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Keith Kavajecz Holds on; Wins $100,000 Mercury Championship
Bismarck, North Dakota.....Championships are special.
Only the best
qualify. The electricity inside the packed Bismarck Civic
Center crackled
for the Mercury Championship contestants Sept. 12 - 14. Thousands
of
walleye fans cheered when In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail 2002
Champion Keith Kavajecz netted just enough walleyes to collect the
$100,000
first prize, including a Lund/Mercury walleye rig and a Leer truck
cap.
Kavajecz, from Kaukauna, Wis., added 5.26 pounds
on day three to edge
second place finisher Bobby Crow, Paterson, Washington. Crow,
fishing his
first PWT Championship, was only .21 pounds behind, due to a great
final day
catch of 8.30 pounds, the $1,000 Gander Mountain Heavyweight award
winner.
Their totals were 19.69 and 19.48 pounds, respectively.
The Mercury Championship, with fishing on the Missouri
River, and stage
festivities inside the Bismarck Civic Center, was an invitational for
the
top 51 touring pros and Mercury Top Amateur Tom Gonya, Toledo, Ohio.
A
Sport Show with many youth activities was held in conjunction with
the
Championship. Kids were winners; 500 Plano tackle boxes and 1,000
Silstar
rods and reels were given away.
Kavajecz trolled Shad Raps near the state line, concentrating
on the 5 to 8
foot depths. He is a past PWT winner (Saginaw Bay, 1994) and
has 16 top 10
place finishes. This victory pushed his total PWT winnings to
$261,300. He
was honored as a National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame Legendary
Angler
two years ago.
About half the field trolled crankbaits. Jigging
and rigging with minnows
or leeches were also successful tactics. Early in tournament
week, anglers
praised the fishery. During the event, with dropping water levels
and a
final day cold front, some pros admitted their fish “disappeared.”
The leaders netted limits every day, including third
place angler Dan
Stier, Pierre, SD. Second place was worth $37,000 and third
$33,000. Both
places included Lund and Mercury boat packages on Eagle trailers with
MinnKota trolling motors. Anglers collected $291,000 in Championship
and
special year-end awards. A total of 12 anglers caught 4-fish
limits each
day. Of the 454 walleyes weighed, 437 were released into the
Missouri River
by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
The Miller High Life big fish was 4.18 pounds, caught
by Gary Gray,
Oshkosh, Wis. It was worth $3,000. Kavajecz won $1,000
for his day one
2.66 pounder, and Nate Provost, Gulliver, Mich., also won $1,000 for
his
final day 3-pounder.
Advancing 31 places, Ross Grothe, Apple Valley, Minn.,
won the $1,000
Coleman Cool Under Pressure award. A big winner was the
Devils Lake, ND,
community. The PWT donated a Big Bear Yamaha ATV to the Lake
Region Anglers
club. Their fund-raising efforts with the Yamaha ATV will contribute
significantly to Devils Lake access improvements
Mercury Marine
2002 Championship
Missouri River, Bismarck /Mandan, North Dakota
September 6 - 14, 2002
Friday, September 6 Navigation Day
6 -9 pm Meet the Pros; public invited; chili feed River City Sports
Saturday, September 7 First Day of Practice
8:00 pm Pro Orientation meeting/ Registration Civic Center Meeting
Room
Sunday, September 8 Pro-Am Celebrity Tournament
6:00 am Meet celebrities at boat; depart Civic Center
5:00 pm Boats off the water; return to Civic Center
5 - 6 pm Park boat; bring measurements of celebrity or pro fish to
stage. PWT Stage/Boat Yard
Monday, September 9 Third Day of Open Practice
5:00 pm Boats off the water; return to Civic Center Civic Center Boat
Yard
6 - 9 pm Meet the Pros; Public invited; chili feed Twin City Boat World
Tuesday, September 10 Fourth Day of Open Practice
5:00 pm Boats off the water; return to Civic Center
5:30 - 8:00 pm Meet the pros; public invited; fish fry Moritz Sport
& Marine
8:00 pm Fellowship of Christian Anglers meeting Radisson Inn
Guest Speaker: Tommy Skarlis
Wednesday, September 11 Final Practice Day
1:00 pm Boats off the water; return to Civic Center
3:00 pm Pro walk thru; drive thru procedures Civic Center main floor
6:30 pm Pro/Press/Observer/Volunteer Dinner Civic Center Food Court
7:00 pm Rules Meeting; pros and observers
Thursday, September 12 Championship Day 1
5: 45 - 6:00 am Pros meet observers at boats and depart Civic Center
Boat Yard
7:20 am Opening Ceremonies Hazelton Ramp
2 :00 - 9:00 pm Championship Sport/Outdoor Show Exhibit Hall
4:00 pm Stage festivities commence
6: 45 - 9 pm Pros Meet the public at the show - in sponsor booths Exhibit
Hall
*500 Kids with coupons pick-up free tackle and/or Plano tackle boxes
at Exhibit Hall
Friday September 13 Championship Day 2
5: 45 - 6:00 am Pros meet observers at boats and depart Civic Center
Boat Yard
7:20 am Opening Ceremonies Hazelton Ramp
2:00 - 9:00 pm Championship Sport/Outdoor Show Exhibit Hall
4:00 pm Stage festivites commence
6:45 - 9pm Pros Meet the public at the show - in sponsor booths Exhibit
Hall
*500 Kids with coupons pick-up free tackle and/or Plano tackle boxes
at Exhibit Hall
Saturday September 14 Championship Day 3
5: 45 - 6:00 am Pros meet observers at boats and depart Civic Center
Boat Yard
7:20 am Opening Ceremonies Ramp TBA
10:00 am - 5:00 pm Championship Sport/Outdoor Show Exhibit Hall
3:30 pm Special Entertainment Civic Center
4:00 pm Stage festivities commence
6:45 pm *1,000 Kids with coupons pick-up free Pinnacle/Silstar rod
and reel combo Civic Center Food Court
7:30 - 8:30 pm Social Hour for pros/press/observers/volunteers and
sponsors Radisson Inn Ballroom
8:30 pm Championship Banquet & Awards Ceremonies Radisson Inn Ballroom
Ticket required; $100,000 to winner
*NOTE: First 500 youngsters with FolkFest buttons accompanied by parent
or guardian receive coupons for tackle and/or Plano tackle boxes on Day
1 and Day 2. On the final day, the first 1,000 kids get
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