Calendar of events
Pictures
Meet the contestants
1998 tournament sponsors
Additional Articles (as of 10-31-98)

• Ted Takasaki climbs to the top of the PWT Championship ladder
• Reflections of a champion by Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson

Day 1	Results	Bio Data &  Totals	Big Fish Award	Press Release
Day 2	Results	Bio Data &  Totals	Big Fish Award	Press Release
Day 3	Results	Bio Data &  Totals	Big Fish Award	Press Release

Heavy weight  Award

Coleman Cool Under Pressure  Award

T-H Marine Live Release Award

Big fish of the tournament Award

 

DODGE TRUCKS	Lubrimatic	DEE ZEE	GUEST
Bomber Lures	T-H MARINE		COLEMAN

Rank 1  Scott Fairburn  Walker Minnesota	Rank 2  Mike Gofron  Antioch Illinois	Rank 3  John Bergsma  Walker Minnesota	Rank 4  John Peterson  Bemidji Minnesota	Rank 5  Pete Harsh  Sauk Centre Minnesota
Rank 6  Dan DeJaeghrere  Pierre South Dakota	Rank 7  Vaughn Cornelius  St. Cloud Minnesota	Rank 8  Jeff Taege  Mosinee Wisconsin	Rank 9  Joe Lundquist  Osseo Minnesota	Rank 10  Dan Steir  Pierre South Dakota
Rank 11  Brian Ney  Baudette Minnesota	Rank 12  Chris Gilman  Chisago City Minnesota	Rank 13  Tommy Skarlis  Waterloo Iowa	Rank 14  Chad Hall  Algona Iowa	Rank 15  Perry Good  Eagan Minnesota
Rank 16  Ted Takasaki  Algonquin Illinois	Rank 17  Mark Brumbaugh  Pitsburg Ohio	Rank 18  Shannon Kehl  Bismark North Dakota	Rank 19  Keith Kavajecz  Kaukauna Wisconsin	Rank 20  Reggie Theil  Walker Minnesota
Rank 21  Scott Glorvigen  Grand Rapids Minnesota	Rank 22  Sam Anderson Apple Valley  Minnesota	Rank 23  James Myszkewicz  Burlington Wisconsin	Rank 24  Tom Backer  Fargo North Dakota	Rank 25  Norb Wallock  Conover Wisconsin
Rank 26  Dan Plautz  Muskego Wisconsin	Rank 27  Dave Spaid  Pierre South Dakota	Rank 28  Ron Seelhoff  Lewellen Nebraska	Rank 29  James Klick  White Bear Lake Minnesota	Rank 30  Leon Houle  Little Canada Minnesota
Rank 31  Gary Parsons  Chilton Wisconsin	Rank 32  Richard Mellon  Pincher Creek Albany Canada	Rank 33  Ross Grothe  Apple Valley Minnesota	Rank 34  Dale Stroeschein  Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin	Rank 35  Mike McClelland  Pierre South Dakota
Rank 36  Marty Glorvigen  Grand Rapids Minnesota	Rank 37  Gary Roach  Merrifield Minnesota	Rank 38  Pete Parkinson  Arkeny Iowa	Rank 39  John Campbell  West Dundee Illinois	Rank 40  Mark Martin Twin Lakes Michigan
Defending 1997  PWT Champ  Rick LaCourse  Oregon Ohio	1998  PWT Amateur of The Year  Charlie Christofferson	1st alternate  Harry Stiles  Pierre South Dakota

September 17 1998
For Immediate Release

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.

Big Fish Award Day 1

September 18 1998For Immediate Release

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.

Big Fish Award Day 2

Name	City	State	Weight	Winnings
John Bergsma	Walker	Minnesota	5.24	$100o.00

September 23, 1998

Additional Articles on the 1998 Champ Ted Takasaki (as of 10-31-98)

• Ted Takasaki climbs to the top of the PWT Championship ladder
• Reflections of a champion by Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson

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

Big Fish Award Day 3

The  Heavyweight award of $500 for the heaviest one-day catch went to