, weighed 19.43 pounds for $5,000.
First day leader Mike Gofron, Antioch, IL, finished fifth with 18.97 pounds
and won $4,200. The Master Lock Sportsman of the Year $500 award, voted
by his peers, went to Gofron who finished second overall in the Angler
of the Year race to Scott
Fairbairn, Walker, MN.The largest walleye of the tournament, 5.24 pounds,
won the Bass Pro Shops big fish prize of $1,000, for John Bergsma, Walker,
MI. In second place ($800) with a 3.50-pounder was Dan Plautz, Muskego,
WI.The lower than anticipated catch was attributed to the Missouri River
water level, which dropped about two feet the day prior to the tournament.
The winners switched to precise presentations in key areas. Takasaki fished
upstream of the Cannonball River bridge. He looked for the 8-10 foot deeper
holes and fished the edges with glo-in-the-dark 1/4 ounce Lindy
Fuzz-E-Grubs baited with tiny minnows. Seelhoff trolled shallow current
edges, often against the brush near a Huff’s Bluff creek channel. He trolled
#13 floating Rapalas and #5 Shad Raps. He would nose his boat onto the
sand bars when he caught fish nearby and pitch jigs and a Lindy rig in
the “hot spots.”PWT pro anglers all expressed the same sentiment about
Bismarck/Mandan, the host communities as echoed by Takasaki, “The people
are the best, the crowd’s the largest, and we had fun.”
Ted hoist's a fine
Bismark walleye taken upstream from the Cannonball bridge
Day
three Final Result Professional Division
Name |
City |
State |
Weight |
Winnings |
Ron Seelhoff |
Lewellen |
Nebraska |
3.36 |
$700 |
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Total Weight |
Average Weight |
Total Walleyes Caught |
465.51 |
1.37 |
340 |
Bio DataDay Three
Air Temperature
at 7:00 a.m. |
Air Temperature
5:00 p.m. |
Water
Temperature |
Wind |
Conditions |
52 degrees |
70 degrees |
62 degrees |
10 mph ne at 7:00 a.m. 20-30 mph nw in the afternoon |
cloudy |
$1000 Coleman Cool Under
Pressure award
Name |
City |
State |
# of places
advanced |
Winnings |
Ron Seelhoff |
Lewellen |
Nebraska |
25 |
$1000.00 |
$500 T-H Marine
Live Release Award
Name |
City |
State |
# of fish
released |
Winnings |
Mark Martin |
Twin Lakes |
Michigan |
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$500.00 |
The
Heavyweight award of $500 for the heaviest one-day catch went to
Name |
City |
State |
Total Weight |
Winnings |
Ted Takasaki |
Algonquin |
Illinois |
5 fish 10.35 lbs |
$1,000 |
Walleyes Inc. website is maintained
by Randy
Tyler Fishing the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Circuit, Masters
Walleye Circuit and the Team Walleye Circuit. All rights reserved.Copyright
1999/2000
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