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